how my chances are for getting into top grad school?

Question

Hello all and thanks for reading my question.
I am a graduate student (PhD) at university of southern California (USC). I study civil engineering here but the department is not very good in civil engineering and I wasn’t able to get any funding from the department. I would like to apply to better schools but I have one problem which is my undergrad grades which I did in another country. (it is 14/20 which is average). How ever my masters GPA is very high (3.98/4) and the courses I have taken here were very tough courses. I also have a good GRE score. Do you guys think I can get into a better school bases on what I said or just continue what I am doing at USC?

by the way I can get strong recommendation letters from professors at USC.

Answer 1

I assume you're just beginning the PhD program at USC, and have recently completed the Master's degree.

If you are further into your PhD program coursework, it could be extremely difficult to transfer into another PhD program and to have your credits accepted within that program.

However, even if the latter is your situation, don't let that stop you from exploring the possibilities. It may be worth it to you to lose some credits if the Civil Engineering program to which you seek admission is substantially better.

Contact the Directors of Graduate Studies in the departments of Engineering at the universities in which you are interested. Explain your situation. Inquire as to the possibilities of transfer, but also allow for the possibility of needing to begin a new PhD program from scratch.

Oh, and in most cases, your Master's GPA and your GREs will outweigh your undergraduate average in terms of admission. So don't worry too much about that. And your letters of recommendation will be of great help to you.

Answer 2

Ok, let's see...You can look at this challenge as an opportunity for you to excel in your chosen area by (1) producing high quality, innovative research (and publishing) in your area and (2) reaching out to civil engineering firms for funding and sponsorship. I know these tasks may sound daunting, but in life nothing is impossible if you have a good plan for execution and the energy to go after it. Your professors in the department should be able to point you in the right direction as well as to provide you with some references. The key here is to prove your engineering caliber FIRST before you reach out to others for assistance. Stop the pity party and get going!

Hey, nothing is easy....so get use to the idea and make it happen for you. Good luck.