Anyone have experience like mine?

[downwardtrend]

Hi gradcafe,

I was wondering if anyone with first-hand experience help me out with some advice...

I always see application advice here for people who applied with low gpas who started out kinda crappy, and then showed drastic improvements in their GPA throughout their later years. I am kinda the opposite.

A bit about me:

Applying for Marine Sciences and Biological Oceanography Programs Fall 2012

UNC-Chapel Hill

USC

Duke

UCSD

Oregon

Washington

Major: Molecular and Cell Bio

Dropped Major: French (dropped the beginning of my 4th year)

Graduated Spring 2011 from a BIG10 Uni

First 2 years overall and major GPA: ~3.75

Last 2 years overall and major GPA: ~2.45 (Failed a total of 3 courses- 2 advanced french electives, and 1 intro to art elective [don't ask me why, I know its embarassing]) I still got B's and C's in my major advanced electives..

Final Overall GPA: 3.1

Final Major/technical GPA: 3.3

GRE: 720Q 520V haven't received writing score; intend to retake Sept. 15

Biochem GRE: October 15

Excellent and relevant research experience, Excellent LOR, 1 coauthor publication, working on 2nd

I some extenuating circumstances to explain my poor performance: i.e.- heavy devotion to extracirriculars and research, and 2 major surgical operations

Big Question: Many programs (such as washington) specifically ask for GPA of last 2 years of college. Also there is no room in the application to submit documentation of medical circumstances for a couple of my applications. How many people have had poor performance their last couple years, and had that overlooked (and got in) and how? Which program? What was your situation?

Thanks, much appreciated..!!

Edited July 13, 2011 by downwardtrend

[Fell4Ever]

My school (undergraduate) is in Tokyo, and during the March 11th Earthquake, a lot of us left to go back to our home countrie (or, like me, were forced to leave Japan by their parents). The school tried to accomodate us partially, but they ended up handing out a lot of incompletes or "Withdrawl Excused". For the students who were worried about transcripts, the school suggested (and I don't know how valid this is since my school's administration is pathetic) handing in a note with our Transcripts explaining the situation. "You will see that I have 3 Incompletes Spring 2011, Please understand I was forced to abandon Japan during the Great Earthquake, and have subsequently re-taken the classes or made some other kind of progress". Since yours is medical (if it is a legit excuse, ie not elective surgeory, I guess) you should mail in a letter too explaining everything the best you can (maybe with a Dr. Note?)

It all goes into your 'file', so when its looked at, if you're lucky they'll read the attached note and take that into consideration. Or you can just flesh it out in your personal statement: "I suffered my final years of school GPA wise because i had thrown myself into my research and extra-class activities. At the time it never occured to me that my grades were suffering, I was consumed with my research and goals and le tmy passion get the best of me. I have learned from this experience to better manage my time and research - and now that everything has its proper time".

Stuff like that. You can always try to turn a negative into a strength...some how.

(on my work computer, cannot spellcheck and I have horrible typing spelling, so, hope its readable).

[process chemist]

I am going through the same thing

Here is my profile

Undergrad GPA: 3.20

GRE: Taking it in three weeks, will update later

Research Experience: 7 years (3 in Undergrad, 4 in Industry)

Research in: Organic synthesis of RTM processable resins, Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry (Academic). Process Analytical Chemistry (Industrial).

Pubs: None, but I have eight (8) technical reports from my job (5 first authors).

Posters: 2 (1 @ NSF Conference, another at Global symposium for my company)

Interest: Bioorganic Chemistry. Specifically, drug delivery targets for cancer and neurodegenative diseases, structure based drug design for more effective cancer therapies.

LORs: Strong from supervisors and co-workers

Schools (All Chemistry unless indicated otherwise):

1) Michigan State

2) Stony Brook

3) UMass Amherst

4) Syracuse

5) Northeastern

6) Tufts

7) UMICH PIBS - Pharmacology/Biochemistry

8) Stony Brook - Pharmacology

9) Wayne State - Cancer Biology

10) Wayne State - Pharmacology

11) Northeastern - Pharmecutical Sciences/Drug Discovery and Delivery

I am thinking of putting an adendum to my essay, or put a few sentences in my essay concerning my senior year. Hurrican Katrina hit my home, and I had a tough year (having to work two jobs, and go to school full time). I am thankful for the extra semister I stayed because I was on a roll before my senior year hit (3.8Fall GPA/ 3.9Spring GPA) with an overall GPA of 3.40. My last semister GPA was a 3.20 after a depressing senior year of 2.8 (C in biochem), and a 2.5 two D's in biochem. I personally believe that the GPA could be overcome with Pubs, and extensive research experience. The PhD is a research degree, nothing more nothing less.

[starmaker]

I would say, go ahead and apply, and get it into your application that you have extenuating circumstances. Realize that you may not get in (3.1 is high enough to not be discounted at most places, but it's true that they won't love the downward trend). You might - I don't think you are out of the running or anything - but you might not. If you don't get in, work for a year or two while taking classes, and get higher grades in those classes. Then apply again.

[sarakeet]

I had a kind of similar experience, and maybe this will make you feel a little better. I was a more-As-than-Bs student for the first 2.5 years of uni, and then in the spring of my junior year, I had a W, three Cs, an A, and a B. I ended up doing well again the last two semesters, but I was really stressed out about this when applying to law school a few years ago because GPA is super important and, I thought, really, what kind of person just suddenly drops the ball like that?

Anyway, when applying to law school, it's really normal to add an addendum explaining any discrepancies in your academic/test-taking history, so I included one of those. I would suggest doing that if there's room for it in your app, or just working it into your personal statement as someone said above--you could really turn it into a good thing by emphasizing that you were so involved in research/extracurriculars, especially if they relate to your field, and perhaps adding that since then, you have learned to balance your life better (even better if you have examples of this). That's what I did--I was working 40-60 hours a week, including about 20 hours as an editor at my school's newspaper. I ended up getting into some top law schools (although I decided not to go...). So I think if you explain it well, and try to turn it into a positive, it won't hurt you too much.

Good luck!

[LuckyCat]

I'm a current graduate student and my advisor regularly tells undergrads who ask this question that it's best to have your recommenders address any obvious application deficiencies in their recommendation letters rather than the applicant him/herself. This allows the recommenders to qualify the situation for you and talk about how their observations of you as a student and/or their experience working with you in their lab has revealed that you have the requisite skill set and abilities to perform at a graduate level, etc. It also doesn't come across to adcom's as "excuse making" by the applicant, which is often how it can be interpreted regardless of the validity of the reason for your performance decline. Have a straightforward conversation with at least one of your LOR writers and ask him/her to address the issue in your letter.

In general, if you have one area of weakness in your application, it won't sink you. However, it is best to show an improvement trend. If your performance is on the decline, it's good to have a valid reason for it being so. If you are coming direct from undergrad, this is particularly important, because it's indicative (in the adcom's eyes) of your motivation, reslilience, etc. If you have taken time off between undergrad and when you are applying, you can speak to the skills and maturity you've developed since graduating, which may serve to buffer against the deficiency in your application.

GL!