Unique GPA Concern (Major 1 vs. Major 2 vs. Overall)

[tjmouse]

Hi, all! I had a relatively unique question about undergraduate GPA when applying to graduate school that I wanted to ask about! I'm currently looking to apply in the Fall 2017 cycle to Statistics PhD programs (unsure which ones yet, so speaking generally). However, I have, in a way, three GPAs of different calibers. My overall GPA currently stands at a 3.597 (which I suppose rounds to a 3.6), and includes both my major classes (a double in an engineering field and statistics) and classes from back when I was considering pre-med (including general and organic chemistry and several psychology classes). My statistics major is a 3.8, which includes quite a few upper level mathematics courses. However, my engineering GPA is a 3.348.

My question, then, is this: will my low engineering GPA be a hindrance to graduate school applications even though my overall major GPA and my Statistics major GPA are much higher? Since I am applying to PhD programs in Statistics, will they weight that much heavier, or will the low engineering GPA give them second thoughts? Thanks in advance! Also, I'm new to the site, so please let me know if I've posted in the wrong section.

[SLP-to-be]

I doubt most schools, unless they're insanely competitive, would even look at your engineering GPA. I spoke to a grad counselor from one of the schools I'm applying to and she said that the staff wouldn't even look at the GPA from my second major because it has nothing to do with the program I'm applying to. They'll probably be mostly concerned with your statistics GPA and overall GPA. Your engineering GPA also isn't even that bad, so it shouldn't worry you too much. Then again, I have no idea what schools you're applying to. If you give me an idea as to which ones you're thinking about, I might be able to give you a better opinion. I know that my old roommate did not have the best GPA and scored on the lower end of whatever test he needed to take to apply to his program (probably the physics GRE) but still got into Stony Brook University, which is a research school that is mostly known for its science programs.

[JessicaLange]

Most applications just ask you for your overall GPA. A few will ask for both your overall and major, and for those, you would put in the statistics GPA rather than the engineering one. They will, of course, receive your transcript, but I don't think this is really an issue. In fact, you could address the disparity in your statement of purpose and use it to your advantage to say something like, "I was passionate about both statistics and engineering so I pursued majors in both, but as my studies progressed I found myself drawn to statistics for x, y, and z reasons."

[meggied]

I've run into the same issue. I'm applying for Ph.D. programs in engineering but double majored in engineering and zoology. My overall GPA is lower than my engineering GPA because of the zoology courses I have taken. I just hope the programs I applied to think of the double major as an asset rather than just look at my GPA.

[mathandcoffee]

I'm a math and computer science double major, applying to math programs. When asked for a major GPA, I just used the math GPA, since I figured that's what they're looking for. If you're applying to stats programs, then I think your major GPA should probably be your stats major GPA.