Non-traditional applicant. Ludicrous amount of time in CC. Am I screwed?

[Sacarm]

As the title says. I'm 24 and I just finished up my fourth quarter at a 4-year, in EE.

I wanted to know if it'd be a waste of time applying to any top 50 schools, or even any schools in general, due to the abysmal start of my college career. I spent not 2, not 3, but 4 and a half years at a community college before finally transferring. (it was going to be 4, but I had to go to another CC for an extra semester to take a course that I needed in order to transfer). So then, if I spent that long, I must have had a good reason, right? No. I don't. All I can chalk it up to is major depressive disorder and an anxiety disorder, both of which I'm being treated for, but the reality is that I was just a terrible student. One particular gem is one semester where I only took an Astronomy course, and got a C in it, due to missing test days and ignoring homework. I had a mental breakdown some time before the semester, which is a convenient excuse, but in hindsight, I could have done all the work, instead of wallowing in my room. This mentality wasn't exclusive to school, either. My first official job was at 23, during my third quarter at my 4-year, where I'm still working. To top it all off, my GPA coming from the CC was around a 3.24, with around 120 semester units, nowhere close to even a 3.5. 

The only silver lining to all this is that after I transferred, I got my act together (but not before getting a C+ and a B+ in two major courses during my first quarter) and I've gotten straight As these last three quarters, along with finally working, finally seeking help for my illness, and doing projects/research. I'll probably be staying for another academic year after this one, leaving me with 7.5 years spent earning my undergraduate. Yeah, my cumulative GPA at just the 4-year is around a 3.74, and my upper division major GPA is close to a 3.87, but will it even make a difference? Sure, a good chunk of schools look at your last 90 quarter units to calculate GPA, but I doubt that they'd accommodate me. Assuming I continue to get straight As, my cumulative GPA, including my CC transcripts, would amount to a 3.45, or so.

Accounting for good research, good letters, a good GRE, and good ECs, and looking simply at GPA and the years spent, will a track record like this one raise too many red flags for adcoms? 

[LauraV]

I spent 6 years getting my first BA, I skipped a year in the middle to get residency back in my old state so I could go to that U.  I don't even think of how the schools would focus on this. They don't really know if you had office of accessability support and took your classes slower? For all they know you had a baby or your mom may have died. Anything could have slowed you down even just temporarily.

[TheHessianHistorian]

I've got you beat. I started my first Bachelor's degree in the fall of 2003 and didn't finish it until the fall of 2015. With several changes of my major, a few school transfers, some interstate migration, a heaping helping of youthful irresponsibility, and a 5-year break from school thrown into the middle, I limped to the finish line with a 2.33 GPA. Along the way, I discovered my love of history and gradually determined that writing, researching, and teaching history at the university level was what I would do with my life. Once I finished my first Bachelor's degree (in Liberal Studies), I went straight back and re-enrolled in a second Bachelor's degree program (in History), which I am on track to have completed in 2 years, and with a 3.8 GPA. 

I also stressed out a lot about my abysmal academic record in my first B.A. program, and I contacted numerous history departments and POIs at target schools. Every single one of them said that they focus much more on the 2 most recent years of your college record and on the classes that directly pertain to your major. They all advised me to focus on having a great writing sample, statement of purpose, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation, and that the poor performance in my first B.A. program would not bar me from being accepted.

So, what I did was contact my university's history department lead and ask if he would supervise me in a very ambitious honors thesis, which he agreed to do. It involved me translating and cataloging all the vital records in a German village for 3 centuries, and then analyzing them. The thesis is now being prepared for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Turabian's "Manual for Writers" was a big help in constructing my thesis. I also relied heavily on Asher's "Graduate Admissions Essays" to craft a stellar SOP. I studied, studied, studied for the GRE and got good scores. And I spent lots of time conversing with my three favorite history instructors and cultivating relationships that would lead to great LORs. Lastly, I spent a year saving up $2,000 with which to apply to up to 20 graduate programs (I ultimately decided on 16), just to hedge my bets.

Even though my performance in my first Bachelor's degree is way worse than yours, I am pretty confident that I will get in to at least one good graduate program, with funding. 

Edited December 30, 2017 by TheHessianHistorian

[ClassicsCandidate]

I have two BAs - one in Classics and one in Creative Writing. The last two years is where the focus will be, and it will help show that you made an effort and improvement near the end. My cumulative GPA was under a 3.0, but I still got into a Museum Studies program with conditional admission due to my excellent final three semesters (all Dean's list), my work experience, and my SoP. I now have a gGPA of 3.86 and will probably be a 3.9 when I graduate which will hopefully help me with my Classics MA application. I started my undergrad in 2007, and I didn't finish until 2015 because of several things, including being homeless and financial aid being cut off without my knowledge, which worsened my anxiety and depression - a lot of us have been in similar situations as you. I'm 28 and about to finish my first MA. I was 25 when I finished my undergrad. Many students are non-traditional students nowadays, and there's no shame in taking longer to finish school if that's what you needed to do for you. In my opinion, health should come first; I had to retroactively withdraw from an entire semester due to my mental health (and with the support of a very encouraging professor). When I retook the courses I withdrew from (except one that I could not fit into my schedule), I made A's in all of them. I think showing improvement will not hurt your chances. I think your GPA will be fine, especially if you also have relevant research or work experience and good LORs. 

[ilikepsych]

I'd say it may depend on your discipline and the culture of the department to which you are applying. I only have one anecdotal experience of a friend (applied to social sciences PhD) who spent 7 years (on and off) in community college, failed multiple classes, and ended his college career with a 3.2 GPA. Absymal GRE scores, two research projects in undergrad. Wrote a really compelling SOP about how his past has influenced his future goals and why he wanted a PhD. He's now in a PhD program after applying the first round. 

Sometimes we forget that adcoms are made of real people. My take is that if a school can't see past your early academic history and will hold it against you, it's not a school you'd want to attend. Imagine how they'd treat you as a grad student. Take time to craft the SOP and PS (if the school has one), since this is the only chance to explain your academic trajectory. Of course, don't focus on the negatives without explaining what you've learned from these experiences, and how you might apply them to your future work as a graduate student.

I highly suggest applying for a summer research program at a ranked university to show that you are ready for graduate level work. Work your tail off there, and develop good rapport with the PI. That person's letter may be the difference between your application making it to the last round vs. being tossed out the first round. I say this based on experience--I don't think I'm the strongest applicant, but I did a summer research program, had my PI write me a strong letter, and I've received 4 interviews from top 20 schools so far (waiting on 3 more). 

[GrlyFlynn]

It took me 6 years to finish my BFA with a 2.8 GPA. I spent 10 years in the workforce and recently started taking community college classes a few years ago to boost my GPA. I finished a certificate at the CC and applied to 3 masters programs and was accepted at all of them. I hope to pursue a PHD in the future.

You'll be fine.