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DosEquisX
Joined: 09 Dec 2010
Posts: 361
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 Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 4:01 pm Post subject: Poor undergrad grades: Can I still get a MA TESOL? |
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I had considerable difficulty in my experience at my university in America. I knew I wasn't going to get a postgraduate degree directly after school due to my 2.5 GPA (slightly below a B- average). My poor grades were at least partly the result of untreated chronic depression that I later learned was associated with the anticonvulsants I was taking to control my epilepsy. I have since changed my medication and depressive episodes are no longer an issue.
I'm 30 now and have had some experience as an ESL teacher. I left East Asia to get a CELTA and find a more challenging teaching experience in Spain. I have just started my 3rd year here and would like to pursue my postgraduate degree afterwards.
My fear is that my grades from nearly a decade ago will stop me from getting into any MA program. Do I need more teaching experience to overcome my poor grades? What else could I do to make myself more appealing to these universities? |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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Some universities allow conditional admissions for those applicants with a 2.0 - 2.5 GPA in their undergrad studies. Additionally, not every MA TESOL program requires previous teaching experience.
Where were you thinking of attending university?
Will you be taking your courses on campus or online?
Lastly, where do you plan to teach in the next 3+ years? |
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DosEquisX
Joined: 09 Dec 2010
Posts: 361
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| Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
Some universities allow conditional admissions for those applicants with a 2.0 - 2.5 GPA in their undergrad studies. Additionally, not every MA TESOL program requires previous teaching experience.
Where were you thinking of attending university?
Will you be taking your courses on campus or online?
Lastly, where do you plan to teach in the next 3+ years? |
I don't have any specific universities in mind. I don't know what exactly to look for in a program (price, name, cost etc). The other part is that I don't know what universities would even accept me with my poor grades.
Although I would like to take a course on campus, it would probably be cheaper to take one online from an accredited university. The downside is that some schools might not accept a degree acquired online even if the university is accredited. Plus, it'd be nice to have easy access to an adviser for help if I need it. I would have to weigh the costs and benefits of each option.
Would taking the DELTA first be a better idea? I know that some schools in the UK will give you credits for a DELTA certification. I'd probably have to take the GRE as well which is hard to prepare for in a non-English speaking country. I'd have to move to the UK or America and find some way to sustain myself while preparing for the GRE.
Given my poor undergrad grades, I doubt that I'll be able to be very selective. In all likelihood, I'd just have to accept whatever school accepts me.
After my postgraduate education is complete, I would like to try and find work that is more challenging than what typical lower-tier private academies can offer. Any work I could find at an international school or a university in Europe would be terrific. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Any work I could find at an international school or a university in Europe would be terrific. |
You have a European passport I believe, correct?
I have worked in European universities for 17 years now and work with a network across the continent.
DELTA won't likely get you a uni gig, though it's an asset if you also have the MA. DELTA alone is for DOS positions, usually in private language schools or teacher training centres. A related MA would make you competitive for university jobs on the continent.
International schools usually want a PGCE or equivalent licensure from the US. |
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DosEquisX
Joined: 09 Dec 2010
Posts: 361
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| Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Any work I could find at an international school or a university in Europe would be terrific. |
You have a European passport I believe, correct?
I have worked in European universities for 17 years now and work with a network across the continent.
DELTA won't likely get you a uni gig, though it's an asset if you also have the MA. DELTA alone is for DOS positions, usually in private language schools or teacher training centres. A related MA would make you competitive for university jobs on the continent.
International schools usually want a PGCE or equivalent licensure from the US. |
What's the difference between PGCE and MA TESOL? I've heard of the PGCE but know little about it.
As for the MA, my concern is how to distinguish myself from applicants who have good undergraduate grades. I should also note that my degree is in Economics, not Education which puts me at an even greater disadvantage. I need to stand out in a way that will make me a serious candidate for a MA TESOL program. I thought having teaching experience would be a way to do it but it appears that I need more. |
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buravirgil
Joined: 23 Jan 2014
Posts: 967
Location: Jiangxi Province, China
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| Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:55 pm Post subject: |
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What percentage of MA TESOL programs require the GRE? There was a recent discussion about a handful that don't require first degrees.
With their years of experience and a CELTA, I'm guessing many MA TESOL programs will be happy to take the OP's money. |
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buravirgil
Joined: 23 Jan 2014
Posts: 967
Location: Jiangxi Province, China
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| Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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| snowboard wrote: |
The big hangups for an MA TESOL program for me seem to be:
-lack of an undergrad degree in English
-they want fluency in a second language
I'm taking a CELTA course here soon to start. I'm debating if I want to rush through an undergrad BA in English program (literature emphasis) in a year at my local university starting in this spring. |
Maybe my guessing is horribly wrong. MA TESOL programs didn't widely exist when by the time I'd left university. ESL courses were the domain of the Linguistics department and designated by applied courses. English majors with courses in Linguistics could blend in.
An English BA has more relevant concentrations than literature if teaching English is a goal. Some programs have concentrations explicitly termed Linguistics. Rhetoric and Semiotics is excellent. And I'd argue any writing concentration, even creative, is more likely to have application than literature.
Over the years, I'd heard (and, again, perhaps incorrectly) MA TESOL degrees were earned in a year's time. Since I'd left school, there has been an explosion of single year Master's programs that, depending on many factors, were and were not indicative of credential creep. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 12:28 am Post subject: |
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| DosEquisX wrote: |
| spiral78 wrote: |
| International schools usually want a PGCE or equivalent licensure from the US. |
What's the difference between PGCE and MA TESOL? I've heard of the PGCE but know little about it.
As for the MA, my concern is how to distinguish myself from applicants who have good undergraduate grades. I should also note that my degree is in Economics, not Education which puts me at an even greater disadvantage. I need to stand out in a way that will make me a serious candidate for a MA TESOL program. I thought having teaching experience would be a way to do it but it appears that I need more.
....
Would taking the DELTA first be a better idea? I know that some schools in the UK will give you credits for a DELTA certification. I'd probably have to take the GRE as well which is hard to prepare for in a non-English speaking country. I'd have to move to the UK or America and find some way to sustain myself while preparing for the GRE.
Given my poor undergrad grades, I doubt that I'll be able to be very selective. In all likelihood, I'd just have to accept whatever school accepts me.
After my postgraduate education is complete, I would like to try and find work that is more challenging than what typical lower-tier private academies can offer. Any work I could find at an international school or a university in Europe would be terrific. |
You wouldn't know much about the PGCE if you're American; it's similar to having a teaching license issued by your state's dept. of education --- mandatory for teaching in public school systems.
As for the GRE, it's not required at every US university for graduate admissions --- my uni doesn't. Do a search on ma tesol no gre requirement to see which universities have dropped the GRE. Plus, some programs don't make prior teaching experience a prerequisite.
That said, I don't think you should consider a grad degree until you have a clear sense of where you can feasibly teach as well as who you want to teach because some TESOL degree programs are tailored for teaching children, while others focus on adult learners. I suggest you take a look at "What do you look for in a BA or MA degree program?" Additionally, the better international schools abroad require licensure and a degree major relevant to your subject area as well as teaching experience in your home country. And keep in mind that American-curriculum international schools overseas also educate the dependents of expats from the US, UK, Canada, etc., as a continuation of their western education. As such, there generally isn't any need for full-time TESOL teachers. |
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Double_Dragon
Joined: 12 Mar 2015
Posts: 70
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 1:31 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Double_Dragon on Tue Jan 05, 2016 5:16 am; edited 1 time in total |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 2:29 am Post subject: Re: Poor undergrad grades: Can I still get a MA TESOL? |
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| DosEquisX wrote: |
I had considerable difficulty in my experience at my university in America. I knew I wasn't going to get a postgraduate degree directly after school due to my 2.5 GPA (slightly below a B- average). My poor grades were at least partly the result of untreated chronic depression that I later learned was associated with the anticonvulsants I was taking to control my epilepsy. I have since changed my medication and depressive episodes are no longer an issue.
I'm 30 now and have had some experience as an ESL teacher. I left East Asia to get a CELTA and find a more challenging teaching experience in Spain. I have just started my 3rd year here and would like to pursue my postgraduate degree afterwards.
My fear is that my grades from nearly a decade ago will stop me from getting into any MA program. Do I need more teaching experience to overcome my poor grades? What else could I do to make myself more appealing to these universities? |
Your poor undergrad grades could hinder your acceptance into a MA TESOL program. The admissions committee may need to make a case for your admission despite your undergrad grades (some universities have a minimum undergrad GPA requirement). That said, I'm guessing you are now 5+ years past graduation and you say you have a few years of ESL teaching experience. In your statement of purpose, you should explain the reason for your low undergrad grades (and that those issues are now under control), and describe your extensive practical ESL experience after undergrad (in addition to your future goals). That will help the admissions committee to make a case for your acceptance. |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 2:55 am Post subject: |
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If you did the DELTA first, the UK based Open University would take that as sufficient evidence of post graduate level study, and your undergraduate grades wouldn't matter. It would count as 1/3 credit towards an MEd Applied Linguistics.
They are a distance learning university, so that might be an issue for you, depending where you want to work in the future. However, as you are EU based, you would qualify for home student fees, which would be a significant saving.
For what it's worth, I can't remember ever being asked the grade of my undergraduate degree since getting post graduate qualifications. |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 3:05 am Post subject: |
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| I should clarify that my advice was about US-based MA TESOL programs. Things may be substantially different in the UK or elsewhere. |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 3:14 am Post subject: |
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And perhaps I should clarify that in the UK the Open University is a special case.
It is, and always has been, an extraordinarily inclusive university. For entry requirements they will almost always take proof of recent, relevant study over prior grades, but their qualifications are robust and well respected.
I would be a lot more hesitant to say the DELTA route would get someone with low grades onto a masters programme at a bricks and mortar university. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 3:15 am Post subject: |
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DosEquisX:
What passport(s) do you hold? |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
DosEquisX:
What passport(s) do you hold? |
From the OP's previous posts, OP appears to have US and Irish passports. Other pertinent questions for the OP would be what country/ies he/she is considering studying in, whether he/she is planning to do a distance course or not, and where he/she hopes to teach in the future (country and context). |
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