SCHOOLTwo years ago I was asked to leave my graduate program at CMSU (now UCM) due to a low GPA, it was slightly below a 2.0. I recently met with the dean of Grad Studies at UCM and he declined my appeal to return. My intelligence was never in question, my low GPA stemmed from the job I was working at the time, which I have changed. Are there any Graduate programs that would accept a student with such a low GPA, and also accept federal student loan money to pay tuition. Is there anything I can do to realize my dream of obtaining a master's degree to ensure myself a better career.
Most master's programs require a GPA of at least 2.5. Nevertheless, all hope is not lost. Could you take some online classes related to your master's field? If you do that and make good grades, this could compensate for your poor grades in grad school. Also, during your grad school search, try to find another job that will be a better fit for you. If you establish a good performance record there, that could also bolster your credentials for getting in to a new program.
Meanwhile, apply to at least 3 other schools. Visit the campus or talk to students and try to figure out if the school is the kind that will work with applicants. Try smaller schools because at a large university, you will be just one of many, and the admissions committee can easily turn you down. In your application, try to highlight extracurricular or professional experiences where you succeeded. Good reccomendation letters from your undergrad institution will also help. If you get to work now, you could get into a new program by this coming spring.
You may want to consider explaining the reason for your poor academic performance in your personal statement. Don't directly say, "I made bad grades because of job X." Instead, talk about the unique challenges at work and what you learned from it. If learning how to focus more on your academic coursework was a part of it, say so. Do what you can to show that even though you may not have been a high-performing student in the past, you will be now. Include what you told us about your desire to ensure that you'll find a better career. Ambition is always a plus.
If you still get rejected, do not hesitate to call someone from the admissions office and ask to speak about why you got rejected. Say, "I'd like to know what I could do to become a better candidate." Some schools allow you to appeal an admission decision, so if this becomes necessary, write a letter explaining how your job affected your grad studies, but emphasize that this won't happen in the future.
As for financial aid, submit a FAFSA and see what you can get. Some aid is need based as well as merit based, so you have a chance.
If you have any questions or want to talk to someone about the grad admissions process, do not hesitate to e-mail me (it's my username @yahoo.com). I am trying to transfer grad schools right now, so I can relate to your struggles in some capacity.
I don't pay for school til after I graduate, do I still have to claim this tuition bill from the school on my taxes?
if you are in your 1st or 2nd year of college, you are eligible for the federal education credits. Either Hope credit or Lifetime credit. you can only choose one. that is why the college gave you a statement to keep with your tax records. you don't claim your college expenses, but you can claim an education credit here's a link from irs.gov abt this topic.
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc605.html
then here is link to the form on how to figure out your credit
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8863.pdf
and here's tax form 1040 where you enter that credit, on page 2 line 50
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040.pdf
good luck.
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Duration : 5 min 50 sec
Our daughter graduated with her BA in Political Science. We paid for all of the college tuition, books, etc.. We have supplied her with a place to live and buy her gas, we bought her car, pay her insurance, etc… She has just recently graduated from Law School and has passed her Bar! But now there are the law school loans of $150,000.00. Got any suggestions?
Hmmm…what's your question?
If you mean are you legally required to pay for her education after she's an adult, then the answer is probably no.
If you mean, "should" you pay, well…I guess that's up to you and how you feel.
$150K debt from law school is, unfortunately, typical these days. But starting salaries at the big law firms (top 200 or so) are all $120K-$150K per year. So she should be able to pay off the $150K debt over the next few years without much trouble.
Now, if she is going to be a government lawyer, and make $40K-60K, that's not as good. But some government agencies (like the SEC) have loan repayment programs for that purpose.
So, I guess if it were me, I would let her repay it herself, since it's her education. BUT, if I was a millionaire and had the $150K to spare, then I might just pay it off for her. But assuming you're not a millionaire, you are perfectly justified if you want to let her pay it off herself–she's a big girl now and should take care of herself.
If you're concerned about her paying high interest, and you do have $150K sitting around extra, then you could consider LOANING your daughter the money, interest-free, to pay off her loans, and let her pay you back. But only do this if you know she is responsible and will pay it back within a reasonable number of years, rather than just leaving you on the hook for it and never paying it back (always asking for more time, etc. and not taking it seriously). Do you know what I mean?
I'm a law student as well. The deal my parents worked out with me is that they paid something like $5,000 per year toward my law school, to show their support, and I had financial aid grants for about $30K per year, and finally I borrowed another $30K per year in educational loans to pay the difference.
So, that will be about $100K in debt for me when it's all said and done. However, I will be starting at one of the $160K/year jobs at the big firms, so I will probably pay off the loans within 5 years (making big payments) or 10 years (making small payments).
Hehe. Fat chance. Imagine buying a car and paying for it after you are finished and ready to sell it.
But good luck!!