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Applying for a masters

  • 01-06-2012 8:19pm
    #1
    Fondu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 76 ✭✭


    Hi all,

    So i have just finished my final exams for my degree. I think i will get a 2.2. For the next year, i will be working in a company related to my degree, however after the year is up i would like to do a conversion masters in an area that is a bit different to my current degree. I have one problem though. Over the past few years i was having problems with family and it all came to a head when one of my parents passed away.

    My attendance in college was only ok in 1st year,terrible in second year,ok in 3rd year and very bad in 4th year. I was called up once about my attendance over the past 4 years, and it was in my final year. The year supervisor told me i wasnt going to receive any references, and at the time i didnt mind as i was going to use employment references anyway.I did tell him about my situation to alleviate the problem a little bit. He was threatening to stop me from sitting exams due to my attendance until i told him of my situation. He understood.

    Anyway for the next year i am out of my parents home, with a relationship with my other parent being not great, and am saving for the next year to do a masters. The masters will cost over 10k.

    My problem is that applying to a masters requires references by academics. Over the past 4 years i have not made a good impression and i am afraid i wont be able to do the master due to this. I am finally ok with my life and i believe once i pay that much money out of my own pocket i will be highly motivated. I just dont want my previous degree to impede me. Does anyone have any experience in this or any input?


Comments

  • #2
    TAlderson
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 85 ✭✭TAlderson


    It's a bit hard to say not knowing your specific field, but you may be able to use employers who are related to your field as a reference. For example, when I applied for a music masters, I used my private voice teacher (an actual academic reference) as well as the music director of the church I worked at as a chorister/soloist. She wasn't one of my professors, but she could speak to the field I was applying in. Obviously, if you're working as a waiter or something and you're applying to an engineering program your boss might not be a good reference, but if your work and your academic field overlap, you'd probably be ok.

    -Tyler


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