Confused.

[Raimes]

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Over the past half hour I've been reading through the forums, mostly about people having low GPA's and the advice they are getting.

Some say go into a masters program and some say don't.

Anyways my take on things...
I had a graduate professor tell me that I would never make it into a grad program with less then a 3.0. Assistantships, ect. is dependent on your grades AGAIN. A one year non-thesis program costs you money, they will NOT pay you. Honestly I hate to be a downer.. but I've had people tell me here that I would never get in with my gpa, and I have a boatload of experience, 10 years with horses, 2 years working 15 hours a week with a mixed animal vet.. meaning I get to see goats/cows/pigs/chickens/horses/cats/dogs.. I have some research experiance, and have exotic experience also. Do I not have enough? I don't understand how someone with a low GPA can get into a vet school because of their breadth of experience?

Am I wrong to assume schools only care about the grades until you get over that grade cut-off?
And most of them wont even look at you if you still have unless you are at that certain point?

(And yes I have poor writing skills, I have people edit all of my papers for me numerous amounts of times.)

 

[nyanko]

I had a graduate professor tell me that I would never make it into a grad program with less then a 3.0. Assistantships, ect. is dependent on your grades AGAIN.

A lot of people here talk about doing a Masters or Ph.D. as a "backup plan" with the assumption that they will get in to one, and you're absolutely right in that you aren't really guaranteed admission to those programs just because you want to do them any more than you are guaranteed admission to a DVM. Some Ph.D. programs are more selective than vet school, even!

That said, my first year of my MS I was a TA the entire year, which paid for my tuition + stipend. This was because of my experiences as an undergrad as a peer tutor, SI leader and undergraduate TA, not because of my GPA. This year I have been paid as a RA (research assistant), because of my demonstrated ability to conttribute to the lab last year. So it isn't ALL about the GPA. I know at times it can feel really frustrating to have doors closed in your face because of grades you received in what feels like another lifetime, but eventually if you stand your ground and be creative in finding alternate ways to prove yourself, somebody will notice. What those alternate ways are will vary for each individual's situation, which is why everyone gets different advice here.

 

[Raimes]

A lot of people here talk about doing a Masters or Ph.D. as a "backup plan" with the assumption that they will get in to one, and you're absolutely right in that you aren't really guaranteed admission to those programs just because you want to do them any more than you are guaranteed admission to a DVM. Some Ph.D. programs are more selective than vet school, even!

Thanks I definatly wanted to get that point across..

It is very frustrating to have EVERY door shut in my face. It doesn't help that there are NO jobs out there either, only ones for 3+ experiance/master's, and I can't ever get into a masters program!

 

[sumstorm]

If you have a master's program or a topic you are really interested in, the best thing you can do, regardless of you GPA, is make a connection with the PI. A PI can do a lot in terms of getting students in for their research. I know a student who had a 2.4 that was accepted to a competitive program because she had convinced the PI that her passion for the topic outweighted the GPA.

An Asie, If you feel you have poor writing skills, work on that. Not just editing, go bak and relearn grammar. It is one of those things that can hurt you throughout your career.