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I am a senior in Electrical Engineering. I always wanted to go to graduate school to at least get a Masters but I am now starting to doubt that it is even an option for me. GPA of 3.4ish with a major GPA of 3.2ish.

I have a very weak background in Math and Physics (and Chemistry) (grades ranging from 1.8 to 2.7) and I took them during my first 2 years in college. The only explanation I have for such bad grades is that because I was very unmotivated in my first 2 years but to be honest, that just sounds like excuse to me. I also recently just failed a Stats class due to the same reason. I'm embarrassed that I actually failed this Stats class, so I am determined to get A as I retake the class. Apart from that, most of my grades are at least 3.0 or above (Only got one 2.5 in an intro to EE class).

Is grad school still an option for me, even for less competitive programs? If I study my butt off in my final year to get as many As as I can, have strong letters of recommendation, would that increase my chances/leave a better impression? Any advice on what I should do to improve myself and to prove that I am capable of handling graduate school?

(Below are information that would probably help answering/giving advice)

Outside of school, I hold several engineering related clubs officer positions and have more than a year of research experience. I also recently got invited to another research group based on my performance in one class (on track for 4.0). In general, my grades are very tilted, if I'm interested in the topic, usually it will be 3.5 or above.

If there are any professors here, how do you feel about students like me? Do you see me succeeding in graduate school or do you think I am bound to fail as an engineer?

ohwell
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  • https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/38237/how-are-ph-d-applications-evaluated-in-the-us-particularly-for-weak-or-borderl You might be interested. – Allure Aug 20 '22 at 08:54
  • That post is very helpful, thank you so much! – ohwell Aug 20 '22 at 08:59
  • I doubt we can add much to the above post (and evaluating individual profiles is not our role in any case). A 3.4 is not so bad, and it sounds like there is a positive trend, which is good. But, multiple Ds and Fs will indeed count against you, as you know. In any case, it is not a matter of people assuming you are "bound to fail as an engineer"; it's just a question of selecting X candidates from Y applicants with X << Y. All you can do is read the linked page, do the best you can in your final year, make a large number of applications, and see what happens. Good luck. – cag51 Aug 20 '22 at 09:19

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