Explaining academic performance in applications

[greendiplomat]

Quick question about explaining academic performance in applications:

My GPA's fluctuated quite a bit throughout my undergraduate career. Whereas my GPA has consistently been around 3.8 in each of the 4 Fall semesters that I've been a college student, my GPA in the spring semester always falls around a 3.0. While I didn't think anything of it until earlier this academic year, I was recently diagnosed with seasonal depression (which would explain the drop in academic performance, given that most of the "Spring" semester actually takes place in the winter).

Do you think it would be worth touching upon this somewhere in my application? The way I see it, I have 3 options:

a) include a brief sentence or two in my personal statement, where I explain how my undergraduate coursework has prepared me for the particular program (in particular, I got a C+ in Intermediate Micro during the spring of my sophomore year, but retook it Pass/Fail my senior year to prepare myself for upper-level micro-heavy econ classes, which allowed me to get an A in my senior seminar in microeconomic theory);

b ) include it in the section for additional information (a number of my applications have space for explaining special circumstances*); or

c) don't address it at all.

I realize that it's generally frowned upon to try to cover up a so-so GPA, but I feel like this is a legitimate reason. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

--

*HKS, for example, has an optional essay that might be appropriate ("If you have any concerns about your prior academic background or if you believe the Admissions Committee may have concerns, please give a brief explanation of your performance in college and its relation to your past and future career accomplishments").

Edited January 5, 2010 by greendiplomat

[sky_blue]

in my opinion, take option b

because option a will ruin the flow of your essay and make your personal statement seems full of excuses and option c is not really an option.

if you noticed, the medium gpa for top schools is about 3.5 and a gpa 3 is too far below the average gpa. however, you obviously have a good reason for not performing well, and you have proven that you can do well with your 3.8 semesters.

address it. it is necessary. schools like HKS have those optional essay sections for a reason.

Edited January 5, 2010 by sky_blue

[jndaven]

What was your overall GPA then, or your GPA in your major? 3.4 to 3.5? Big deal. That's not very embarrassing. If you can write a convincing essay about a real medical disorder you suffer from without sounding whiny, then go for it. However, you need to address your ability to succeed in graduate school. Are you going to have the same problem? Have you addressed your behavior or circumstances in any way since undergrad?

EDIT - I just realized I may have come off as a bit harsh, sorry! Just remember if you do address it, try to focus on your strengths at the same time, and how you have grown/changed. Show your letter to someone impartial and see if your tone comes off as self-serving or too negative.

Edited January 5, 2010 by jndaven

[greendiplomat]

What was your overall GPA then, or your GPA in your major? 3.4 to 3.5? Big deal. That's not very embarrassing. If you can write a convincing essay about a real medical disorder you suffer from without sounding whiny, then go for it. However, you need to address your ability to succeed in graduate school. Are you going to have the same problem? Have you addressed your behavior or circumstances in any way since undergrad?

EDIT - I just realized I may have come off as a bit harsh, sorry! Just remember if you do address it, try to focus on your strengths at the same time, and how you have grown/changed. Show your letter to someone impartial and see if your tone comes off as self-serving or too negative.

I'd much rather a harsh but frank response than an sugar-coated and unhelpful one.

How does this sound? (It'll be included in the "additional info" section.) Self-indulgent? Whiny? Cheesy? Feel free to be honest about modifications or even whether to leave it out all together.

===

I have recently been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which can in part explain the fluctuation in academic performance between Fall and Spring semesters (since the Spring semester begins in the height of winter, and, as you are probably aware, the onset of spring in New York is relatively late in the Spring semester). I have, however, taken active measures to prevent this problem from interfering with my academic perfromance at the graduate level. The official diagnosis of the problem has allowed me to seek medical treatment, and this will hopefully be reflected in my grades for the Spring of my senior year. In addition, in order to solidify my understanding of the material covered in ECON W3211: Intermediate Microeconomics, in which I received a C+ the spring of my sophomore year (Spring 2008), I retook the class this past semester, the understanding of which allowed me receive an A in ECON W4911: Senior Seminar in Microeconomic Theory. If anything, this experience dealing with SAD has allowed me to become more aware of my limitations and to seek help when necessary.

===

[cosmike10]

as for your explanation greendiplomat, i like it all except that the last sentence seems to bring you down a little. instead of portraying yourself as 'limited,' i think you should spin it in a more positive direction. how has your diagnosis helped you progress?

[2010Applicant]

I'd much rather a harsh but frank response than an sugar-coated and unhelpful one.

How does this sound? (It'll be included in the "additional info" section.) Self-indulgent? Whiny? Cheesy? Feel free to be honest about modifications or even whether to leave it out all together.

===

I have recently been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which can in part explain the fluctuation in academic performance between Fall and Spring semesters (since the Spring semester begins in the height of winter, and, as you are probably aware, the onset of spring in New York is relatively late in the Spring semester). I have, however, taken active measures to prevent this problem from interfering with my academic perfromance at the graduate level. The official diagnosis of the problem has allowed me to seek medical treatment, and this will hopefully be reflected in my grades for the Spring of my senior year. In addition, in order to solidify my understanding of the material covered in ECON W3211: Intermediate Microeconomics, in which I received a C+ the spring of my sophomore year (Spring 2008), I retook the class this past semester, the understanding of which allowed me receive an A in ECON W4911: Senior Seminar in Microeconomic Theory. If anything, this experience dealing with SAD has allowed me to become more aware of my limitations and to seek help when necessary.

===

I think it's a very well-written paragraph, but I also agree that you can give the last sentence a more positive spin (if only for application purpose). Also, I think you may consider adding a sentence indicating that you can provide the official medical report of the SAD diagnosis whenever needed, in order to give the case more credibility.

[Lauren the Librarian]

I like option B, mentioning it somewhere else. My undergrad record is all over the place, with Cs and Ds and B-s, but also some 4.0 quarters (atleast once a year). I was juggling family and school and sometimes I had a bad term. I tried putting the explanation in my SoP, but it detracted from my strengths. But since it didn't feel right to ignore it, I asked one of my LoR writers to mention my hardships and put a positive spin on it. It worked and I got accepted in to grad school.

If you wanted to keep it in the SoP, I'd recommend trimming it down. It's not bad, but there's just too much of it wasting space where you could be talking about how cool you are. I'd recommend something like, "A diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder last year, for which I sought medical treatment, was a welcome relief to my own questions regarding my uneven undergraduate record. I now have a firm grasp on my limitations which has led to an increase in confidence in my academic future."

[greendiplomat]

I like option B, mentioning it somewhere else. My undergrad record is all over the place, with Cs and Ds and B-s, but also some 4.0 quarters (atleast once a year). I was juggling family and school and sometimes I had a bad term. I tried putting the explanation in my SoP, but it detracted from my strengths. But since it didn't feel right to ignore it, I asked one of my LoR writers to mention my hardships and put a positive spin on it. It worked and I got accepted in to grad school.

If you wanted to keep it in the SoP, I'd recommend trimming it down. It's not bad, but there's just too much of it wasting space where you could be talking about how cool you are. I'd recommend something like, "A diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder last year, for which I sought medical treatment, was a welcome relief to my own questions regarding my uneven undergraduate record. I now have a firm grasp on my limitations which has led to an increase in confidence in my academic future."

I think I'm going to include it as a separate statement, but I like the way you phrase it. I'll probably include the increased confidence bit (or a variation thereof). Maybe I should include a parenthetical citation like "... confidence in my academic future (Lauren the Librarian, 2010)" to avoid being accused of plagiarism.

Oh, and I'm super impressed at how supportive/helpful everyone's been... Thanks!

Edited January 7, 2010 by greendiplomat