<p>I'm looking for ways to supplement my GPA. It is currently 3.03, but after this semester I suspect it to hover about 2.5. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but I was wondering if extra curricular activities play a role in admissions. I'm double majoring in Molecular Biology and Materials Engineering.
I've been doing research for 3 years, started before college at the local college, then got into a lab as a freshman and I am the president of the Biomedical Engineering Society. I heard admissions don't care about EC's unless it's research. Would being in BMES make any difference on whether or not I get accepted?
Side question, what is the tier system? A student told me he was tier 1 in competitive for grad school and I was tier 2 because of my GPA.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about the tier 1 vs tier 2 question, but as far as EC’s go, I think they do help, but don’t hold as much weight as other things, like GPA, GRE, Recs, SOP, and RESEARCH.</p>
<p>I think you doing 3 years of research will help you greatly, especially if you can go to conferences or get publications out. I think being a member of BMES will look good on a resume, but I don’t think committees are going to care that much if you were a president compared to a typical member, and I don’t think it’ll be a determining choice. It’s a nice plus, but what it comes down to is the research for ECs. I’m not saying drop BMES, but if you have a low GPA, I would suggest doing very well on the GRE and pimp out the letters of rec and research.</p>
<p>Your research will compensate (to some degree) for your GPA. You’ll also have to have LORs that sing your praises as a researcher. In general, but not always, coming directly out of undergrad with a low GPA is worse than having that same GPA with a year or two of lab tech work. If you want to aim high, you might want to research for a year before you apply.</p>
<p>The “tier 1” v. “tier 2” is an artificial boundary. “Tier 1” generally refers to the top 10 or 20 programs, depending on who you are talking to. “Tier 2” refers to competitive programs below tier 1 but which are still highly regarded.</p>
<p>ECs generally have no bearing on graduate admissions in the sciences, although you should include any that have relevance to your field, just as another way of showing that you are passionate about it. </p>
<p>And don’t listen to your friend about where you should apply. If you see a few “tier 1” schools that are perfect matches for your research interests, apply, especially if your three years of research is high quality. You never know. But you should also add a dose of realism because of your GPA. Apply to good programs that are a step below the top 10.</p>
<p>Cool, thanks guys. That made me feel a little better about my GPA. I still have a few more years to bring it up, but I don’t feel so hopeless now.</p>