apply now? boost my gpa? gain experience?

[eyeninetyfive]

hello all,

i'm having a difficult time deciding on whether or not i should take some classes as a non-degree student, study abroad, or immediately apply to grad school after i finish my undergrad in the Fall of 2009.

here's a little background info:

Comments

[roseofjuly]

Of all the things that I could've done between undergrad and grad school (instead of coming straight through like a doofus -- just kidding), the one I regret the most is not working abroad. I have spent only very little time abroad, and I love traveling internationally, and I wish I had tried for a Fulbright or the JET or EPIK programs or something for a year first and then came to graduate school. Delaying graduate school by just one year isn't very long at all.

However, if you don't have a wanderlust and you just want to study abroad in order to gain more experience -- well, that depends on your field. I don't really know language programs and cultural studies very well, but if in that field having more experience abroad is a plus, then that may very well be a good option. Taking some graduate classes and proving you can excel in them can help a lot.

Are you sure that one failing grade will make your GPA fall that much? I failed a class in undergrad too (I came out with a 3.4) and I only remember it dropping my GPA by maybe .1 or .15, and I was a senior at the time. Besides that, your Spanish GPA is great, and some programs (especially MA programs) may look upon that favorably even with low grades in some unrelated classes.

[tisiphone]

That seems like a lot to me too - I failed physics fucking abysmally, and it only dragged by gpa down a tenth or so.