Philosophy GPA

[Schwarzwald]

Hey all, my name's William Phillips, and I'm a Fall 2016 applicant. 

I was wondering if anyone could answer some questions I have about the GPA regulated to classes in one's (BA) Major. 

First, at the moment my major GPA is a 3.903, I have one B+; however, that B+ is in a core class (History of Modern). Furthermore, I come from a non-elite school, and I assume most graduate committees will look at a B+ from a curriculum they don't particularly respect and see a red flag. Is this true, and would it be worth it to replace this grade? My overall GPA is also gravely low (3.5-3.6 dependent on my last semester). Will a non-perfect major GPA coupled with a low cumulative GPA be a nail in the coffin?

Secondly, when calculating major GPAs, do the grad comittees compile their own numbers after looking over an applicant's transcript, or do they go by what the transcript lists as one's major GPA? I have many courses that can be counted as philosophy courses that are not recognized by my university as major GPA hours, and so they are not factored in.

[Rising]

Excuse me, but since when 3.5-3.6 GPA is considered to be "gravely low"???  Statistically speaking your GPA is high. It's definitely above average. 

To answer your question: No, a major GPA of 3.9 and CGPA of 3.6 cannot possibly be a "nail in the coffin". No matter what program you apply for.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Rising

[brush]

While 3.6 is high compared to your average university student, its still below average for admitted philosophy students. That said, a low GPA can be made up for by other facts in your application. As Rising said, it is certainly no "nail in the coffin".

As for your second question, I don't see why your calculated major GPA would differ then what your school calculates your major GPA to be. In any case, I don't know what they'll look at. My transcript doesn't even display a major GPA, so for me they'll have to calculate it themselves if they want to verify it. I don't think they'll actually waste their time though. They'll probably just briefly look over the transcript to make sure it seems about right. You definitely don't want to lie about it though.