Low GPA Applications

[lightballsdeep]

Commiserate with me!  God, I hope there are more of me!  

uGPA: 2.9

Very worried I won't be getting any acceptances when the time rolls around.  Is there anyone out there with similar feelings?  If so, maybe we can talk strategy.  

I hope there's more of us...!

[fuzzylogician]

Start here: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/28621-the-sub-30-gpas-acceptance-thread/

[lightballsdeep]

Thanks! I've read through that one already -- very helpful!

Start here: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/28621-the-sub-30-gpas-acceptance-thread/

[youdontknowme1215]

I think think a 3.0 or sub 3.0 forum should be started again. I have been reading forums for months now as I prepare my applications.  I have been looking for a more recent forum, to see how everyone else is doing this round of applications. I guess I'll chime in with a little bit more about myself. 

UG GPA: 3.0 

GRE: 149Q/144V...planning a retake next month 

Research Experience: Three years in the same lab. I started as an UG though a university program which I was apart of. That same year I was awarded a fellowship to continue my research.  During my last year of UG, I was really research oriented and worked on two different projects. One of which is in review now, and the other still in the works. Since my UG degree I have been working as a lab manager within the same lab. Currently responsible for all ordering/mice/ ect, as well as leading my own research project. 

Poster Conferences: 4 regional, one first place award, featured on another students poster (5 total if you count this one) 

Work experience: two internships, 1 in chemical industry working in PSRA, 1 at a small company running stability testing on olgionucleotides. 

I will obtain strong LORs: from professors, current PI, and previous employers 

Currently enrolled in a graduate level course at the same University for which I received my UG degree from. 

 

Im looking to switch fields from UG to Grad....The grad programs im looking into are within the same field that I have been conducting research in. I'm looking to get my apps out this winter, but am TERRIFIED! Any advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated! 

 

[TriVA]

(my $0.02)  I got into a very competitive graduate school program with a 2.89 GPA from my undergraduate studies. I had a rough college experience. I worked. Then I went to a very affordable Community College, transfered some courses from my degree, worked towards an Associates (yes, after my BA), and had a nice and fresh 3.86 GPA to demonstrate my commitment/ability to improve. 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

My GPA is at a 3.185 right now but I'm expecting to take a hit because of calculus and physics. I wish those classes weren't required for my major. I'm hoping to get Cs or pass. Yep its that bad ha. At least my adviser said there was no way I can get below a 3.0 but its still nerve wrecking when you are applying to 6 schools...

[lightballsdeep]

Agreed! Hopefully this thread can become the new sub-3.0 thread. Is anyone else planning strategy to get through? 

Everything I read and all of the advice I get is that as long as you have other angles to work on your application, you should have a change. I'm not sure whether I'm happy that fit tends to be more important than a perfect application or whether that makes the application process more stressful! 

 

[sjoh197]

I remember you from one of the GRE threads... mostly because of the Watermelon. I have a 3.04 now, but had a 2.85 when I applied last year. I had a bit of a legitimate reason for my crappy gpa, as my daughter passed away while I was in college, and then I failed out of a semester. When I applied, I didn't really ask anyone for help, and didn't emphasize my struggles, mostly because I was embarrassed and didn't like to talk about it. This year I asked for a lot of help.

 

1. Your GRE was okay... not awesome, but not bad. 

2. You need really great LORs and SOP. These are what determine situations like ours. 

3. Try to really nail down some people at the institutions you are looking at to back you up during admissions time. I went and visited a POI, toured his lab, learned more about his work... and I think it made a huge difference. 

4. Apply to less competitive schools... even if they're not the tier you wanted to go to... better to go than not go at all. 

[nevermind]

My journey to overcoming a low GPA has been an arduous one. I graduated my undergrad about 11 years ago with a 2.7 GPA (I developed a chronic illness that was difficult to diagnose and my GPA suffered). Even though I retook those classes and received decent grades in them, my school had a policy where all grades earned are factored in your GPA--regardless if you take them for a  higher grade. 

I entered a Masters program to get more research under my belt and to prove to adcoms that I was more than my GPA. During this time, I published an article, I presented at a graduate student conference at a leading international university, I added two research languages to my CV, and I taught 2 college level classes as an adjunct. My GREs at the time were mediocre (1190 on the old system), but I thought because my Masters GPA was decent (3.7) and I had applied myself, it should prove that I was capable of performing graduate-level work.

Wrong.

I was, for all intents and purposes, shut out of every PhD program I applied to (offered one spot without funding, and another unfunded Masters at a good school as a consolation prize). I contacted professors to see how I could improve and they still cited my low GPA and mediocre GRE scores as an issue. One professor said that the "academic rigor" of my Masters program was also questionable (even though I earned the highest grade in his class when he taught there...which was the only reason I was offered an unfunded slot in his program) and I was competing against others from Ivies, so obviously, they wouldn't take me. It was a harsh truth--I just wasn't competitive at that time. I decided to take a break and regroup.

I ended up balancing a part-time job and adjuncting 4 more classes at a local college and then applying to a Master's program at a lower Ivy (unfunded) to pursue new research goals and partially to gain legitimacy. I got in, networked, and got a TAship in two different departments (one in an engineering department during the summer, and one in the arts/sciences during the academic year). I contributed research to a poster presentation, and earned another high masters GPA (3.99). I took a ton of doctoral-level social theory courses, in addition to science courses (environmental engineering). 

So during this cycle, I feel like my research objectives are a lot more clear and my personal statement is strong. I have stronger recommendations from faculty at a more "reputable" school. I feel like I've proven I can handle the rigors of academia, in terms of meeting any GPA requirement while conducting research and serving as a TA. During the last five years of schoolwork, I've carried a relatively high GPA. I take the GRE tomorrow, and though my practice scores with Magoosh haven't been stellar (161-166 verbal, 149-152 quant) but they are still stronger than what I did last round and should (hopefully) get me past any initial barriers to entry (I'm just hoping for a 90%+ verbal, 150+ quant). At this point, with the exception of studying harder for the GREs, I'm really unclear how I can make my applications stronger. I'm applying to 8 programs--4 "Dream" programs, 4 programs I'd like to attend but not as much as the other ones--and just hoping for the best.

It's been an incredibly hard and long road and I can't wait for this season to be over.

[lightballsdeep]

I remember you from one of the GRE threads... mostly because of the Watermelon. I have a 3.04 now, but had a 2.85 when I applied last year. I had a bit of a legitimate reason for my crappy gpa, as my daughter passed away while I was in college, and then I failed out of a semester. When I applied, I didn't really ask anyone for help, and didn't emphasize my struggles, mostly because I was embarrassed and didn't like to talk about it. This year I asked for a lot of help.

 

1. Your GRE was okay... not awesome, but not bad. 

2. You need really great LORs and SOP. These are what determine situations like ours. 

3. Try to really nail down some people at the institutions you are looking at to back you up during admissions time. I went and visited a POI, toured his lab, learned more about his work... and I think it made a huge difference. 

4. Apply to less competitive schools... even if they're not the tier you wanted to go to... better to go than not go at all. 

THanks for the advice! I think I am going to retake the GRE (much to the chagrin of my wallet) to make it clear that I'm working as hard as I can at getting in.  I have great LORs and all of my recommenders have agreed to proof and provide advice regarding my SOP so I feel pretty confident.  With that said, I am setting my sights of universities that have lower acceptance standards/POI who are interested in working with me based on past experiences.  I think your advice is really solid and its really good to hear someone being so honest and upfront about my chances and their own experiences! 

My journey to overcoming a low GPA has been an arduous one. I graduated my undergrad about 11 years ago with a 2.7 GPA (I developed a chronic illness that was difficult to diagnose and my GPA suffered). Even though I retook those classes and received decent grades in them, my school had a policy where all grades earned are factored in your GPA--regardless if you take them for a  higher grade. 

I entered a Masters program to get more research under my belt and to prove to adcoms that I was more than my GPA. During this time, I published an article, I presented at a graduate student conference at a leading international university, I added two research languages to my CV, and I taught 2 college level classes as an adjunct. My GREs at the time were mediocre (1190 on the old system), but I thought because my Masters GPA was decent (3.7) and I had applied myself, it should prove that I was capable of performing graduate-level work.

Wrong.

I was, for all intents and purposes, shut out of every PhD program I applied to (offered one spot without funding, and another unfunded Masters at a good school as a consolation prize). I contacted professors to see how I could improve and they still cited my low GPA and mediocre GRE scores as an issue. One professor said that the "academic rigor" of my Masters program was also questionable (even though I earned the highest grade in his class when he taught there...which was the only reason I was offered an unfunded slot in his program) and I was competing against others from Ivies, so obviously, they wouldn't take me. It was a harsh truth--I just wasn't competitive at that time. I decided to take a break and regroup.

I ended up balancing a part-time job and adjuncting 4 more classes at a local college and then applying to a Master's program at a lower Ivy (unfunded) to pursue new research goals and partially to gain legitimacy. I got in, networked, and got a TAship in two different departments (one in an engineering department during the summer, and one in the arts/sciences during the academic year). I contributed research to a poster presentation, and earned another high masters GPA (3.99). I took a ton of doctoral-level social theory courses, in addition to science courses (environmental engineering). 

So during this cycle, I feel like my research objectives are a lot more clear and my personal statement is strong. I have stronger recommendations from faculty at a more "reputable" school. I feel like I've proven I can handle the rigors of academia, in terms of meeting any GPA requirement while conducting research and serving as a TA. During the last five years of schoolwork, I've carried a relatively high GPA. I take the GRE tomorrow, and though my practice scores with Magoosh haven't been stellar (161-166 verbal, 149-152 quant) but they are still stronger than what I did last round and should (hopefully) get me past any initial barriers to entry (I'm just hoping for a 90%+ verbal, 150+ quant). At this point, with the exception of studying harder for the GREs, I'm really unclear how I can make my applications stronger. I'm applying to 8 programs--4 "Dream" programs, 4 programs I'd like to attend but not as much as the other ones--and just hoping for the best.

It's been an incredibly hard and long road and I can't wait for this season to be over.

AHHH that's crazy to me that after proving yourself in your first masters program you were unable to get in to a PhD, because that is my exact plan!  Are you feeling like you could have forgone your first masters and instead gone to a different university, or does it feel necessary? (If this season could end I would be thrilled! )

 

[nevermind]

AHHH that's crazy to me that after proving yourself in your first masters program you were unable to get in to a PhD, because that is my exact plan!  Are you feeling like you could have forgone your first masters and instead gone to a different university, or does it feel necessary? (If this season could end I would be thrilled! )

 

I definitely wouldn't have forgone my first M.A. It helped get me into my second Master's program, which has ultimately made my application this time around stronger. In addition, it helped me secure funding for my second Master's degree by serving as a TA at an Ivy, where I also was invited to lecture during classes--more stuff to put on the CV. Ultimately, my application is stronger because of it, though it was a tortuous road getting there. Edited October 19, 2015 by tmt503