I know there are 2-3 threads like this already, but they were all too old.

I'm looking to apply to Grad school for next summer or fall, and have a few questions for people who have been there.

1. I'm mostly looking to go to App. I like the campus, I like Boone, and it's close to home. It's not a very prestigious school of course, but from what I've heard it has a quite good Public Administration school. Should I even bother applying to more prestigious schools if what most would consider a "safety school" is where I really want to go?

2. My GPA isn't very good (2.8) due to changing majors and general laziness, but I have a good GRE score (1340). Do they look more at the GRE and Recommendation?

3. There are only a couple of professors that I feel like know me enough to write a letter of recommendation, and I need 3. Is a high school teacher who you had in a couple classes and wrote a great reference for college too far back? If so, would you recommend getting just a prof that I made a good grade in or something? because as I said, I only really know a couple profs.

4. I haven't had any internships so far (laziness again) and now I'm off campus, and I graduate in December, so easy access to internship has already passed me by. Should I try to get an internship in my local area (at the Democratic county HQ for example) for a few months even if it is low/no pay?

10/26/2006 1:24:34 PM

1) Yes and no. Yes in general as it's good to always leave options open, if you don't pursue them. No if you are piss-poor and/or don't have the time/energy to research and apply to another program with the same intensity as App.

2) Depends on the individual department. Letters of recommendation can generally help lend flexibility to the numbers requirements.

3) 1 Character Reference, 1 Academic Reference, 1 Professional Reference. IF the high school instructor knows you extraordinarily well and has kept touch in the last 3-4 years, you can probably use them as the character reference. If not, you still have a good bit of this semester to get a recommendation from a class you are currently enrolled.

4) Depends on your financial situation. Does App take Spring enrollments? Will an adviser up there accept a student who enrolled in the spring? All of this to say, you've got 8 months or so post-December graduation ... getting experience and enrolling in the fall would be nice if you can afford it.

5) Post this in Study Hall next time .

10/26/2006 1:33:05 PM

1. What will you do if App. says no?

2. GRE scores and recommendations help. If you're going for master's, GRE might be more important. For a Ph.D., recommendations are critical.

3. I'm not sure about the character reference. Maybe for master's level that will work. Most recommendations need to say something about your academic ability and drive, which is why a lot of people will use at least two professors for these. A professional reference is good if you've had an internship or job in the field you're applying for.

4. Up to you. You'll probably be doing it too late to get a reference out of it, but you can always state on the resume or personal statement that you'll be doing that before attending next fall.

10/26/2006 5:36:11 PM