eesj Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Hello, I am writing up my SOPs for various applications, but am wondering if it is worth explaining a low GPA? During my MSEE I had one bad semester where I received 6-units of B, due to the amount of work/travel I did not anticipate (one con of pursuing an MS while working =[ ). This one semester unfortunately killed my overall GPA. My last year of my MSEE I averaged a GPA of 3.67, but when combined with my first year GPA it drops to 3.43. Should I even bother explaining this in my SOP? I do not want to sound like I am making excuses to the committee, but I also want the committee to know that I improved/learned from that one bad semester. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HassE Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Hello, I am writing up my SOPs for various applications, but am wondering if it is worth explaining a low GPA? During my MSEE I had one bad semester where I received 6-units of B, due to the amount of work/travel I did not anticipate (one con of pursuing an MS while working =[ ). This one semester unfortunately killed my overall GPA. My last year of my MSEE I averaged a GPA of 3.67, but when combined with my first year GPA it drops to 3.43. Should I even bother explaining this in my SOP? I do not want to sound like I am making excuses to the committee, but I also want the committee to know that I improved/learned from that one bad semester. Thanks! you have every right to explain to them. I would explain it to them, but make sure its only a few sentences at most explaining you were working and on travel....try to make it seem like you learned a lot from doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyonessrampant Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Exactly, frame things positively and be concise. If you frame the experience as here's what I learned about X, then it spins the first year GPA much differently than sounding like "I'm sorry I had a bad year but I won't do it again!" Also, no more than a couple sentences, like the previous poster said. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eesj Posted July 11, 2011 Author Share Posted July 11, 2011 Thanks you two for the great responses. I will definitely take them into consideration when writing my SOPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eesj Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 Exactly, frame things positively and be concise. If you frame the experience as here's what I learned about X, then it spins the first year GPA much differently than sounding like "I'm sorry I had a bad year but I won't do it again!" Also, no more than a couple sentences, like the previous poster said. Good luck! Any suggestions on this statement? "I continued onto the M.S.E.E. while working full-time with XYZ, where I focused my course work on XYZ and my research on XYZ. My overall GPA was a 3.43/4.00 and was a result of my excessive workload and business travel during my Spring-’09 semester, where I received 6-units of B. Although these marks do not reflect my abilities or work ethic as a student, I was able to learn from my mistakes. I learned to balance unexpected surges of work with my academic commitments, and in practice was able to complete my final year of the M.S.E.E. with an average GPA of 3.67/4.00." Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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