High GRE and low GPA

[madhatter121989]

hello everyone,

I scored pretty decent on my gre 1180(760q+420v, 3awa)....and my undergrad GPA in B.tech(biotech) is 2.6

I'm done with my college and i really want to get into masters this spring or next fall latest (after which i cannot really leave my native place).Reason for less gpa : i wasn't into my college work for the first two years or so because i wanted to take up commercial flying as a career. I also travelled to USA for the same (i'm from India)(Dramatic turn of events I didn't end up becoming one, was sent back to india and all my childhood dreams shattered and had almost required psychological help for getting over this situation) .As a result i ended up failing many subjects and had to retake the exams until i passed. Now how much would it help if i put the entire thing in my SOP and i was aslo told that without research experience in bachelors , students are not generally accepted into the Masters in life sciences programs, is this true ?

I need advice....pls help.

Edited August 11, 2010 by madhatter121989

[lewizta]

same here (well, with a bit higher GRE,1320 and a bit lower gpa 2.5X) Applied for Cal Poly biomedical engineerng and waiting.

I sent an email to the prof. there before applying and he said explaining the situation might help for the low GPA. Also calculate and mention your major GPA in the statment because they will look at it.

hope it helps!

[lifetimestudent]

There's not much you can do about a low GPA, especially at the end of undergrad where you have already completed the great majority of the classwork. But evaluate your transcript-- are more of your classes with lower grades outside of your primary major? Was there one year where your grades just went down the drain? Is there anything which can explain your performance and how you will improve as a grad student? Where do you excel? What will make you an outstanding graduate student and eventually a top scholar in your field?

If you have good answers to these questions, make sure to communicate them to your potential advisors & adcoms. They are looking for "good material" that they can mold. Grades are often a good indicator of talent but not always.

[madhatter121989]

well...i ended up scoring same...better in major though but not by a great margin.....but again is there a list of colleges which accept Low GPA students or do all the universities ask for a 3 and above ???

[shaydlip]

I would try going for a master's first, and making sure to have a high GPA in that program. Many top universities have a GPA/GRE cutoff (typically 3.0 GPA and 1000 GRE) where the department can't admit you without other, administrative approval.