Who here is going to grad school at State? What are you going to school for? How do you like the administration of the graduate program? What sort of assistance is the university providing for you? If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA? Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?

Debating going back for one my master's currently and am curious what others think of State's grad programs.

12/20/2010 1:46:21 PM

GrumpyGOP is nearing the end of his program in international studies...his bitterness and realism is probably a good resource if he comes across this thread, or if you pm him.

12/20/2010 2:14:47 PM

haha indeed, especially since that's one of the programs I'm looking at.

12/20/2010 2:16:11 PM

I took 3 years off between undergrad and grad school. Graduated in 06, worked for 3 years, started grad school in 09. At this point I only have 1 semester left. My program has a mix of people who started right after undergrad and a lot of people who came back. Anyone without a lot of real world experience is required to do an internship at some point during the program.

I'm in the Public Administration program (a program with people aimed towards management/supervision for government and non-profits, and we get some police, military, communications people, and politics people too) and I've been very impressed by the quality of the Public Administration program.

The graduate plan of work was a bit annoying, where you have lay out which courses you are planning on taking for your final semester(s) online at mypack, because it requires so many peoples approval, several of which didn't know what it was or understand what they were doing so it took forever to get approval. Other than that I haven't encountered any bureaucratic problems, and that was a really minor problem.

From working for a few years I had some savings to do this, but also student loans. It'll be worth it in the long run, and with the economy the way it is, now is a great time to stay in school.

You might check out this Study Hall thread, its another ongoing discussion of someone considering grad school:
message_topic.aspx?topic=606527


What program are you thinking about wolfpackgrrr?

[Edited on December 20, 2010 at 2:21 PM. Reason : Answered as I was posting]

12/20/2010 2:20:20 PM

I started grad school at State in the Communication department straight out of undergrad, but I never finished. My undergrad was Mass Communication (similar to Journalism), and I started the Master's and a second undergrad degree in Meteorology at the same time (thought I'd be done with the Master's by the time I got to the difficult stuff in the second undergrad). It was too much, and I dropped the grad school program.

I didn't have the greatest experience. It was really hard! The workload was immense - I didn't even have a job at the time, and I was still doing all I could to keep up. When they tell you 9 hours is full time, believe them. I didn't get an assistantship, and the classes ran late into the night, which was inconvenient. I have a feeling I would have been able to put up with it all if I enjoyed what I was studying, but the program turned out to be more geared toward human communication, not mass communication.

I graduated the first time with a GPA of about 3.5, and my GRE scores were slightly better than average (better in math than verbal).

So... my advice:
1. Make sure you are truly interested in the material. If you don't love the subject/topic you'll be studying, you'll never finish.
2. Research your possible advisors ahead of time. Make sure they are interested in what you are interested.
3. If you don't have financial support, get an assistantship instead of a job. It will allow you to focus more on your course of study. If you already have a job, and can't/don't want to quit, take fewer hours (maybe 6) at a time. If you try to go full time (9+), you'll get burned out fast.
4. Be prepared to be totally consumed by school for the next 2 years.

12/20/2010 2:30:36 PM

I took two years off between undergrad and grad school. Finished my undergrad in Textile Engineering in 2005 and then worked for a couple of years before starting my Masters in Higher Education Administration in 2007. I finished my program in May 2009 and have to say that there was a wide range of people in the classes I took. Most of the people in my program were straight out of undergrad, but there were a few of us who took a couple of years off, and then there were a lot of higher level professionals taking classes part-time to finish their Masters.

I applied for a program assistantship and received it (became a grad assistant at the Alumni Association first and then went to work for University Housing as a Resident Director.) While the positions were a lot of work, my experience there was wonderful for setting me up for post graduation. I also received tuition and pay for working in the position, along with living on campus. Overall, it was a great deal.

My GRE score was ok, math much better than verbal, but I think our program only really was concerned about our writing scores which I got a 5.5 on. My undergrad GPA was in the 3.7 range.

On the whole, I enjoyed my experience at State, but I was limited to going there because of family life. In my opinion, unless you are going to State because the program is outstanding or you are limited to Raleigh as a location, you might benefit more from going to a different school, to show your willingness to get a different experience.

Hope that helps.

Quote :

"1. Make sure you are truly interested in the material. If you don't love the subject/topic you'll be studying, you'll never finish. "

This is definitely the most important part of grad school...don't just go to have a degree...make sure it is something you are really interested in.

12/20/2010 2:42:26 PM

I just finished my 1st semester of my master's degree in animal science. I haven't dealt that much with the graduate school, just my department mostly - and they're awesome. My department is really close-knit and have get-togethers about every week for birthdays, celebrations, seminars, speakers, etc. We also have IM teams within our department so everyone can get to know other people in the department who are going through the same stresses. I haven't done much personally, but I plan on changing that in the future.

On my application I told them that I needed funding in order to be able to attend. I hadn't heard back from State (which was my undergrad as well) for a while so I emailed the director of my program asking about what was happening. He called me the next day and said they hadn't told me my decision because they were looking for assistantships. He was looking across departments to find me funding. Ultimately, I ended up with a teaching assistantship for BIO 181 and 183. My department requires that everyone TA for at least 1 semester, so there's funding for at least 1 semester out of 4.

Just ran in the other room to find my GRE score: 1270 and a 6 on the writing I think. I found this to be much higher than what most schools were looking for by about 300-400 points. I figure if schools are accepting scores around 900 (for my program) then it's not a big factor in their ultimate decision. I also talked to my undergrad mentor (he is on the admissions board for some department at the grad school, can't remember which one) and he said he looks mainly at the writing section to see if the person has a foundation for being able to write analytically. Undergrad GPA was around 3.6 I think.

I went to grad school straight after graduating in May and I love it. My experience so far (which is quite limited) has been a great one. Everyone in my department and in the biology department is super helpful and want me to succeed. My advisor is very helpful in helping me choose classes, pick my committee, and telling me some specifics of the program. So overall, I LOVE it and think I made the right decision by coming to State.

[Edited on December 20, 2010 at 2:47 PM. Reason : .]

12/20/2010 2:46:07 PM

In my experience if you have worked a real job for any length of school, NCSU grad school is a great disappointment. For instance, as a former contractor i look at tuition as payment for service, and I expect professors to hold office hours, and actually teach a class. Otherwise what am I paying for? Random deadline changes, class presentations full of mistakes, and the general lack of interest in education has pretty much soured my outlook on the engineering school. Hopefully your experience will be better. The alumni association can kiss my ass, after i get my piece of paper the school is not getting another dime because I certainly feel I did not get my money's worth. (yes I talked to the dept head, filled out class evals, etc). Other people with work experience in my classes have shared similar observations.

12/20/2010 2:47:07 PM

I have played with the idea of grad school and had two questions (for those who went to work for a few years THEN entered grad school)

- How did you fund your living expenses while in grad school.
- What do you do about health insurance, etc?

By the way, as a side note working while taking classes part time is not an option as I currently live in Wilmington.

[Edited on December 20, 2010 at 2:54 PM. Reason : a]

12/20/2010 2:53:30 PM

I've been in the MIS program since Fall 2009 and overall I've had a very positive experience. It's not a very large program, so the administration is familiar with everybody. If the director doesn't know everybody's first name, I'd be surprised.

What sort of assistance is the university providing me? Other than disbursing my student loan money, I can't think of much. Of course, there's always a healthy element of "You get out what you put in," and I haven't done a particularly good job taking advantage of some resources. I am given to understand that MIS has an excellent internship coordinator, but between trying to finish the degree quickly and not having the money to move somewhere else and work for free, I haven't done much on that front, either. I am sure I will pay for it.

My GRE score was 1400, and my GPA was 3.2, I think. Mostly because of the GPA I wasn't admitted directly into the program; instead they told me to take a couple of non-degree PBS courses on their recommended list over the summer of 2009. I did well in those and they let me in, as well as letting me transfer those courses.

I started the program after two years of gross underemployment following my undergraduate degree.

---

Since you said you're looking at the program I'll expound a little bit beyond your questions. As I said, it's very flexible. You essentially name your own concentration, and your adviser just makes sure that the courses you take roughly fit that area. As a result, there are people pursuing some very disparate areas. A number of people are focusing on education so they can run study abroad programs later, or work with incoming foreign students. Others are looking into nonprofit stuff. A handful, myself included, are looking to try to work with the State Department. A few are going on to pursue PhDs, although MIS is designed as a terminal degree.

The professors I have had, with one notable -- and recently terminated -- exception, have been excellent. There's a decent sense of community about it, even though the overwhelming majority come from other schools.

12/20/2010 2:56:42 PM

^ That's interesting they kind of let you in on a "trial" basis over the summer. I'm sad to say my overall GPA wasn't that great in undergrad and I'm afraid of that holding me back even though I've been in the workforce for over four years now.

stixman, what have you been doing with your master's now that you're done?

Basically, I want to work in international student affairs, either in a university or NPO setting, which is why I'm considering either the MIS or the higher ed admin degrees. A good friend of mine that works as an international student advisor has told me these days you basically NEED a high ed degree and I'm finding that more and more to be the case as I've been applying for work

12/20/2010 3:16:27 PM

I started grad school in the fall of 2004 and I just finished my PhD. Each program/department/advisor is different. If you have specific questions, feel free to send me a PM.

When looking at graduate programs, pay the most attention to who you'll be working for. You're basically shopping for a boss. A good graduate advisor is essential for having a pleasant experience.

For the research sciences, grad school will be completely different from your undergraduate experience. You'll take relatively few classes and you'll primarily focus on conducting original research in preparation for writing peer-reviewed journal articles and your thesis/dissertation.

[Edited on December 20, 2010 at 4:00 PM. Reason : caveat]

12/20/2010 3:59:49 PM

I went back in the polymer chemistry program after 1 year working.

Very good GPA & GRE. I was given a stipend, health insurance, & tuition was waived (this is standard in science departments).

I originally wanted to go for the PhD, but ended up stopping after the MS because I didn't like my project and there was a good chance the funding was running out. A masters in a science degree isn't really worth much, so I feel like I wasted time, but at least I was being paid a little to be there.

As others have said, know what you're getting into with projects/professors. My professor was very excited about my project, but he was not very helpful and I didn't have the extra effort that was needed.

12/20/2010 4:25:05 PM

Quote :

"I'm sad to say my overall GPA wasn't that great in undergrad and I'm afraid of that holding me back"

Before I had applied I went to the open house and asked about this, and basically they said, "Keep taking the GRE until your score gets high enough to make up for your GPA."

But the PBS thing, while annoying at the time, was worth it to get in.

12/20/2010 4:27:57 PM

Someone mentioned getting in on a trial basis.

I know my husband's grad program regularly has "post-bacs" who seem qualified but have one thing that doesn't quite make the cut either in terms of GPA, or not enough classes taken in the field, or whatever, who start taking classes in the program and get admitted into it as a full blown graduate student along the way. So I don't think trial runs are all that uncommon for grad schools, but I guess it depends on the program.

Quote :

"- How did you fund your living expenses while in grad school. - What do you do about health insurance, etc?"

Some savings from having worked for a few years, and student loans. Some people in my department work full or part time (its mostly an evening program), and some have a kind of work-study thing to work on campus. As far as health insurance you could get a plan through NCSU as a grad student.

12/20/2010 4:40:51 PM

I just finished my first semester in grad school after working for 3 years. Undergrad GPA was around 3.5 or so. I originally came back to get an undergrad in a different degree until I saw how much more a MS in the same field would earn me so "A masters in a science degree isn't really worth much" isn't always true; at least it isn't true in my field.

I have a stipend, health insurance, and tuition is waived.

One mistake I made was that I scheduled 10hrs worth of difficult, core classes(because they sounded so interesting) and it nearly sapped me of my will to live. The workload was just way too much. I should have taken a stats class or something to lighten the load some.

12/20/2010 4:54:49 PM

Quote :

" I scheduled 10hrs worth of difficult, core classes(because they sounded so interesting)"

This is common.

I get more excited browsing the graduate level ECE courses than netflix on demand. Not available in spring !!! BUT WHY!!!!



[Edited on December 20, 2010 at 5:40 PM. Reason : .]

12/20/2010 5:39:43 PM

Quote :

"I originally came back to get an undergrad in a different degree until I saw how much more a MS in the same field would earn me so "A masters in a science degree isn't really worth much" isn't always true; at least it isn't true in my field."

Yes, it will vary by the field, but in my experience, the extra career experience makes up for the salary difference. I imagine there would be a bigger difference in engineering, but that seems to be the case in the physical and biological sciences at least.

12/20/2010 9:13:45 PM

the graduate school administration at NCSU sucks. It is a disgrace and I don't want their name on my degree, but at this point I am too close to finishing to find another school.

12/20/2010 10:40:18 PM

Quote :

"I get more excited browsing the graduate level ECE courses than netflix on demand. Not available in spring !!! BUT WHY!!!!"

lol.

yeah I have been debating about coming back for grad in either controls or communications/signal processing.

12/20/2010 11:03:43 PM

sarijoul got his masters and then PhD at NCSU in aerospace engineering. I think he flies rockets for a living now.

12/20/2010 11:12:22 PM

Quote :

"I took 3 years off between undergrad and grad school. Graduated in 06, worked for 3 years, started grad school in 09. At this point I only have 1 semester left. My program has a mix of people who started right after undergrad and a lot of people who came back. Anyone without a lot of real world experience is required to do an internship at some point during the program. I'm in the Public Administration program (a program with people aimed towards management/supervision for government and non-profits, and we get some police, military, communications people, and politics people too) and I've been very impressed by the quality of the Public Administration program. The graduate plan of work was a bit annoying, where you have lay out which courses you are planning on taking for your final semester(s) online at mypack, because it requires so many peoples approval, several of which didn't know what it was or understand what they were doing so it took forever to get approval. Other than that I haven't encountered any bureaucratic problems, and that was a really minor problem."

I'm one of those who started right after undergrad, finished in May 2010. I definitely appreciated the tenure of professors in Public Admin. and was also glad to see a regular connection with professors at UNC School of Government. I felt like i got a well-rounded education of the field, but at the same time this is one of those fields in which education runs a distinct second to experience. Unless they've changed some of the core class curriculum, it is noticeably more tailored to the "working professional" rather than the just-outta-undergrad student....

12/20/2010 11:44:34 PM

Quote :

"the graduate school administration at NCSU sucks"

In my 6 years in graduate school at NCSU I would say that the graduate school administration (that is above the department level) had zero impact on my experience. Their only real functions are admissions, pushing paperwork, and certifying quals/defenses.

12/21/2010 12:21:35 AM

^^You're right for experience counting for a lot.

I think that's why they work in so much experience. They've had me do a cost benefit analysis for a public program, a budget analysis for a non-profit, write an actual grant application for a non-profit organization, an internship in the public sector, and a consulting project for a non-profit, and I'm sure they'll be more projects in my last semester this spring.

Also, I didn't realize there were other public admin ppl on tdub. I know hooksaw, as a master in liberal studies had taken some courses in our program, but that's about it. Any chance we had any courses together last year (I'm guessing not since I was focused on core classes then to get ready for comps)? My line up for last year:

Fall:
Ethics Prof Pract
Public Policy Anly
Public Organ Behav
Public Communic

Spring:
Budgetary Process
Management Systems
Grantwriting
Statistics for Behavioral Sci I

Quote :

"Unless they've changed some of the core class curriculum, it is noticeably more tailored to the "working professional" rather than the just-outta-undergrad student...."

Indeed it is. Although I remember either Bosworth, or maybe it was Coggburn, saying that they've been increasing the ratio of fresh out of undergrad ppl lately mostly due to the economy.

[Edited on December 21, 2010 at 12:37 AM. Reason : .]

12/21/2010 12:37:30 AM

One thing I've had some fun with in grad school are all the undergrad courses, which in my case are generally graded but don't impact your GPA or ranking within your program or anything.

I never would have taken Russian in undergrad because I didn't want to take up time and risk a bad grade. Just got through with FLR 101 in the fall, and although I did well it was really only possible because I knew that no matter how bad I fucked up it wouldn't matter. The result is that by the time I'm done I'll have a solid basis for a third language proficiency (important for what I want to do) with very little stress.

12/21/2010 12:39:29 AM

Quote :

"stixman, what have you been doing with your master's now that you're done?"

I did a year with AmeriCorps post graduation and since then I have been jobless, however, that has been mostly because of lack of the 'right' job coming along and less to do with lack of interviews. I have had countless interviews, and even four job offers, but there was something about each one I wasn't willing to settle for.

Quote :

"Basically, I want to work in international student affairs, either in a university or NPO setting, which is why I'm considering either the MIS or the higher ed admin degrees. A good friend of mine that works as an international student advisor has told me these days you basically NEED a high ed degree and I'm finding that more and more to be the case as I've been applying for work"

Pretty much true, but that field is so small it is really hard to get into. You may have to do something else for a little while and get volunteer time with an office that you want to work for to get experience in the field to get a job in it. It is currently the issue I am having with the field I want to go into, but also the reason I did AmeriCorps.

My placement was in an office doing exactly what I wanted to do professionally. It also is the only reason I have gotten some of the interviews I have had, as I was outmatched in terms of experience, but my experience was very specific to that field.


[Edited on December 21, 2010 at 1:07 AM. Reason : ...]

12/21/2010 1:04:40 AM

Who here is going [went] to grad school at State?
Me.

What are [were] you going to school for?
MS Aerospace Engineering.

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
Beats the hell out of me. Never associated with them.

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
Tuition and fees paid for. Health insurance provided. ~$1300/month stipend as TA/RA.

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
Didn't take any GREs. 3.4 undergrad GPA.

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Immediately to grad school after undergrad.


Don't really have much commentary on it. It's pretty much just like going to college the first time around, except you have an office to sit in all the live-long day.
I had a pretty lousy relationship with my advisor. Full list of the meetings I had with him: (1) pick out a name for my thesis, (2) tell him what classes I plan to take and have him agree with me, (3) him telling me to write a paper by Monday summarizing the tests I did over the summer, and (4) giving him my completed thesis for review. I'd strongly recommend against having a bad relationship with your advisor. If at all possible, be on speaking terms, and speak often about your project.

12/21/2010 1:20:27 AM

^^ Oh trust me, I've been applying for stuff all across the board, both at universities and at NPOs that work in international education. So far nada and I have four years experience in international education

12/21/2010 9:16:47 AM

Who here is going [went] to grad school at State?
Me

What are [were] you going to school for?
MCE - Masters in Civil Engineering. Concentrating in geotech. (Not to be confused with a Masters of Science in Civil Engineering)

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
The geotech professors are pretty cool except for one or two of them.

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
None. I'm working full time.

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
2.8 GPA - GRE scores were meh.

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Worked for 1.5 years. Still working.

12/21/2010 9:20:37 AM

Quote :

"In my 6 years in graduate school at NCSU I would say that the graduate school administration (that is above the department level) had zero impact on my experience. Their only real functions are admissions, pushing paperwork, and certifying quals/defenses."

Good for you.

If you department tries to screw you they won't give a shit. They lied to me. I have it in emails. I can't get anyone to do anything about it.

I'm happy I'm not dead, but they are not supposed to make my life hell because I was sick.

12/21/2010 10:53:01 AM

OH MY GOD YOU SHOULD SUE

12/21/2010 10:53:47 AM

Who here went to grad school at State?
Me

What were you going to school for?
MBA in Supply Chain Management

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
You get what you put in. They helped me enough, but if you get to know them they'll help you even more.

What sort of assistance did the university provide for you?
None. I landed a Graduate Assistantship outside of the Business department and worked PT.

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
~3.1 GPA - GMAT score was the NC State average at the time 510.

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Started right after undergrad, but had been doing web design for a few years on my own which helped. I worked throughout Grad School PT to FT hours depending on the course load.

12/21/2010 11:30:35 AM

.

[Edited on December 21, 2010 at 1:47 PM. Reason : .]

12/21/2010 1:42:02 PM

Like GrumpyGOP I'm also in the MIS program and I graduate in May. I entered with a 3.69 from State in Political Science and a 530v/630q/5.5a GRE, I suck at standard tests but do well on writing. I think that our program is pretty easy. In fact, one girl is doing the whole thing in a year. I entered in the spring and have had no problems maintaining a 3.8 and finishing in three semesters.

I'm going to try to go on for a PhD in political science but will also apply to law schools as a backup (again, my GRE will likely hold me back from this goal but I have stellar LOR's, writing samples and research abroad experience in a unique subfield). I think that with our program you can make it more of an executive/professional degree if you do the right courses. If that is your goal I'd double major in PA. You could probably do both degrees in 2 years if you do both summers and go full time.

I have tried working with our internship coordinator and she was no help whatsoever. She directed me to the regular NCSU job listings, which was no help. She made a few suggestions on my resume but then stopped returning my emails. The classes are generally very good and as long as you do the work and know how to write you'll do well. The TA positions are few and far between and you should probably apply for fall admission because they'll give them out as incentives but once you're in, good luck getting one.

As far as the administration, I'm a bit frustrated. I understand that there are only a few TA positions and that there are probably people more qualified than me. However, when I emailed every professor and the director asking if I could do FREE research for NO CREDIT they still were no help. When my goal is to get into a PhD program I felt like they should have done something to give me research experience. I mean hell, free work is free work and I don't see why it would have been any skin off their backs but alas, they never came through for me. I got the the "interview" stage for one position that I was well qualified for (involved Mandarin Chinese) and was told that they didn't have funding available and for the nature of the work wasn't academic so I didn't do it.

After I graduated in August 2009 I had been accepted to a few law schools but felt that I could have gotten into better ones if I had applied earlier (I applied in March for all of them) so I took a PhD level political science course at UNC to see if grad school was a good fit. I enjoyed the class and matriculated to State in the Spring of 2010 and though I've thoroughly enjoyed it and it has helped me develop my analytical skills, research and writing sometimes I wish I had gotten a J.D. because I'd only have a year left (or less because I like summer classes) and could be making some decent money by spring 2012.

All in all, I'd say MIS is good for non-profit work, maybe NGO's, definitely for the CIA or State Department if you have a sterling record, or as something to get your resume closer to the top of the stack for regular office-type jobs. Though we have placed students in PhD programs they had pretty stellar undergraduate stats and research in sought after fields like Russian, Statistics, etc.

forgot to add - the people in my program are awesome and there is definitely a strong sense of community. We arrange a lot of activities that revolve around drinking, which I think is great but may not be everyone's cup of tea. The Prague summer program was one of the best things I could have ever done because I knocked a semester off my graduation time, got to study in a beautiful city, and really got to know 12 people from the program, some of whom I see outside of class on a very regular basis. There isn't any backstabbing or grade-grubbing that I'm aware of and people generally like to see everyone do well. Everyone in my program seems to be extraordinarily talented and probably could be at great schools somewhere or in fancy programs but they chose this for more humanitarian reasons or whatever.

Just don't go to grad school thinking that it's going to buy you time to make the real decisions or lifestyle changes that you need to get your "dream job" because at the end of your time you are going to be right back where you started when you got out of undergrad albeit with a new piece of paper to hang on your wall. Go to grad school (in this discipline at least) because you are passionate about what you are studying and have professional direction already.

hope this helps.



[Edited on December 21, 2010 at 9:26 PM. Reason : .]

12/21/2010 9:17:26 PM

Who here is going [went] to grad school at State?
Me.

What are [were] you going to school for?
Master's in Econ

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
The old head of the dept was leaving when I got there. Needless to say he had entirely packed it in and completely sucked ass. Did nothing for the students, was invisible, and was rather misleading during the interview/Q&A process.

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
Got a little money, not much. Tutored as well, separate of the program but they were a reference (beats me if that mattered).

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
Didn't take any GREs. 3.3/3.4 undergrad, something like that.

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Immediately to grad school after undergrad. Wish I had waited a year or two, but, it's definitely nice to have it under your belt sooner.

12/22/2010 3:43:28 AM

fyi doing grad school one class/semester sucks balls

12/22/2010 7:44:02 AM

^ Just signed myself up for that.

Who here is going [went] to grad school at State?
Me.

What are [were] you going to school for?
MCE (Structural) via Engineering Online

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
Very helpful so far

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
None from the University. 100% tuition from the company and it counts towards some of my training requirements.


If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
3.27 Undergrad. Can't remember my GRE scores, but it was high in Math and low in English/Writing

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Graduated December '09 and was accepted for the '10 Spring semester. Deferred enrollment until '11 Spring. Taking 1 class per semester since I am still working full time.

[Edited on December 22, 2010 at 8:07 AM. Reason : .]

12/22/2010 8:05:53 AM

ncsuallday, what do you want to do once you're done with school?

12/22/2010 9:22:35 AM

If I get into program and complete a PhD then I'd ideally like to teach at a research university and publish as much as I could. If for whatever reason I can't get into a tenure track position I'd try to work in the private sector, the United Nations or another government based international organization.

If I don't get into a PhD program I'll likely go to law school and practice as an attorney, which is definitely the direction my parents would prefer I go in and probably the more likely scenario.

Honestly, I'd love to get both degrees and I've applied to several dual programs that will allow me to earn both but that's just the dream I guess. I feel like if I do go to law school now and practice, I'd still like to come back when I retire or something to get the PhD because I see it as finishing what I started and political science is just a field that really interests me and publishing something that contributes to my field is a personal goal.

Oh and if all else fails and I am forced to job hunt with just my MIS, I'd start looking at human resources jobs as these generally favor the PS major due to the minor governmental interaction with filing reports, etc. I'd try to find a community college teaching position and teach a course every semester also. I know many people with an MIS to work for NPO's and that could be a possibility as well.

[Edited on December 23, 2010 at 11:27 AM. Reason : .]

12/23/2010 11:20:05 AM

Who here is going [went] to grad school at State?
Me.

What are [were] you going to school for?
Master of Architecture, Dec. 2009
BA Arts Studies NCSU 2006
BA Film Design NCSU 2006

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
In the COD graduate students worked pretty close with graduate advisors and grad faculty. Absolutely NONE with the Graduate School.

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
Stipend for TA, RA, etc.

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
GRE Dont remember, Undergrad GPA was 3.4

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Immediately to grad school after undergrad.

12/23/2010 12:55:35 PM

So what do yaw say about grad school at state with a GPA under a 3.0? Is it possible? I see that several of you had GPAs under 3.0. My GPA in my major is over a 3.0, and my gpa from my junior and senior years about a 3.0, but my overall GPA is slightly under (dang you freshman/sophomore years).

12/23/2010 2:09:42 PM

^ Just knock the GRE out of the park.

12/23/2010 2:20:28 PM

^^It's always possible--I know a couple "weak" readers who bombed the GRE, and they have graduate degrees. I mean, Harvard law or whatever is probably out of the question. But there are all kinds of schools and programs out there. Work experience in the field can make up for a "low" GPA. A high GRE can make up for a low GPA. And you can sign up for graduate coursework as an NDS/PBS student to see if you like it (and do really well in it/prove that you're capable).

There are super competitive programs that strive to get the top .1% of students, but there are plenty of programs that are there to help people advance in a field of study and/or career (and undergraduate GPA doesn't really matter if that's the goal).

[Edited on December 23, 2010 at 2:26 PM. Reason : ]

12/23/2010 2:26:42 PM

thanks for the advice. I hadnt looked much into the NDS/PBS options. Im thinking that I may want to try and get into the International Studies graduate program. I am a Spanish Language and Literature major and International studies minor, graduating in the spring.

Anyone have more information about the NDS/PBS programs? Is there a specific adviser I could go and talk to?

12/23/2010 3:43:08 PM

Quote :

"So what do yaw say about grad school at state with a GPA under a 3.0? Is it possible? I see that several of you had GPAs under 3.0. My GPA in my major is over a 3.0, and my gpa from my junior and senior years about a 3.0, but my overall GPA is slightly under (dang you freshman/sophomore years)."

This is my situation too. I'm hoping that having four years of international experience under my belt will help me out. Guess it's time to start brushing up on my (nonexistent) math skillz

12/23/2010 5:27:43 PM

what type of international experience do you have if you dont mind me asking?

12/23/2010 10:24:47 PM

I spent four years in Japan teaching and doing outreach coordinating.

12/23/2010 10:32:22 PM

^^^If you have close to a 3.0 just take a few PBS courses and do allright on the GRE and you'll get in. The MIS program looks very favorably on time spent out of undergrad and international/foreign language experience. I swear they want it to be like an executive master's program or something. Anyway, you'll be fine.

12/23/2010 11:31:20 PM

Quote :

"Anyone have more information about the NDS/PBS programs? Is there a specific adviser I could go and talk to?"

Not for PBS, anyway. Your best bet is to talk to an adviser in the program you'd like to end up in and ask what sorts of classes you could take that would appeal to them (assuming you did well).

12/24/2010 1:32:52 AM

setemup

12/24/2010 11:35:19 PM