What does it take to be an ivy league grad student?

Question

I'm a sophmore in Brooklyn College who is majored in economics. I will go to grad school but i long to be an ivy leaguer. I had a 3.78 GPA until this past semester. I didn't do my best and received a string of B and C grades. I even missed a final exam and got an ugly ABS grade in my marketing class. Does this destroy my chance of ever being accepted into an ivy league grad school?

Answer 1

First, you should know that the cache of the Ivy League doesn't necessarily hold for graduate school. Once you hit grad school, if you're interested in prestige, you need to attend the best reputed program in your field - which may or may not be at an Ivy League school. So, for example, if you were planning to study computer science in grad school (I'm picking this at random just as an example), Columbia, Harvard, Brown, etc. would not be your best choices. The best programs for computer science are at non-Ivy League universities. Thus some of the graduate programs in this field at the Ivys aren't as selective as you'd think.

However, there are some graduate programs at Ivy league schools that are excellent. If you wanted your MBA, for example, then Harvard and Stanford are very strong choices.

With that said, if you want to get into a good grad school, you do need to have a strong overall GPA, strong GRE, GMAT, etc. test results, applicable experience, and very strong references. But the GPA is only one part of the package. If your GPA is so-so, and the rest of your application is extremely strong, they will usually let you in.

Another point in your favour - you've messed up your sophomore year. You have two more years ahead of you. So long as you do well in those last two years, even if your overall GPA is a bit low due to the sophomore year, then they will weigh your grades from your last two years more heavily.

However, you really do need to get your school life in order, because you need to do well in your junior and senior years. If that means that you need tutoring, or assistance from your academic advisor, or counselling, then get it. If your life is really bad right now, and it's interfering with your schoolwork - and if that will continue for a while - you may want to talk to your academic advisor now, and see what help may be available to you via the school.

Missing a final? That's pretty bad. I don't know what happened that made you miss the final. Know that, in the future, if you've been a good student in the class, but you need to miss a final for any reason - health issues, mental issues, family issues, what have you - contact the professor before the final. They'll sometimes allow you to take the final late, or even get an "Incomplete" for the class and make up the work in the weeks following the end of the semester. You can also talk to your academic advisor and they may be able to help you out.

Answer 2

No it doesn't.

Although good grades certainly help, there are SO many honors applicants to ivy league schools that admissions officers often look for originality in background, goals or accomplishments to make for an interesting mix of students. Even a well-written application can help.

Keep trying your best with the grades, but think about what might distinguish you from other applicants. Best of luck.

Answer 3

needless to say Columbia college does not prepare comprehend. i don't elect to help fund Columbia and that i wish others will communicate out. He spoke the fact. those human beings do elect us ineffective. All those teenagers who have been disrespectful would desire to have a existence in Iran after graduating. they supply the effect of being to love is attitude. Sorry Sobs.

Answer 4

most likely

Answer 5

3.78?!?! we dont want your kind of GPA at our school (BROWN UNIVERSITY)