Addressing GPA/GRE in SOP

[DeafAudi]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned.

 

I'm wondering about people's thoughts on addressing GPA and GRE in a statement of purpose/letter of intent. I have a low to average GPA and an atrocious quantitative GRE score (I will be taking it to my grave, lol). I'm really worried that these will hurt me on my applications and feel like I should explain it. I scored really low on the GRE and in two courses that I took this fall because of a combination of a heavier than usual work load, poor health and personal issues at home. At the same time, I want to keep my SOP positive and don't want to come across as whiny.

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jjduval]

I've also got a low GPA, so I've done a lot of research into how this should be addressed - if at all.
 
I'm contending with a 2.7 uGPA, which raises a big red flag whenever adcomms look at my app packet. Everything I've read says that the SOP will have to be the strongest part of the application, but I'll have to somehow address the GPA issue.
 
This is what I've done - since I graduated from university in 2010, I've spent the past three years taking grad-level classes, working on campaigns, and now working abroad. My statement puts a lot of emphasis on what I've learned outside of the academic environment, and how, after all that hard work, I've become a candidate that has much to bring to their program. That's an important bit -  you want to show these schools what you can give them, not just what they can give you.

 

Keep your SOP positive, but do briefly address the GPA issue. Don't complain about it, or be negative. Just state that it is what it is, and it does not represent how intelligent or capable you are. 

 

If you do, however, have a serious reason why your grades dipped, let them know. Were you hit by a car? Had a death in the family? If it's something super serious, mention it. Otherwise, do not spend any precious words trying to explain away your performance.

 

**The GRE is a whole other matter, though. While you can no longer control your undergraduate performance, you can control how well you do in the GRE. They know that, too. So keep it in mind.

 

Good luck, homie. We're gonna make it.

[TakeruK]

If you do, however, have a serious reason why your grades dipped, let them know. Were you hit by a car? Had a death in the family? If it's something super serious, mention it. Otherwise, do not spend any precious words trying to explain away your performance.

 

I agree with most of what is said by jjduval, but I don't completely agree with this part. I don't think the admission committee needs to know any of the details for any "serious" reason, whether they are personal, medical, or otherwise. I agree that you should probably address it, but you can do so without providing details if you don't want to. For example, you could make a blanket/vague statement such as "I do not believe my GPA reflects my [ability to learn / level of knowledge / expertise / etc.]". Then you should demonstrate this by discussing something like your graduate level courses (if you have any), later work experience, or whatever else that can show the admission committee that you will make a good graduate student in their program!

 

The reason why I don't think applicants need to give a reason for a low GPA is that the admission committee cannot judge how your circumstances have affected you. They are not in a position where they will accept or reject your "excuse"/"reason" based on what you say. The committee cannot, for example, decide that a car accident is a "valid" GPA excuse but "ending a long term relationship" is not, or vice-versa, because there is no way they can judge the impact of particular life events on a student. In addition, the committee also cannot judge how well you would have done if circumstance X did not happen. So I don't think providing the reason is very helpful at all. Your GPA is your GPA, that's just how it is.

 

The GPA is not the only indicator of whether or not you can succeed in grad school. If you are not happy with your GPA, you can state that you don't think it is reflective of your ability and/or you can show your potential to succeed in grad school through other ways. So, you should not feel pressure to explain yourself to the admission committee. At the same time, as jjduval said, don't treat your few words about your GPA as a way to defend yourself or to make an excuse. Focus your SOP on demonstrating how you will be an excellent graduate student.

[DeafAudi]

Thanks for your response! I feel kind of screwed because my academic performance AFTER my undergraduate does not put me in a positive light (poor grades in a couple of courses, low GRE). All of these occurred in the past few months, which turned out to be extremely difficult for me because of a combination of factors. 

 

On the other hand, I have remained active volunteering and being involved as a research assistant in two separate labs. I think I will try and briefly address that this past semester did not work out as I had hoped and focus on the positive things I HAVE done.

[Admissions Advice Online]

You should never, and I mean NEVER address a low GPA or GRE score in the Statement of Purpose. The SOP should only come from a standpoint of strength. If you really feel compelled to discuss why your grades may not be where you would like them to be, feel free to include this is a separate short essay or an email to the admissions office. -Admissions Advice Online

[DeafAudi]

Admissions Office Online,

 

How do you feel about including an addendum in the SOP that addresses this?

[Admissions Advice Online]

All you have to do is email the office whatever you want to say and ask them to print it out and include it with your file for review.But only do this if you have a very good story as to why your grades were low. You can only explain away one, maybe two semesters of bad grades. Anymore than this and your story will fall upon deaf ears so it would be best to not mention it at all and hope for the best. Just make sure that your SOP is as strong as it can possibly be. -Admissions Advice Online

[DeafAudi]

OK,

 

Thank you for your advice! I think I will do this.