Good MA GPA, Bad BSc GPA

[novamo]

Hey there guys.

 

I'm an MA student in philosophy, my overall GPA is 4. I'm planning to apply to a PhD program in philosophy. My BSc degree is in computer engineering. The problem is my undergrad GPA is a disaster, it's 2. When I say it's a disaster, I mean it! Do you think this will affect the process of applying to a philosophy program? I've been told to truthfully explain everything in my statement of purpose. There's nothing complicated about it, it's just that I never liked what was being offered to me as an engineer, my motivation was at a low level back then! I wasn't depressed, I wasn't ill, and I had no problems of that sort. I just enjoyed reading philosophy and listening to philosophy lectures rather than wasting my time with tedious programming homeworks. How do you think I should explain this in my SOP? Is it even necessary to do so?

 

Thanks in advance,

[sunpenguin]

I'm no expert because I'm in the application process myself, but it seems to me it might make sense to tell the adcomms essentially what you just told the forum. There might be a better chance they'll overlook the low UG GPA if they know it was due to your dislike for your major at the time, and that you have already and will continue to excel in philosophy.

 

I'm in an obliquely related situation, in that I did my undergrad in a different field from my master's. I'm a little worried the lack of a bachelor's in my graduate field may hurt my chances. It was a long time ago, so I hope it will be obvious that it simply took me a while to find my true professional passion. I'm not mentioning it unless an application explicitly asks the applicant to explain "anything unusual" about their academic history. But in your case, my impression is that it would be a good idea to explain.

 

Good luck!