Recalculating GPA

[rogue]

I've heard/read that if your overall GPA is not stellar but your major GPA is, it's a good idea to highlight your major GPA on apps/SoPs/etc. But I'm wondering if this holds true when one is switching fields. For instance, my overall is 3.58 but my major is 3.8. I majored in Communications with a strong Writing minor (almost all of my Com courses were listed as Writing, but my school didn't offer a major in it; go figure) and am now applying to Sociology Ph.D. programs. Will they even care to see the .2 difference?

[And to make matters even more complicated, I earned a dismal 3.37 in my MBA program. Business school and I were sort of like oil and water. Any ideas on how I can make this look better?]

[belowthree]

I've heard/read that if your overall GPA is not stellar but your major GPA is, it's a good idea to highlight your major GPA on apps/SoPs/etc. But I'm wondering if this holds true when one is switching fields

My guess: Not really.

I'd still do it anyways, and talk about how you get engaged when you're passionate about something and therefore your major GPA is meaningful in that it's the level of performance that can be expected of you when you're engaged and excited.

[cardnav]

Generally speaking you can't run that far away from your GPA in an application. First off, a 3.5 is by no means bad and shouldn't be seen as a problem. If you want to disguise it you can probably put your major GPA on your resume. In the application packet itself they will ask you specifically for your overall and major GPA. Some of my schools even asked me to recalculate my GPA to include only the last 60 hours of credit work, which further raised my GPA.

As for the MBA program, a 3.37 isn't bad either. Use your SoP to talk about how you can better handle grad level work. Also if you really feel that you need to mitigate that even further, most applications have a short answer question devoted to explaining grades.