Explaining low GPA

[aud15]

Does anyone have any experience with explaining in their application why their GPA is low? How much detail is appropriate.. I imagine there is a line between providing too much information and not enough?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[soAZ]

Yes, I would like to know too. How, if the question is "Why do I want to become a SLP" do you weave that in? I personally felt like the undergrad courses were all so theoretical and I had absolutely nothing to connect to.  

[twinguy7]

this is how I explained my LOW GPA in my Statement Letter:

 

 I was a 2.0 student with no ambition (2005-2009) before finding a major and career path that I was interested in. Change can be hard.  I had to learn to love school and love learning, but with effort, determination and perseverance I developed into a 3.3-3.4(2010-2013) student whose lowest grades stem from 2 online classes(C and B-) and a class where I missed an assignment coupled with an ankle injury (C-Spring 13').  

 

Hope that helps

[Missthang]

I addressed mine in about 2 sentences in my 2nd paragraph. I figured short and sweet to show that it's in the past and it's all about moving forward and what I'm doing currently, not dwelling on the negatives from the past. Basically this was the jist of it: I was unmotivated in my classes bc I had no idea what I wanted to do and was overwhelmed with attending school full time and working full time. However, it was working that made me find the field of speech pathology. I quickly transferred to ____ university and the rest is history. Then in my 2nd to last paragraph where I talk about my current happenings I said something about I went from unmotivated and just going thru the motions to Dean's List plus other accomplishments/awards.

 

I wouldn't go in to a lot of detail. Let the numbers talk on your transcript & resume. LI/PS should be about getting to know you as a whole person. Low GPA and improving it is just a part of your story so don't over emphasize it.

[ImHis]

Thank you twinguy! I admired how you poured everything out in your words.   Congratulations on your acceptance.

[aykl]

Yes, I would like to know too. How, if the question is "Why do I want to become a SLP" do you weave that in? I personally felt like the undergrad courses were all so theoretical and I had absolutely nothing to connect to.  

 

Liking your courses isn't the only way to connect to SLP! Did you work with an SLP? Was there a case that you found particularly interesting? How about your work experiences and volunteer experiences? I talked about growing up with English as second language and how that taught me the importance of communicative skills. I also talked about working as a server and how I developed interpersonal and social skills as a result. I wrote about my volunteer work with underprivileged children and seniors, and discussed how their goals were different, albeit important all the same. You can approach this question with many different angles - trust me, I didn't love all every single course I had to take in order to apply to SLP, but I still believe it's the right career choice for me!

 

 

Does anyone have any experience with explaining in their application why their GPA is low? How much detail is appropriate.. I imagine there is a line between providing too much information and not enough?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

I wrote: The challenge of my studies was intensified by my father's job loss in first year, which necessitated that I split my time between school and work.

 

I never explicitly said I had a low GPA; however, I alluded to the fact that a family mishap was the cause. This technique was suggested to me by a professor on the admissions committee because 1) it takes up less space and 2) it's a clever use of syntax.

 

Hope this helps!

[Persis]

What about this question: "Tell me about you most valuable learning experience".  Can you use your GPA and how you struggled to become a better student as the answer? any suggestions?

[lookwhoslp]

What about this question: "Tell me about you most valuable learning experience".  Can you use your GPA and how you struggled to become a better student as the answer? any suggestions?

For this I would focus on something else. Unless you overcame something really crazy. For this question I'd think they're looking more for first hand experience while shadowing or volunteering and seeing the person's passion making a difference or being in a class you thought wasn't interesting but the teacher's leadership made you like it and showed you how it's all about presentation which you can translate into SLP clinical experience. If you mention low grades make it short and sweet, like 2 sentences. 

[SLPamy]

What about this question: "Tell me about you most valuable learning experience".  Can you use your GPA and how you struggled to become a better student as the answer? any suggestions?

I agree with the poster above! Do not make the focus of your essay be your low GPA. Instead, highlight all of the positive qualities you have and, if you feel it is necessary, briefly mention/explain  your GPA with 1 or 2 sentences.

[Papaya91]

I think everyone's given good advice so far. At one info session I attended, a girl asked what to do in your SOP about "bad" things like a low GPA. The presenters there were all on the admissions committee, and they actually recommend leaving it out entirely. When you draw attention to it, it makes them notice it more.

That being said, if you feel like you need to explain something, make it quick and talk about how you became better from the experience.

 

soAZ - I would try to stay as far away from that in your essay as you can! If you tell them that you couldn't connect to your undergrad courses because they were too theoretical, or even imply anything remotely near it, it dosn't speak well to your ability to succeed in grad school. Your GPA doesn't seem very low to me, but even if you consider it low, I would avoid saying that it's a result of being unable to connect to your classes. There'll be several classes in grad school that are theoretical rather than practical, because you won't have the opportunity to work with every type of client. There will be classes that you might find uninteresting. There are any number of reasons for why you may not be able to connect to a class, but as an SLP you have to learn the material well, and be able to apply it later down the road. Your SOP needs to show the admissions committee that you have what it takes.

 

[ehemingway]

What I did to explain my low GPA:

 

Though I struggled in my first year, for the last 60 credits of my bachelor’s, my GPA will be between a 3.8 and 3.9. [list of accolades since I started my last 60 credits]. [my school] has taught me that no matter where a person starts, with the right interventions, that person can meet and exceed their goals. I am confident I will be successful in [program]’s master’s program in speech-language pathology.

 

I got good feedback from my profs about this section as well. Good luck!

[Chandru1]

I heard from a professor that if you have a low GPA, you *should* explain it, otherwise it may be a cause for concern. 

 

It seems like every program wants something different...

[aykl]

I heard from a professor that if you have a low GPA, you *should* explain it, otherwise it may be a cause for concern. 

 

It seems like every program wants something different...

 

 

I agree, two programs I applied to specifically requested us to explain any discrepancies in our application. Even if a school didn't ask you, I feel like they would be able to see weaknesses anyway and since you have a chance to be able to explain your story in your LOI, why not?