Will poor grades from a decade ago hurt me?

[Victorious Secret]

I am an chemEng/biology double major at a large public institution. When I was 20 (around 2005), I transferred to a top-20 biochem program and did ok the first year (3.0) and miserable the second year (1.3, withdrew from school). During that time I was working full time while caring for a close relative with a terminal illness, and I was unable to fulfill my academic obligations.

In 2013 I returned to academia at a different university and since switching to chemical engineering/bio at that time my GPA is 3.92. I have taken four graduate engineering classes, with a 4.0 GPA in them. However my cumulative GPA when I apply will only be around a 3.35 due to my earlier studies. I have completed two years of research plus an REU, and will complete another two years of research by the time I apply for PhD programs. I love research more than anything I have ever done. I will likely have a publication submitted in the next month, first author. I have taken the GRE for the first time recently and scored 163/164/5 V/Q/W. I will be working hard on the vocabulary and quant skills to shoot for at least 165/166/5 the next time around.

I would like to attend a strong PhD program in the Boston area (I am geographically tied to this region), in either chemical or bio/biomedical engineering (my interests in protein and biomolecular engineering lie at this interface of these disciplines). I am strongly considering the following schools, all of which have faculty whose work is in line with my interests:

MIT (ChemE and BioE)

Tufts (ChemE and BioE)

BU (BiomedE)

Brown (ChemE)

Northeastern (ChemE and BioE)

Harvard SEAS (Bioengineering concentration)

My questions:

1. Is there any circumstance under which it would be disadvantageous to apply to two closely linked programs such as these at a single university, when my research interests genuinely are in both fields? (Basically, biochemical engineering, which is often handled in ChemE and BioE departments.)

2. How much damage did my earlier academic career (11 years ago) do to my chances for admission? I often was unable to even attend exams because of my responsibilities, but did not want to quit by dropping out. I see now that I should have left school and returned later but my grades now are so close to perfect... Did my foolish choice to remain in school when I was young ruin everything? I know that graduate programs will pay more attention to my most recent grades, but I fear that my lowered cumulative GPA will cause my applications to be rejected before the circumstances are seen. 

3. What can I do to help hide the old dark mark from my record. I started an NGO last year (with funding from my university) that does biodigester engineering work in a third-world country, I also mentor, tutor, etc, but I hear that such efforts are worthless as far as graduate admissions. I am even taking 20+ units each semester to try to raise my GPA further, with no drop in grades. What can I do to get them to look past the old grades? 

[mteng]

On 05.07.2016 at 9:33 AM, Victorious Secret said:

I am an chemEng/biology double major at a large public institution. When I was 20 (around 2005), I transferred to a top-20 biochem program and did ok the first year (3.0) and miserable the second year (1.3, withdrew from school). During that time I was working full time while caring for a close relative with a terminal illness, and I was unable to fulfill my academic obligations.

In 2013 I returned to academia at a different university and since switching to chemical engineering/bio at that time my GPA is 3.92. I have taken four graduate engineering classes, with a 4.0 GPA in them. However my cumulative GPA when I apply will only be around a 3.35 due to my earlier studies. I have completed two years of research plus an REU, and will complete another two years of research by the time I apply for PhD programs. I love research more than anything I have ever done. I will likely have a publication submitted in the next month, first author. I have taken the GRE for the first time recently and scored 163/164/5 V/Q/W. I will be working hard on the vocabulary and quant skills to shoot for at least 165/166/5 the next time around.

I would like to attend a strong PhD program in the Boston area (I am geographically tied to this region), in either chemical or bio/biomedical engineering (my interests in protein and biomolecular engineering lie at this interface of these disciplines). I am strongly considering the following schools, all of which have faculty whose work is in line with my interests:

MIT (ChemE and BioE)

Tufts (ChemE and BioE)

BU (BiomedE)

Brown (ChemE)

Northeastern (ChemE and BioE)

Harvard SEAS (Bioengineering concentration)

My questions:

1. Is there any circumstance under which it would be disadvantageous to apply to two closely linked programs such as these at a single university, when my research interests genuinely are in both fields? (Basically, biochemical engineering, which is often handled in ChemE and BioE departments.)

2. How much damage did my earlier academic career (11 years ago) do to my chances for admission? I often was unable to even attend exams because of my responsibilities, but did not want to quit by dropping out. I see now that I should have left school and returned later but my grades now are so close to perfect... Did my foolish choice to remain in school when I was young ruin everything? I know that graduate programs will pay more attention to my most recent grades, but I fear that my lowered cumulative GPA will cause my applications to be rejected before the circumstances are seen. 

3. What can I do to help hide the old dark mark from my record. I started an NGO last year (with funding from my university) that does biodigester engineering work in a third-world country, I also mentor, tutor, etc, but I hear that such efforts are worthless as far as graduate admissions. I am even taking 20+ units each semester to try to raise my GPA further, with no drop in grades. What can I do to get them to look past the old grades? 

Do not worry.you have good potential and you demostrate it.they will look for your most recent gpa and if you publish as 1st author,it will be perfect.They do not consider gpa only.what i suggest ,your chance may be lower on ivy league schools so do not apply ivy leauge and i strongly believe that they can accept you to boston university.they also publish their admission statistics.Check it

[Edotdl]

1. Usually you can only apply to one PhD program at each school (per cycle). MIT is an exception, and there may be others on your list.

2. How many years have  you been at your most recent university? I'd say you'd need 2+ to have a chance of counteracting the poor grades for 2-3 years.

3. I'm assuming you don't really mean 'hide', but rather 'overcome', since there's really nothing you can do to hide it (you generally have to send all transcripts if you've taken at least a semester of courses there). That being said, more research, good recommendations, etc. will help compensate for poorer grades and improve your application. 

Good luck.

Edited July 20, 2016 by Edotdl

[Victorious Secret]

Hi Edotdl,

Thanks for your response.

I will be at my most recent university for a total of 7 semesters when my applications are submitted, all semesters around 18 units.

And obviously I'm not talking about withholding transcripts, I'm talking about drowning out the old grades with a barrage of new excellence. Sort of a "kill them with A's and publications" kind of approach. =)

 

[MathCat]

While I think Edotdl's comment about how long you've been at your current institution would be valid if you had transferred directly, I think it is not as relevant given that your earlier grades are so old. Admissions committees are made up of people, and most people can understand that somebody can change a lot in that amount of time. Thus, I don't think it will hurt you too much, and it sounds like you are a competitive applicant based on your current work. You could dedicate a couple of sentences (but no more) to your SOP explaining your situation in 2005, if you wish. The key thing is to not draw more attention to it than needed (don't overshadow your recent achievements and research goals), and don't let your valid explanation come off as an excuse. Focus on your current strengths. A good SOP and great LORs will help a lot. Good luck!