So I graduated with a degree in history from a small liberal arts university in Georgia in 2012. My GPA was a mediocre 2.7. I worked myself to death and prioritized college sports over studying. No excuses though. I enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduation to earn the GI Bill so I could go to grad school on Uncle Sam's dime. A couple of months ago I started applying to different schools just for the heck of it. I applied to three schools (for either history, humanities, or international relations) I knew I didn't have a chance at gaining acceptance (University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and NYU). Three schools that I felt would be a 50-50 shot (Loyola University, UT, FSU), and three schools I felt had a good chance of getting into (DePaul, Auburn, Georgia Southern). I didn't think I had a snowball's chance of gaining acceptance into almost all of them due to my poor undergraduate performance. My GRE was also very low, the verbal and quantitative I scored 150 for each. The essay I scored a 5 though. I believe the only good thing about my application was my upward improvement from my first two years of my undergrad to my last two years and I had a very strong letter of intent. My sample essay was decent as well I guess. I brought my GPA up from a 1.4 to a 2.7. My letters of recommendation was my dean, a professor, and an old employer. I was worried about my letter's of rec because most schools want three professors. I didn't have three because I slacked in school all the way up until my final 3 semesters.
The problem now is that I have received acceptance letters from every school I mentioned for Fall 2016 admission for M.A. programs. I have no idea which school to choose. My best advice to anyone applying with a low gpa or gre score is to distance yourself as much as possible from your undergraduate years. I believe what gave me an advantage was my work experience and my service in the United States Navy. I believe that helped them overlook my poor undergrad performance, and showed maturity and growth on my part. Also it was beneficial that I had a very strong letter of intent. I didn't bother using it to explain my poor undergrad performance, instead I told them awesome stories about my travels and deployments in the Navy, and how I wish to use my degree to become an officer for the military and eventually work for the pentagon. I focused on only good stuff in my letter of intent, they are already aware of the bad stuff (my low gpa and undergrad performance). I also proved to them I am capable of critical analysis through my sample essay and talked about disproportionate incarceration rates of African Americans. Although my letters of recommendation weren't all professors or academia people, they apparently spoke very highly of me. To anyone applying with a low gpa, just do whatever you can to make up for it in other regards (letters of rec, work experience, sample essay, the GRE even though my scores were pretty bad). I spent about 4-5 months getting my applications together, waiting on my letters of rec, rewriting and improving my sample essay and letter of intent. I had all of my friends proofread my stuff so many times. I even took the time to meet up face to face with some of the faculty and admissions people at a few of the schools. If you are in close proximity to a school of your choice, I'd advise visiting the faculty. A positive impression through meeting you in person will definitely go a long way. Anyway hope this could help put some peoples' mind at ease. I had the worst anxiety applying to grad school because I had no idea if school's would even want to give me the chance. A low gpa can be neutralized with solid work experience among other things. Good luck to everyone.
Here's what the University of Chicago had to say about my application (it sums up pretty much what every school told me): "Dear Mr. XXX,
On behalf of the Faculty Admissions Committee, I am pleased to offer you admission to the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities (MAPH) at the University of Chicago for the 2016-2017 academic year.
Our decision to admit you reflects the favorable assessment of your academic record and professional promise by the MAPH Faculty Admissions Committee. It also reflects our belief that you will be a welcome addition to the diverse intellectual community on campus, within both MAPH and the larger University community. The resources and opportunities here at the University of Chicago can contribute significantly to your personal and career development. We hope that you will accept this offer and join us in September.
As you are a veteran of the United States Armed Forces you should be aware that the Division of the Humanities participates in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Yellow Ribbon 1:1 federal matching program for eligible veterans. More information about this and other services for veterans is available from the University Registrar.
You may use the online response form to formally accept our offer of admission. We ask for your reply no later than 30 April 2016. The links found below under the heading "The following letters are available for this account" provide additional documentation regarding your offer of admission.
Michael Beetley, Assistant Dean of Students for Admissions in the Division of the Humanities, can be reached at 773.702.8499 or mrbeetle@uchicago.edu should you have any questions about your offer of admission or the process going forward.
Congratulations on this achievement; we look forward to welcoming you to campus in the fall.
Sincerely yours,
Martina Munsters
Dean of Students"
