“I want to apply to Harvard!! I want to study with the top students and from the best faculty in the world. I also want to party hard. Then I will work for Apple/Google/Microsoft and be the next big thing in the corporate arena. Oh, but wait, my GPA – I have 2.8 ?”
Such thoughts always cross aspiring applicants’ minds when they plan to pursue higher education in the US and other top universities worldwide. Some of us are very smart and have the right profile: stellar GPA, perfect GRE scores, and a great story to tell in the personal statement. However, most of us are not that smart.
The majority of the applicants have a mixed bag and therefore lack the confidence to apply due to one reason or the other – either a low GPA or a nasty test (GRE/GMAT) score.
Others do not have an excellent narrative to illustrate in their essays, while some are too lazy to apply.
Most of us do not have an ugly profile per se but lack a holistic sense of application. Worrying about a low GPA or a poor GMAT/GRE score is pointless because a complete application doesn’t solely rely on just one aspect of your personality. Your GPA might be low, but you may have a perfect quant score in your aptitude test. Or you might have a lousy aptitude test score, but you may be a class topper. If you don’t have both, you might have an exciting story to tell about yourself. Your work experience, your personality, your story on the essay may take you to places.
The usual suspects: You need to know the usual suspects of your application. These are vital statistics, which you need to prioritize to get into your dream schools. One suggestion is to check the requirements of the program you are going for. If you are applying for an engineering degree or mathematics and economics per se, you need to concentrate more on getting the right mix of courses and perform well in them. In this way, you may have a lousy GPA, but your SGPA (specialized GPA) may tell a better story.
Similarly, if you are looking for quantitative intensive programs, you need to concentrate on your aptitude tests’ quantitative part. Contrarily, for programs such as political science, history, or linguistics, you need to have a better verbal score and concentrate on polishing your verbal part of aptitude tests. An area of interest should be a significant indicator. It should highlight the usual suspects of your applications. In this way, you can make sure that you get them right.
An ideal case is where both GPA and GRE/GMAT of your application are strong; an alarming issue is if both your GPA and GRE/GMAT scores are low. We go for a much more practical case. GPA or GRE/GMAT, you need one of these two to be vital to reflect your academic prowess truly. While it is observed that the GPA scale is different for different countries, GRE/GMAT are standardized tests. So even if your GPA is low and if you work hard and score well on the GRE/GMAT, your chances of securing admission to a good school will be higher. Experience shows students who got accepted with a low GPA but with a higher standardized score. This is because these scores indicate the aptitude of the student. Whereas GPA may suffer due to many reasons, these scores indicate the capability of an individual.
A Ph.D. candidate from a top Engineering university in the US, says, “what if I tell you that I know a person who had a 2.7 GPA and is now at UCLA. The message is to debunk the myth and negativity around GPA. Do not lose hope. GPA is just one part of your application. You can try hard in other areas and project yourself as someone motivated. One who truly understands that one failure in life should not lead to a stream of failures.”
The key areas to focus on the admissions application.
Most people ignore other areas of their applications; they go on vital statistics (GPA, GRE/GMAT scores) and forget their essays. They can be a great singer or have done social work, making them stand out of the crowd.
A big problem which students face is that they are unable to express themselves in the essay. An essay is your way of making a mark. You can convince the adcoms that you can take the next big challenge in your life: i.e., grad school. So I suggest you take some professional help. I am not selling you the idea of consulting, but your profile is a sort of a blind area. You need someone who can extract various facts about you. Then you make them knit and string those facts into a beautiful canvas, which portrays you perfectly.
Getting in touch with an acquaintance that has successfully been through the process and discussing your profile with them is a great starting point. But you need to engage with such people act so that they don’t give you their recipe. Instead, they cook a story, which contains your flavors. An excellent essay can cover up for your low GRE score; it can explain your academic shortfalls and how you learned the hard way; it can do wonders if done correctly.
To sum up, I can say that you do not lose hope if your GPA is low. GPA is not the only thing adcoms are looking for. Some universities have a very elaborate application form, which gives you an idea that transcripts are just one part of the jigsaw. A lot depends on the choice of your program. Even if you fall short of GPA, work hard to perform well on the standardized tests. Express yourself articulately in your essays. Use every opportunity given by admissions committees to explain your profile to the committee. It can cover up your shortfalls for GPA, and you can secure admission to an outstanding school.