Undergraduate Grades

[Leahdog]

Hi everyone,

 

I have been under the impression from researching online and my undergraduate professors that grades weren't a big factor in applying for graduate school. Looking online, almost every school I've researched  (for example: Berkeley, UCLA, Ohio State) requires a 3.0 GPA, but some other schools I'm applying to like Yale and RISD don't list any GPA requirement.

 

Is it safe to assume that a 3.0 is the minimum requirement for all art graduate programs?

 

What does it mean that some schools don't have a GPA requirement listed, does it mean that they usually don't have a GPA requirement?

 

 I have a 3.4 overall and a 3.89 GPA in my studio arts classes and I had seven Withdrawals. 

 

Thanks!! Just wanted to get some enlightenment on the GPA requirements. 

 

[GCool]

It's safe to assume for most (if not all) programs that 3.0 is where they want you to be. Of course, other aspects of your application profile could compensate for being < 3.0, but you're above it, so don't worry about it!

 

A requirement could be missing explicitly for a number of reasons:

 

1. There isn't as much emphasis on GPA right off the bat.

2. The requirement varies by program.

3. The school would rather hear from you as a full package rather than an applicant be apprehensive about one metric.

 

To be frank, the seven withdrawals may be a little more of a red flag than anything else. Care to explain?

[Leahdog]

Sure, Gcool.... I mean honestly,  I withdrew from classes if I felt like they were interfering with art classes. I never withdrew from an art class. If I felt like an general education class was taking up too much of my time that could be better spent on an art class, I would just withdraw... . My art classes took up soooooo much of my time, that other classes kinda got the axe a lot. 

 

 

I didn't realize until it was too late how it might make me look bad to a graduate school.... . Do you think it is a big problem? I am applying to a lot of really tough programs.... 

[GCool]

I don't know much about art programs, so I really don't know. Maybe one of the art grad school people could get in on this at some point. It just seemed like a high number! Since it's gen eds and not major classes, though, I'm sure it could be properly explained and grad schools would be okay with it.

[Leahdog]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my post GCool! Yeah, if anyone else has any thoughts about the Withdraws I would be interested to hear it. I actually did a post specifically about withdraws a long time ago, but the consensus among the two people that responded was that it didn't matter because my GPA was 3.3.

 

My thought on the withdraws is that my 3.3 kinda averages them out (not that a 3.3 is fantastic or anything). The withdraws look bad, but my GPA is good enough that it the issue is null.... ?

Edited October 28, 2014 by Juliagbetts

[beriredux]

The part that I think will need explaining is why the courses you took outside of art were so disposable. It seems to indicate a disconnect between other academic subjects and your art practice (less of a problem with RISD than with the Unis). This is more understandable with required (non-art) course work, but I think it is more of a concern with electives. It could maybe be explained that not only did the withdrawals allow you to prioritized art courses, but also that finding the right courses, (those  that would enrich your art practice) required some trial and error (maybe?)t. Some applications (or Sops / PSs) will give you space to explain this, others with short artist statements might not. It could just be left to interviews. If adcoms really like your portfolio and statement, I think you would still get an interview without the explanation.

[seeingeyeduck]

Are you concerned about GPA for some reason? It seems that yours is well above the cut-off. Even if you have a below 3.0 GPA, you can still apply in most cases. I screwed up real good in UG and thought I was a goner since mine was sub-3.0, so I didn't even consider applying for years, but when I actually sat down with professors, most of them didn't care. If the dept wants you, they can always submit some sort of waiver form to the university and get that requirement waived.

 

At any rate, I think the vast majority of schools will not even look at GPA or statements to begin with. That stuff only comes into play once they select the portfolios they like. I think you should try to briefly explain the withdrawals if you can, but if you did fine in your art classes and have strong work then I can't see how it would matter. Just have an answer on hand and own it, just in case they do ask.

[thepictureisstill]

I agree with beriredux- maybe file it into your SoP.

[Czarina]

I would not even mention anything about your grades in your SoP because that's going to distract the conversation about your artmaking. You earned a degree, which in an of itself indicates aptitude in a collegiate setting. 

 

IMO, what matters more when addresing your undergrad is that you're able to articulate the personal achivements, skills, and strengths you developed that inform and support your current practice.