What if I have really low GPA

[aiyowei]

I've spent way more years in college to try to get myself graduated. I'm still working on my degree and I did not pull my GPA up. I only got 2.2/4.0. Sounds bad enough.

Grad school is a total voluntary decision. I know it is not likely a righ-away thing looking at how bad my GPA is, but I want to know my chances. I am here to ask questions because I figure this is not a place where people question you why the hell you want to get into grad school.

I'm in the biology field and I got chances to do some undergrad research stuff. I'd like to hear your advice about methods that I can do between undergrad and grad school to make up my GPA problem, so the grad school can weigh lighter on my GPA and heavier on my other performance. I want to be able to support myself after I graduate from college but I'm worried that a restaurant or market job is not relevant to my profession and not helping on my application.

What can I do?

[joro]

Score extremely high on the general and subject GRE. If you've done relevant research and published a paper, then it might help with the GPA problem. My Professor said that grad admissions cares about research, GRE, and GPA in that order. I don't think you have a shot at any top graduate schools, but it doesn't mean it isn't possible at all. If you want to get into a good school, then you might want to consider attending a low tier grad school first where you will work on research and hopefully produce published work. Then you can transfer to a better school.

[jeanne]

Go to a lower ranked school than you would want and get a Master's degree with an awesome GPA. Then if you want to go back to school the more current GPA will outweigh your undergrad. If there's any reason for the low GPA in undergrad, then make sure you address that in your personal statement.

[joro]

Go to a lower ranked school than you would want and get a Master's degree with an awesome GPA. Then if you want to go back to school the more current GPA will outweigh your undergrad. If there's any reason for the low GPA in undergrad, then make sure you address that in your personal statement.

You'll get a lot of mixed suggestions about addressing your low GPA in your personal statement. I think it's okay to do it, but to be careful of how you address it. Is there a valid reason behind your low GPA?

[Lantern]

I'm assuming that you're graduating soon, and it may seem counter-intuitive since you mentioned that you are unable to pull up your current GPA, but you could always take more classes after you graduate. I was also a bio major, and I did really well in all my life science courses, but struggled with calculus and some of the higher-level physics and chem classes required for my degree. You didn't mention what you'd like to focus on in grad school, but my suggestion would be to take some extra classes within your focus, and if you do well in those classes, it would prove your aptitude for that topic.

And yes, certainly study hard and do well on the GREs, and get any research experience you can.

You might even want to start thinking about who you will ask for letters of recommendation when you are ready for grad school. With a lower GPA, it will help if your professors know you well, and have a favorable impression of you. I'm NOT implying that you should "kiss up" to any professors or anything like that, but do make an effort to have a professional relationship with them so that they will have personalized, genuine things to write about you in the future.

[modernity]

Some of this is going to be reiterating what others have already said but:

1. Do whatever you can to pull up your GPA while you are still in there, make those last grades As or at the very least Bs

2. If you are still taking classes, and there is any prof. working in your field of interest/well known in the field - take a class, go to their office hours, do well in the class, ask questions - then hope they're willing to write you a LOR.

3. If there is not enough time to continue taking UG classes, once you graduate take classes as a non degree student - get As, do well, make favorable impressions on those profs.

4. Volunteer to work in a lab, or on someones research who is working in the field you're interested in. (again, make favorable impression for possible LOR)

5. Score high on the GRE general/subject - whatever it is you have to take

6. Apply for a MA instead of PhD after you have done the above things, work your butt off - get a good GPA, make favorable impressions

7. Then apply for PhD (If you feel you've done enough research, have superstar recommendations, have the money to spare, etc. you could apply to both MA and PhD's the first round and see what happens)

[Smaudge]

In addition to all that, when the time comes to apply for your PhD you may still want to address your low GPA in a Statement of Purpose.

Instead of trying to ignore this part of your past, explain how you've grown and are much more focused. Detail the things you've done to improve yourself academically, how you're a completely different type of student now, and how your lack-luster undergrad transcript makes you want to work so much more in graduate school.

The adcomm will appreciate your acknowledging your weaknesses and how you've worked hard to improve them. Good luck!

Edited February 4, 2010 by Smaudge

[joro]

If your GPA shows an upward trend, I'd probably mention that too. You can say that you're going to keep on going up.

[jacib]

If your GPA shows an upward trend, I'd probably mention that too. You can say that you're going to keep on going up.

Check out (the guy has a 2.7 GPA in Chemistry).

[aiyowei]

I do have some really good sources of recommendation letters right now in my hands, but I am worried if I can still use it years after I leave school, or how should I find such people outside school?

Thanks for all the responses, and is that really true about the research, GRE, GPA sequence? That sounds more promising.

I am most interested in ecological and behavioral study. However, my undergrad research topics are kind of random and peripheral. I was exposed to some anatomy, some behavior, and some plants. Each of them belongs to different types of organisms. I haven't narrowed down my topic, or organisms of interests.

And seriously, what kind of job can I do that is in my field, with low requirements, and helps my applications. I mean I can't just keep taking classes or volunteering in labs. I know there are some field jobs that just need you to do data recording or survey sort of things, but I haven't seen a lot of those lately. I found some lab room positions that requires only high school diploma, but those are more of the chemical chores.

[supererock]

I don't mean to be the negative one here, but I do think this needs to be said for your benefit:

Honestly, I would seriously consider whether graduate school is the right decision for you. It's one thing to have personal issues that lead to temporarily low grades, but an overall GPA of 2.2 over several years of schooling is indicative of consistently below-average coursework. The thing is, graduate school is not going to be any easier than your undergrad was (and, if anything, will be significantly more difficult). So unless there was some issue that led to your poor grades that is now fully resolved, schools are going to have serious doubts about your potential to succeed an academic environment.

If whatever issue led to your poor grades is in fact now resolved and you are completely intent on pursuing a PhD, I think the best course of action would be to get a masters degree at a low-tier school, as suggested by another poster. If you get absolutely stellar grades in this program and do great research, it will make it much more believable that you have what it takes to succeed academically. However, this would almost certainly put you in a lot of debt, and even with a master's I can't guarantee that a PhD program would overlook your undergraduate GPA, so you really need to think long and hard about whether going down this path is right for you.