Back at Square 1

          What I was hoping would be a great week to put in motion my plans to achieving my happiness in terms of my career, was just shot down with an AK-47.  Why?  Well, I have been researching higher education graduate programs and finding one that would either A, pay me to do a graduate assistance ship, or B allow me to work full time while getting my degree was more than a challenge.  But there was a ray of hope.  UConn had a program HESA (Higher Education and Student Affairs) that would pay me around $20,000 for 9 months to do this assistance ship while getting my MS in Higher Education.  No GREs required.

          Seemed too good to be true, well that's because it wasn't.  UConn's graduate program has a minimum GPA requirement of a 3.0.  Mine's was a 2.85 for either one of my degrees. When I called to ask about how strict they were on that policy, I was told that the HESA program has a 6% admittance rate and of that 6% who make it, the average GPA is a 3.7.  The woman who I was speaking with basically told me that you can apply but with that GPA we don't encourage it. 

          Great, now I'm back at square one.  I bet the reason why all those student's GPAs were so high was because they went to liberal arts colleges and got degrees in subjects like English or communications.  Not saying they aren't smart, but you have to admit, its a lot easier to do well in classes where there is no wrong answer.  Engineering, on the other hand, you either get it or you don't.  I bet if you asked any one of those kids what the Pythagorean theorem is or to integrate or derive an equation, they would look at you like they're stupid. 

          Damn GPA.  I'm just as smart if not smarter than those kids from liberal arts schools but GPAs don't explain what subjects you got As or Bs in, just that you got them.  So the question remains should I still apply even though my chances of getting in are less than 6%, or should I save the $55 application fee and potential dissappointment?  I know, you never know something unless you try, but with that staistic it seems almost worthless to...