Addressing specific bad grades on SOP

[greyrobot]

Newbie here,

 

I've found many topics here on addressing bad grades on a SOP but I was wondering if I should I address each bad grade/class individually. I had 3 Ds spread over the four years as an undergraduate, so it's not like I had one bad semester (one bad semester would be easier to explain but for me it didn't happen like that). I feel if I make one statement about the three, that may sound like too little info...but at the same time going down the list and explaining each class seems like overkill. I got my BA ten years ago....so I don't really remember the specifics about what happened for each class but I probably just did not get/jive/understand them. I did manage to get a cumulative 3.24 GPA; way over the minimum requirements to get in my desired school; so I will focus on that. I just don't want to leave out the part about my 3 bad grades since it was required per the program's instructions.

 

Any insight appreciated. 

[themmases]

This sounds like way too much of your SOP devoted to focusing on your weaknesses. I could see why a recent undergrad would want to address recurring poor performance, but your BA is too long ago for you to spend much time talking about it. You might want to check out the library science forum for specific advice, but in general when you apply to professional programs you should be talking about your professional preparation and goals. The longer ago you got your BA, the less relevant it is and the less likely it is to be a reflection of your current self. For some perspective, in public health it's really common for people to work for as little as a year or two to compensate for a weakness in undergrad.

 

Since you've been out of school for 10 years, you've probably gained life skills that would prevent you from taking a D in a course because you just weren't getting it. If this were my SOP I would acknowledge in one sentence or one clause that my undergrad performance was uneven then shift back to talking about how my related work experience helped me mature past the performance issue and prepare to serve others in this field. If it feels relevant to you, I would even say there's a relationship one could draw between having once been a student who took a D when they didn't get the material and now pursuing a field where you could be a learning resource to others.

[fuzzylogician]

Well, you say there is no good explanation for the grades and you don't even remember exactly what happened. Why would you want to spend more ink on this, rather than less? I don't see what you gain by individually discussing each grade and giving a poor excuse as opposed to talking about them all together briefly and moving on to your current strengths. You've been out of school long enough that a D from 10 years ago doesn't matter much. You have a lot more recent work experience that you should be discussing, along with your future career goals and how this program will help you achieve them. 

[greyrobot]

Thank you both on your insights and perspective! I just didn't want to gloss over something that needed to be explained, per my SOP instructions,or come across as trying to avoid the topic. Fortunately I have work experience in a library setting so I'll focus on that. 

 

Back to writing my SOP!