Another quick question

[joops]

Hi everyone,

I posted a couple of days ago and got some great replies. Thanks to everyone. However, I realized that I forgot to ask one question. I have good stats (3.7 overall/3.9 sociology, internships, LORs, etc..) but there is one glaring problem with my application, and I want to know how big of a problem it is.

I transferred to my current school from a two-year college. Even though it was a two year college, I only got a year's worth of credits from there, so I have 3 years from the 4-year college I'm graduating from. The thing is, my grades from the first college were NOT spectacular. The college was absolutely terrible, the "professors" were terrible, and they treated every student like they were stupid, so (think labeling theory of deviance) I acted stupidly. Anyway, my grades were like A,B,B,B,B-,A,A,A- then I'm not sure about the last four, but they were something like A-, C, C,C-. One of the C classes was statistics, which I'm actually very good at (I got an A in the one at my 4 year college and am now a tutor.)

So, my question is, will my grades from my first college hurt my chances? Or will they let it go because it was four years ago? Thanks in advance for the advice. BTW the GPA from my first college didn't transfer.

[St. Jude]

Hi everyone,

I posted a couple of days ago and got some great replies. Thanks to everyone. However, I realized that I forgot to ask one question. I have good stats (3.7 overall/3.9 sociology, internships, LORs, etc..) but there is one glaring problem with my application, and I want to know how big of a problem it is.

I transferred to my current school from a two-year college. Even though it was a two year college, I only got a year's worth of credits from there, so I have 3 years from the 4-year college I'm graduating from. The thing is, my grades from the first college were NOT spectacular. The college was absolutely terrible, the "professors" were terrible, and they treated every student like they were stupid, so (think labeling theory of deviance) I acted stupidly. Anyway, my grades were like A,B,B,B,B-,A,A,A- then I'm not sure about the last four, but they were something like A-, C, C,C-. One of the C classes was statistics, which I'm actually very good at (I got an A in the one at my 4 year college and am now a tutor.)

So, my question is, will my grades from my first college hurt my chances? Or will they let it go because it was four years ago? Thanks in advance for the advice. BTW the GPA from my first college didn't transfer.

I think you are fine.

[pl0x]

The short answer is: you're fine.

The long answer is, you're fine if you choose your programs intelligently and have a strong research question you want to develop in grad school. Apply widely (this is sage advice for anyone, not just appropriate to your situation) and run your SOP by as many professors and students as you can.

[alienatedlaborer]

Not much to add here, other than to say that I think you'll be ok, too. I was in a similar situation--terrible grades, followed by a sudden switch to good grades when I got serious about school, then a transfer to a better school where I continued to get good grades--and it wasn't an issue for me at all.

One note, though. If you feel compelled to explain the change in your statements, I would avoid blaming terrible professors for your early lackluster performance. Even if it's true, you'll look like you aren't taking responsibility for your own actions. You could just say that it wasn't an ideal fit for you, and focus on your later success.

And as has already been noted, the most important thing is to work hard on that SOP! I think admissions committees take this much more seriously than a few bad grades your first year in school.