Can I still apply for grad school with a low GPA?

[tmiaj1]

I am a senior right now, major in Chemistry and Math. My overall GPA is pretty low, like 2.90. But my major GPA of chemistry is 3.6+. I am considering apply for MPH for environmental health program.

I don't know if my low overall GPA will affect my application.

 

Please help and give me some advice, I am really frustrated.

[themmases]

Sure you can, there is at least one sub-3.0 thread in this very forum. Having a good GPA in your relevant major will help you as well. The source of your low overall GPA might hurt you-- if it's bad grades in other science and math courses dragging your GPA way down, then you might want to see what courses you have time to take (if you are still in undergrad) that you could do well on and show you've moved past whatever difficulty you were having. Doing really well on the GRE would also help you look like a safer bet.

 

Relevant work or volunteer experience will help you a lot with getting into public health school. If you're worried about applying this cycle, or do apply and aren't happy with your results, a year or two of working or volunteering in a health/environment field will make a world of difference. This forum and Student Doctor both have long acceptance threads where people share their stats, if you'd like to see where people similar to you got in in the past.

[tmiaj1]

how do I calculate the major gpa? Do I include all the chemistry class I take and calculate the gpa? or do I just calculate the number of chemistry classes that are required in my major?