Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Applying for a masters

  • 01-06-2012 9:19pm
    #1
    Fondu
    Registered Users 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


Advertisement