I'm a political science undergrad in my sixth year (I know) and I'm interested in applying to several political science Ph.D programs and a few masters programs in case I don't get into a Ph.D this application cycle. I started college as a political science major, but switched to microbiology after a semester out of fear that my degree wouldn't be practical. I actually slogged through three years of biology classes and earned mostly Bs and two Ds. During my first semester of my fourth year, I just couldn't take it anymore due to issues with depression and being unable to handle the upper level science classes, so I switched back into poli sci. Because it was midsemester, I couldn't drop courses without taking a W, and I had to stay in at least two classes to remain full time, so I withdrew from two classes (organic chemistry and a microbiology class) and got an F in the virology class I still had to stay in (I got an A in the other class I stuck with). After that semester, my GPA fell from a 3.4 to a 3.2. After that, though, I took four semesters of nothing but upper division political science classes (72 credits), and I managed to raise my cGPA to a 3.6. I also earned all As in my poli sci classes, so my major GPA is a 4.0. I'm unsure of how to address this in my applications. I understand schools like to see upward trends, but I did have an F in my fourth year when I was technically a senior. I also have two Ds from freshmen year (both in science courses) and four Ws. Will poli sci programs hold those first four years as a microbiology major against me? I'm going to be completely honest, I know an F is an F, but does it really matter that I got an F, or a D in chemistry? How should I address this in my applications? Will it look bad if I try to distract from my cumulative GPA by pointing out that I did get a 4.0 in nothing but upper division, major specific classes for my last 72 credits?
