Low GPA: Should I apply for MS in Food Science/Nutrition?

[Anoushka Seth]

I have a Nutrition degree from a US university and my GPA is 2.51. Now, I'm thinking of continuing with Masters in Food Sci/Nutrition but haven't taken GRE yet. I do not have any working experience in this field yet. Thought of asking for opinions of those who got admitted. BTW I'm an international student.

[drownsoda]

I can't speak from a nutrition standpoint since I was a humanities major, but first things first, you'll have to take the GRE to start applying (most all schools require it as part of the applications process). Your GPA is admittedly low, but I can't say I'd ever discourage anyone from at least trying to apply. I have no clue how competitive or selective nutrition/food science programs are, so that would make a difference in your chances at a given university. Where were you thinking of applying?

[shadowclaw]

I am not an international student, nor am I pursuing food science or nutrition. However, I did have a low undergraduate GPA. At the time I applied for masters programs, my overall GPA was about 2.75. My situation is not as simple as most, though. I attended multiple undergraduate universities and majored in several fields before I decided to go into biology. My GPA was low in those prior majors and at other schools. My GPA was good where I graduated (3.59) and my major GPA was 3.8. During my last three years, I also did not have a GPA lower than 3.75.

 

So, while my overall GPA may have been low, I did have good grades in my major and my grades went up in later years. Many programs put a lot of weight on your last two years, so if your grades are better in the second half of your undergraduate program, that will be helpful. Programs may also be more forgiving of a low GPA if you did well in your major courses.

 

Aside from grades, programs put heavy emphasis on recommendations. If you get very strong letters of recommendation, the admissions committee may be willing to overlooked a poor GPA. For my own program, my graduate coordinator told me that the strength of my letters is what convinced the committee to accept me. It is also very helpful if you can make your application strong in other ways besides your GPA. These include scoring high on the GRE, doing internships or research projects, or even working in the field. Even though you have already graduated, not all internships require you to be a current student. So pursuing some kind of work in the field, even if you are working as an unpaid intern for a few months, can be helpful.

[Anoushka Seth]

On 1/9/2015 at 3:25 AM, drownsoda said:

I can't speak from a nutrition standpoint since I was a humanities major, but first things first, you'll have to take the GRE to start applying (most all schools require it as part of the applications process). Your GPA is admittedly low, but I can't say I'd ever discourage anyone from at least trying to apply. I have no clue how competitive or selective nutrition/food science programs are, so that would make a difference in your chances at a given university. Where were you thinking of applying?

 

Thanks for your response, I am thinking of applying to The University of Akron, Bowling Green State University, Texas Tech, and IUP.

[RunnerGrad]

Food science tends be slightly less competitive than nutrition. Why? Many students who want a dietetic internship, but who don't manage to secure one, will do a master's in nutrition to improve their chances. These students often have fairly high GPAs and angood deal of nutrition-related experience.