Am I just screwed, or what?

[dude1984]

Originally Posted by sas384_

I graduated from the University of MN with a 2.8, and I know it's rather pathetic but let me continue. Over the last 3 years, I've had to go through a few hardships-- my husband was ill for almost a year, so I had to put school on the backburner for awhile. I also had to work more because he was unable to. After he got better and started working, I started experiencing my own health problems mostly due to the lack of good insurance and healthcare. My husband's health insurance wasn't great at all, and the year when he was sick I was not able to take my maintenance medications the way I should have because we could not afford them.

Flash forward, and to just get through school and finish I took classes full time almost nonstop because I just wanted to be done. Unfortunately the more classes I took, the lower grades I got. I still had to work because my husband and I are still essentially broke, but we've been able to pay off a couple loans.

Then, I started to have more health issues, but these were different because I've had to see specialists to get it sorted out, and the pain I experienced was so bad it would leave me incapacitated for days at a time (due to ovarian cyst).

If one would look at my transcript, they'd see that I had a mixture-- in a lot of classes I got B+'s and higher-- in some, I got B-'s and C+'s. I also got a couple of C-'s from my last semester because of poor performance. My graduation gpa says 2.8, but my final cumulative gpa is actually a 3.1 because a couple of teachers didn't enter my grades until after my degree was conferred.

I feel like all doors that were once opened to me have slammed shut right in my face. Is there ever any hope for grad school? I don't even know where I'd be able to go that would accept someone with a graduation gpa of 2.8, and heck what about job searching? (I haven't worked full-time since my graduation due to the health issues, which have gotten better). I already know the minute you don't put your gpa down on your resume you can't get hired and it's an automatic assumption that you got bad grades.

How would I even ever explain this, even if I did want to go to grad school? What, that I was "always having issues?" I read somewhere from a director of admissions that admissions are always hesitant to admit someone who constantly "has issues" because to get an advanced degree, a person needs to have the mental rigor and capacity to overcome their circumstances. Clearly, I didn't have that!

So much for a future! (pulls out hair)

There are a few things grad schools look at:
--GPA, especially the final 60 semester/90 quarter hours;
--GRE scores;
--Statement of Purpose;
--Letters on Recommendation;
--Depending on the program: volunteer work, internship work, and or actual work in the field you are interested in studying;
--Some programs require an interview.

You should get the Graduate Programs in the Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences by Peterson's. There is a section on the area you want to study which lists progams and their requirements. There is also The Social Work Graduate School Applicant's Handbook. You might be able to get each from your local library. You could also search online for legitimate online social work programs. Stick to real universities and if you aren't sure, research the school and program.

[mistygrl092]

Originally Posted by kodaka

Well, you 'know' wrong. Employers do not assume you had poor grades if you omit it. Rather, they assume you know the importance of including only the most relevant qualifications for the job to which you are applying. Virtually no one cares about your GPA any more.

So true and I wish it were not. I cannot list my 4.0 GPA at UC Berkeley basically because no one cares and it makes me look like an amateur at life.

[sas384_]

Here's what I have discovered so far:

Some workplaces do want gpa. I had to list my gpa for a few of the administrative positions I applied for. Other places weren't asking, but I'm sure it looks suspicious that my resume doesn't list it and that I don't volunteer that information on the applications I've looked at.

I'm not even sure anymore if I'd want to stay in social services. Really, the thought of becoming a social worker doesn't sit well with me because I'm not liberal enough for the field-- there, I said it. I also think social services is becoming a system that will eventually collapse. Why should I continue in a field where it's probably not even going to hold up above water anymore?

I almost think that going into psych research would be better, but you've got to be a brain for that.

I honestly don't want to go into a field because it's the only thing that will take me, invest years of time, energy, and sweat, only to be bitter or nonchalant about it in the end.