Extremely low GPA

[theremustbeaway]

I am an international student,majored in American Culture and I have an extreeeeeeemely low GPA 

 

in 4.0 scale ,my gpa is about 2.5~2.6.. ( I have 2 D and several C's.. I was depressed for a while because of personal issues, but my CGPA is pretty good though..)

 

I know it's so low and I found that some schools screen applicants who have low gpas under 3.0

 

I am interesting in studying comp lit or eng lit.  However, I found it is almost impossible to apply with this low GPA while I don't even have

a extremely good writing sample

 

So, I am planning to do an MA in English literature in my country, and during this years try hard to get good points and write a lot and if can apply it to some journals 

 

Could I overcome this devastating past, if I try hard from now on? I feel so unsure and worrying T.T

 

 

[bhr]

I feel like I'm saying this too much, but don't sweat a low GPA. Work on closing out well (Jr/Sr. GPA and Major GPA), and if you are doing a Masters first, I'm guessing that your BA GPA isn't even going to be considered by PhD programs. I applied with a 2.4 GPA (finished with a 2.85) and didn't get any pushback thanks to a 3.8 Major GPA. Just make sure to explain it in your SoP.

 

Now, poor writing samples could be a bigger problem. That's where you show what you are capable of producing as a student, so schools really do read them.

[Dr. Old Bill]

I second what bhr says. Obviously having a low GPA isn't a good thing, but fortunately adcomms look at your application as a whole. Do your best to explain it on your SoP, and while doing so, I would tend toward the frank rather than the sentimental, and try to focus on how you are planning on bettering yourself. In my various readings while researching such things, I've heard several accounts of people with a GPA right around yours still getting admitted into solid schools. And honestly, the fact that you're an international student will probably give you a bit of leeway in that regard -- you may be able to talk about different standards there? Just one possibility -- I honestly don't know.

 

The writing sample, as is often mentioned here, is something that is firmly in your control, and carries far more weight. You can't really help your GPA at this point (barring your plan to do well on a MA in Seoul), so do your best to write an excellent sample. It's not easy, but if you struggle mightily with writing fifteen pages of quality work, you might want to reconsider why this is the path you are going down.

 

Good luck!

[Between Fields]

Getting a master's first with a perfect (or near perfect) record can un-do a low undergraduate GPA. Mine was closer to 3.0 than yours, but I had some seriously bad semesters during my first two years of undergraduate, and one failed major course (due to a lot of reasons), but my SOP and master's grades were enough for the admissions committee. If you can develop it into a narrative of realizing your strengths and weaknesses and then dealing with them, that helps too.

[ComeBackZinc]

I will go against the grain and say that it is very difficult to get into a top program with grades that low.

[hj2012]

I'm going to agree with zinc.

You're already facing an uphill battle because you're an international student, but a terrible GPA is going to make it worse. FWIW, I work with Korean students applying to American universities, and we had 4.0 students from SKY universities (the Korean Ivy League) fail to get funding from English Lit programs.

It's just really hard for non native speakers to produce writing samples that compete.

If you're really committed to this, here's what I would recommend:

1. Apply directly to U.S. Masters programs but understand that you will not get funding. Then, apply to PhD programs.

2. Apply to a top university in Seoul for the masters. After the MA, try for a mix of MA and PhD programs in the States. Understand that there is a VERY good chance you'll end up doing another MA in the States.

Choice number 1 is only ideal if you have good enough TOEFL and GRE scores already. If not, #2 might be better.

Sorry for the tough love, but you'll get the best results if you face this problem with eyes wide open. PM me if you want specific advice about applying to U.S. PhD programs as an international student.

[theremustbeaway]

I feel like I'm saying this too much, but don't sweat a low GPA. Work on closing out well (Jr/Sr. GPA and Major GPA), and if you are doing a Masters first, I'm guessing that your BA GPA isn't even going to be considered by PhD programs. I applied with a 2.4 GPA (finished with a 2.85) and didn't get any pushback thanks to a 3.8 Major GPA. Just make sure to explain it in your SoP.

 

Now, poor writing samples could be a bigger problem. That's where you show what you are capable of producing as a student, so schools really do read them.

 

I feel like I'm saying this too much, but don't sweat a low GPA. Work on closing out well (Jr/Sr. GPA and Major GPA), and if you are doing a Masters first, I'm guessing that your BA GPA isn't even going to be considered by PhD programs. I applied with a 2.4 GPA (finished with a 2.85) and didn't get any pushback thanks to a 3.8 Major GPA. Just make sure to explain it in your SoP.

 

Now, poor writing samples could be a bigger problem. That's where you show what you are capable of producing as a student, so schools really do read them.

 

Thanks for your encouragement! I'm really excited about writing a writing sample. i really should try my best ! 

[theremustbeaway]

Thanks for your advice!

 

Oh, and I for got to write down, and I don't know how much it would help but I do have a U.S citizenship lived in the states for 7 years, but it was when I was young..

 

So, yes I am an international student since I'm graduating out of the states..

[theremustbeaway]

Wow  You know the SKY!

It's discouraging to hear even though they had good GPA's they all failed. T.T

However, once I determined to study I should try as far as I can..

 

Thanks for your specific advice. As you recommended, I am planning to do MA in Seoul and then to the mix of MA and PhD programs.

During this time, my plan is to improve my English writing and foreign language skills(German) and concentrate on my writing samples.

 

Thanks for your tough love, and I really would like to take more advice about applying to U.S Phd programs.1 

[Between Fields]

I will go against the grain and say that it is very difficult to get into a top program with grades that low.

 

I'd agree with that, since it's so hard to get into them if you have perfect grades to start with. A mid-ranked program is still a possibility though, if some amount of amelioration is made.

[bhr]

One thing I would do, if you have the ability, is to talk to professors and ask for their advice. Your profs likely know if anyone out of your program has attended a program here, what schools they have relationships with, and what those schools are looking for. I would also check to see if any of them attended a program here as well, since they may have contacts at those schools they can use for your benefit. You are going to need profs to write your LoRs anyway, and if they are willing to do that, why not see how much other help they could be. Lots of schools have "pipelines", even internationals, where they regularly place students in a program. If that's the case there, it will give you a leg up.

[hj2012]

Wow  You know the SKY!

It's discouraging to hear even though they had good GPA's they all failed. T.T

However, once I determined to study I should try as far as I can..

 

Thanks for your specific advice. As you recommended, I am planning to do MA in Seoul and then to the mix of MA and PhD programs.

During this time, my plan is to improve my English writing and foreign language skills(German) and concentrate on my writing samples.

 

Thanks for your tough love, and I really would like to take more advice about applying to U.S Phd programs.1 

 

Here are the main reasons why really good Korean students don't get funding:

 

1. They are changing majors (from Linguistics or Education to Comp Lit, for example) and don't have the writing sample / recommendations / background to get them in the door.

2. They insist on applying only to top universities. I realize how difficult it is to get into SKY universities as a Korean student, but SKY has no name-brand value outside of Korea, at least in English Lit. I don't think we've EVER had a student get into a top-ten university without the student first doing a degree (either MA or undergrad or both) in the States. With a Korean M.A., mid-tier literature programs would be a reach, even for an outstanding Korean student.

3. They don't have good GRE scores. Many of our students struggle to get 160+ on the verbal section, which is basically a requirement to get into the tier of schools that most students want to attend.

 

Our successful international students tend to:

 

1. Have already studied in the States, either in undergrad or for their masters.

2. Be applying for comp/rhet, where the "best" programs (Purdue, for example) tend to be less competitive than the "best" lit programs (Harvard, Berkeley, etc).

3. For those interested in comp lit, our students tend to have more success in East Asian Studies programs (with a focus on comparative literature in East Asia) than in actual comparative literature programs. 

 

Anyway, I'm writing this post with a few assumptions. Most of the students I work with, particularly the ones coming out of elite Seoul schools, want to go to a "name brand" school in America that all their friends and family have heard of. Many students also want to optimize their chances of being able to work in the States post-grad. Also, most of our students interested in comparative lit are looking at Chinese, Korean, Japanese literature, which may not be the case for you.

 

Hope this helps -- let me know if there's anything I can clarify!

[ExponentialDecay]

You can clarify something for me.

What would you say is the career goal of the Korean students you tutor? Do most of them expect to work in the States after? Or is a lit degree from America valuable in the Korean academy?

Thanks in advance; I'm deathly curious

[hj2012]

You can clarify something for me.

What would you say is the career goal of the Korean students you tutor? Do most of them expect to work in the States after? Or is a lit degree from America valuable in the Korean academy?

Thanks in advance; I'm deathly curious

 

A lit degree from America, particularly from a name brand school, is incredibly valuable in the Korean academy (and in Korean society in general). Korean society tends to place a high premium on "brand name" things, and this is perhaps most salient in education, where high school students work themselves to death (sometimes literally) in order to get into the top universities. Graduating from one of the "SKY" universities (the Korean version of the Ivy League) is seen as a ticket to success. There's an NYT article here and here that do a good job illustrating the pressure that Korean students are under.

 

I would say that many of my Korean humanities students want to be able to work in the States, at least temporarily. But most of them want to eventually secure jobs in Korean universities, where an American Ph.D. is much more highly valued than a Korean Ph.D. in basically every field, from humanities to STEM. 

 

In English, most of them are interested in rhet/comp. They want to learn pedagogical methods for teaching English, and many of their research interests touch upon TESOL or linguistics. My students are incredibly bright and motivated, and their desire for going to the States is also fueled by the realization that the best way to learn to teach English is to study it in an English-speaking country. Most of them genuinely want to improve their English, and are interested in American culture and ideas. At the same time, they also are driven by prestige and other outward markers of success, which is why we have so many students who insist on applying to only top-10 universities, even if their research interests don't line up. It's hard for the brightest Korean students, who have worked day and night for 10+ years to get where they are, to accept that they are STILL not good enough for the top universities in the States. 

 

It's a strange combination of denial and hope.

 

To answer your question more succinctly: yes, it is valuable to get an American Ph.D. for Korean students -- enormously so if they are able to get into a place with brand-name prestige. Sorry for the ramble-y answer!

Edited June 20, 2014 by hj2012

[ExponentialDecay]

Thank you very much for your thoughtful answer.

 

As a small side question, if you have time: what is the gender break-up of your students?

 

Thanks again

[hj2012]

No problem! I'm glad you're interested.

Most of the students I work with are male, perhaps because most of them are in STEM and the gender divide is quite substantial here, too. In the humanities it is more evenly split, nearly 50/50 I'd say.