need your opinion, gpa in major vs. gpa overall, matters?

[modernity]

This may be posted elsewhere, but after a diligent search I could not find it. Please direct me to it if you know... but.. my question is this... My overall GPA is a not so impressive 3.3. This is due to the fact that, I started out as a biology major only to find i had no talent when it came to chemistry and math.Combined with the fact that my undergrad saw me with frequent health problems requiring surgeries/hospitlizations etc. that caused irregularity in my grades throughout. Once I switched my major, my grades improved drastically, and I was almost always on the dean's list. My gpa in my major (anthropology) and my gpa in the field i am applying to for grad school/essentially my minor (history) was consistently much higher - a 3.7/3.8. These will obviously not be the GPAs i am reporting to schools (unless i am focusing on the last 60 upper level credit hours that some programs ask for), will adcoms take the time to investigate this (My thought is no)? Is this something I should mention in an SOP? I am just deathly afraid they will see a dismal 3.3 and toss me into the trash. I personally don't know many that have applied for grad school, so I'm trying to get a better opinion on this.

[dowjonesindustrial]

First off, I don't think you want to draw attention to your GPA in your statement. It's not that bad, and there are probably lots of kids who went through a similar experience.

Also, I would expect most adcom members are savvy enough to notice WHY a GPA is low/high, and whether or not it's because of the relevant classes. I'm actually a little surprised that you say none of your schools are interested in major GPA; I've found that many/most of mine are, and I assume it's something any adcom would take a concerted interest in looking at relative to your overall.

Lastly, and this is just for honesty's sake, if an adcom is going to toss all 3.3 overall GPA-ers, well there's not much point in you worrying - you don't have control over that. Avoid self-deprecation on your SOP.

[IvyHope]

Most grad programs only require a 3.0, and beyond that, most grad programs only look at the last 2 years of undergrad.

[misterpat]

Your overall GPA is more important, but I don't think your app wil get tossed because of a 3.3. You're applying to History MA programs, which likely means the schools you are applying to aren't uber-competitive (since all the top ones are PhD only.

I wouldn't worry too much, especially if your GREs are good.