Grad School Options with Low GPA

[JMUChem]

Hello! I was hoping that I could get some help with options for Ph.D programs with a low GPA. My current GPA is 2.77. However! I do have a lot of other things going for me:

 

1. Will have completed 6 semesters of research, with 2 summer REU's and one semester of research without credit my freshman year

2. I presented a poster at the 2012 SERMACS.

3. ACS track

4. Publication in the ACS symposium series as first author. 

5. Strong letters of rec.

6. Physical Chem lab TA

 

I haven't taken the GRE yet, but I'm anticipating on doing fairly well. My GPA is low because of working (Dining services for 2 years working ~20-30hrs/week). I want to do protein NMR, but am open to other things. 

 

Please help me know what my options are! With A's in all my fall semester classes, I can only have a 2.95 GPA.

 

Thanks!

[DropTheBase]

The only thing I would watch out for is that some applications might automatically reject sub-3.0 GPAs (via software). If this is the case, you usually will need a faculty member to petition to still have your application reviewed. So you should ask the school. I am told that people still get accepted this way. You have fantastic credentials, so I would keep your hopes up. GPA is not as important as everything else you have going for you.

DTB

[nugget]

Is there any way you could not work during your last semester in the fall and rely more on loans? Or could you spread out your courses over 2 semesters and study part time to ensure that you will get higher grades?

 

If you get A's in your remaining courses and end up with a GPA of 2.95, your chances of getting in somewhere will go up considerably compared to your current GPA of 2.77, but you may need to work less or take less courses in order to achieve this. I would even recommend taking an extra course or two when you're done with your graduation requirements to get that 2.95 boosted up to 3.0 so that you will meet the minimum requirements of most schools.

 

Hello! I was hoping that I could get some help with options for Ph.D programs with a low GPA. My current GPA is 2.77. However! I do have a lot of other things going for me:

 

1. Will have completed 6 semesters of research, with 2 summer REU's and one semester of research without credit my freshman year

2. I presented a poster at the 2012 SERMACS.

3. ACS track

4. Publication in the ACS symposium series as first author. 

5. Strong letters of rec.

6. Physical Chem lab TA

 

I haven't taken the GRE yet, but I'm anticipating on doing fairly well. My GPA is low because of working (Dining services for 2 years working ~20-30hrs/week). I want to do protein NMR, but am open to other things. 

 

Please help me know what my options are! With A's in all my fall semester classes, I can only have a 2.95 GPA.

 

Thanks!

Edited July 19, 2013 by jenste

[biochemistry professor]

The general requirement for our program is a 3.0 GPA, but we can petition for exceptions. You seem to have a pretty good research background. In your personal statement, be sure to mention that your demanding part time job is partly responsible for your GPA. At least to me, that shows a good worth ethic and sense of responsibility.

 

Our program has a faculty working in protein NMR. Please contact me privately if you are interested in learning more about our program.