gracefully addressing extenuating circumstances in SOP

[uncertaintypie]

Hi, 

I've read about this to no avail, but I am curious to see if there is anyone out there with personal experience regarding this. I did poorly in undergrad, and graduated with a GPA that barely meets minimal criteria for PhD programs. I had some circumstances which left me traumatized and debilitated for a while. I was neither physically ill nor do I have a learning disorder.  Four years have passed, and I have spent these doing research projects, working odd jobs, etc. I would like to craft an SOP focused on the evolution of my research, but people on forums have suggested it is weird to leave the grades unexplained. I am satisfied with other aspects of my application, otherwise. Does anyone here have any experience in addressing a train wreck of a transcript due to similar reasons? 

 

 

[Martha9078]

Hello,

 

I am not in a PhD program currently, but I did complete my Master's about two years ago and had some very unfavorable semesters to address in my application, so maybe my experience is a bit similar (looking to apply to PhD programs - not sure how to get around my abysmal math test-taking). When I applied to my masters program I did address my poor semesters saying that I understood my grades were poor but that I did not feel that it was the best reflection of my abilities. I went on to talk about what I had done in the years since to further my understanding of relevant subject matter (which it sounds like you have  been working really hard, so good job there!). I think even one to two sentences would be fine, just as long as the admissions faculty knows that you aren't overlooking parts of your academic past. 

I think the good thing to remember is that admissions faculty recognizes that the majority of applicants completed coursework in a four year bracket and that, when considering a careers worth of work, four years is really a pretty small portion of the whole picture. So as long as you can speak to your potential and dedication moving forward, I think it is a good idea  to address bad transcripts. Good  luck!

[ClassicalEducator]

I would call the admissions offices for your specific programs but I heard that you should address those issues in an attachment or addendum. Depending on the school, they may have different names for it or different length requirements. I don't think it is normally addressed in the SOP because that is supposed to be your statement to shine and discuss why you are a good fit - the explanation for why you had some undergraduate missteps would go elsewhere. 

[fuzzylogician]

I agree that it would be advisable to address this obvious red flag in your application, especially since it sounds like you had a real issue that you were dealing with and you would not just be making excuses. There are two (broadly speaking) ways of addressing such issues. One is to do it yourself and the other is to have a LOR writer do it for you (or some combination of the two). If you do it yourself, you would write a short (1-2 sentence) statement that would acknowledge that you had low grades in UG and say something vague about personal trouble (or whatever is the appropriate wording for your case); the goal would simply be to express that this was an anomaly and not a reflection of your true abilities, and that it's behind you now and will not affect your graduate work. You would try to keep it positive and move on to discussing successes and future goals, not dwell on bad things in the past and not blame anyone. This can go in your SOP or in an addendum; some applications have special space just for things like this. So where it goes would depend on the particular application. The other option is to have a LOR writer address this. Obviously this would require you having someone around who you trust to do this for you, and may mean that a few more details are communicated to adcoms. The advantage is that explanations like this are usually better received if they come from a professor who can put them in perspective and say that s/he is still highly supportive of your application, despite the imperfections. So, the choice is up to you and it depends to some extent on whether there is someone around who you trust to help you. If you do in fact have someone you trust to help you with this in a LOR, I would also suggest consulting with them on whether you should also include a statement of your own somewhere in your application and on how to phrase it. 

[sjoh197]

I had almost the exact type circumstance you currently have... while applying for my PhD. You are more than free to message me if you have some specific questions. Also... there is a really great thread, the sub 3.0 gpa thread, that has some really great advice on how to tackle presenting less than favorable grades and such. 

Some schools have a specific area/attachment to address your personal "issues". If the places you are applying to do not directly have this... there is nothing wrong with addressing it in your SOP. However, if you put it in your SOP, you must keep it short and simple. I used a single sentence to explain my situation. And then I moved on. If you dwell on it, it takes away from the purpose of your SOP, which is to explain your intentions, not your past. At the same time, there is nothing necessarily wrong with talking about it with your POI either. I briefly spoke with my POI about my concern that my application could get overlooked due to my few early semesters with failing grades. 

It is also important to draw away from your academic shortcomings by emphasizing all of the "great" things you've done. This is why it is really important to just briefly mention your grade situation... then move on. 

I hope that your applications go well. I know that it can be really hard to overcome a low gpa. 

[uncertaintypie]

Thanks everyone for the support! It is helpful to know that some places allow an addendum. I think I will open up to my research advisor and see whether he can address it appropriately. It might be better coming from him since he is removed from the situation.