Explaining a low GPA and failed class

[ahimsa000]

Hi everyone,

 

I recently got an interview offer from DUCOM for their Biotech MS program. Since I have under a 3.0 (2.76), I know they are going to ask me about this. I also saw that interviews AREN'T part of the application process for this school. So I guess I'm a 
"different" case. 

 

I don't have a really good reason for my grades, but here are a few things that I felt lowered my GPA during college:

 

-I worked full time because I HAD to (not a good excuse, but it was tough balancing everything)

-In my senior year, I had a medical condition that affected my liver (not because I was a raging alcoholic) and it took a toll on me emotionally and physically. I failed my last class I needed to graduate, retook it, and got a C in it the second time it was physics!

 

Anyways, there is a good trend in my upper div bio classes, I got mostly A's in these classes. The classes that really suffered were OChem and Physics. I also did really well in my lab classes (molecular bio, biochem, physio labs). 

 

I am really nervous about this! The interview has not been scheduled yet, but I plan on doing it next Monday because of my work schedule. 

 

Any advice on how to spin this low GPA thing would be great. I want to prove to them that I can handle the work now. I'm not going to work during graduate school, I've learned my lesson! 

 

Thank you! 

[bsharpe269]

Well I would stay away from having multiple excuses. In my opinion, having a few different reasons all together makes it start to sounds like you are making excuses.

 

If I were in that position, I think I would focus on the major reason: that you worked full time. You downplay this but actually a huge deal and most students work 10-20 hours a week AT MOST. Since you also say that you have an upward trend in grades, then I would work that into your reason as well. So I would say that you worked full time and had a hard time juggling everything at first but improved at this with time, as can be seen with the upward trend in grades.

 

I would not linger over all of this stuff though. If asked then I would give your reason, point out that you improved at this with time, and then move onto talking about accomplishments. This school is ovbiously interested in you or else they would not be interviewing. They are probably worried though that you will not be able to maintain the min gpa for the program (usually 3.0) so you will have to make sure they leave their intereview with you thinking that you have overcome whatever caused the bad grades and that it wont be a problem again.

[shadowclaw]

While I don't have any interview offers yet (most of my schools don't start reviewing applications until January), I am beginning to worry about the almost certain questions about my grades. I am really interested in how the interview went, sr41489, as well as any other interviews you had.

 

I am currently a masters student, and I've done very well in my program and am finishing up a strong thesis. I also did very well as an undergrad biology student, with an average GPA of 3.8 over the course of my program. I worked on multiple research projects plus an internship, and I received two department awards when I graduated. I also won an award for a poster at my undergrad institution's research day my senior year, as well as another last spring for a poster at a state conference. I also have several volunteer experiences, and teaching experiences through peer tutoring and a graduate assistantship at my current school. Plus I have two first-author publications in review. If you just looked at that part of my application, I look like a top candidate

 

However, if you look at my record before I was a biology major, it's a terrible mess. I changed majors several times, transferred between 4 different schools, withdrew from several semesters, failed multiple classes. It's 7 years of madness. It's not all bad. I'd go two semesters on dean's list and then tank the next two, and then repeat the process. Then there was a stretch where I got A's in half my classes and F's in the other half. It was more or less that I did exceptionally well or exceptionally bad. No mediocre grades. Then when I entered my biology program, everything turned around and I haven't had a grade less than a B since (and only got B's on rare occasions).

 

I have reasons for my past performance. They aren't all good reasons, but it isn't as if I just partied for 7 years or something like that. I worked full-time for almost the entire 10 years I was an undergrad, and there were definitely lots of times that I prioritized my job over my coursework. I had several very toxic relationships over the years that took their toll on me emotionally, physically (I was actually abused in one relationship... sorry if that's tmi), and financially. I have also long dealt with depression and social anxiety issues, which when coupled with other things going on in my life had a very adverse effect on my academic performance. My grandfather also went into hospice during one semester and died a week later, and I ultimately just withdrew from that semester.

 

I have resolved all of these issues for the most part. I got my priorities straight in relation to work and school (although now it doesn't matter because my work is at school and is very compatible with my coursework and research). I developed self-respect and gained a sense of self-worth and got away from all the losers and abusers in my life, and now I'm married to someone who doesn't treat me like a doormat. My depression was mainly triggered by my anxiety, and I've been doing well with managing it and I have a support system set up to help me when I slip up.

 

So that was long, but I know that if I get an interview, someone will ask about my sub-3.0 undergrad GPA (it ended up being a 2.8 when I summed all of the schools together). I would like suggestions on how to answer the question. I know enough to focus on how dramatically I've improved, but I'm not sure how to really explain the why. It wasn't really one specific thing... it was a combination of cruddy aspects of my life that piled on top of each other. While that is the most truthful answer, I'm not sure it's one my interviewers would like to hear.

[ahimsa000]

Hey shadowclaw,

 

I only had one interview and that was with Drexel. They asked me about my low grades and wanted to know if I'd be a good candidate for this program knowing that my grades were that low. I told them my grades at the time didn't reflect my true potential. After about a month, I was accepted into the program, but I had chosen Brown a few weeks before. I'm really happy to say that after my first semester at Brown, I got straight As in my classes!!! So I feel like I definitely didn't shine in my undergrad years due to immaturity and lack of direction and focus. 

[Kinetic Isotope Defect]

shadowclaw, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you are doing well in your master's, admission committees will care much more about that than your undergrad experience. If you are asked about it you should explain in plain terms that you had difficulties because you were working full time and lacked direction in your education (best to leave out personal details, as explaining those can get lengthy and won't help you). I had a very similar experience, I had a horrible first two and a half years (my gpa was something like 2.4 after my second year) but turned around when I switched majors. There's only one program I'm applying to that requires an interview, but I mentioned my grades very early in my SOP, gave a short explanation, and then turned it around into demonstrating how far I've come academically (mentioning research awards, seeking out new academic opportunities, teaching, etc). So far, that approach seems to have worked, as I've managed to get early acceptance to two very good PhD programs. It's best not to dwell on it too much, they can see how well you're doing in your masters and you're obviously prepared for the rigors of graduate school.