GPA/GRE/Transcript Guidance

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I'm finishing up my junior year at a state university right now and looking to apply to graduate schools for English (of course I have my concentrations as well, but English for the sake of this post!). My main question has to do with not feeling good enough or smart enough to even apply - graduate school seems like a pipe dream that only the kids that were Harvard-bound from freshman year in high school can accomplish!</p>

<p>My GPA is a 3.689 and I am taking the GREs this July so that I can start my applications this Fall. First off, is that a high enough GPA to get into graduate school? My major is English and I have two minors: French and Anthropology/Sociology. Does that combination make me diverse and desirable? As long as they don't hurt my application status, I'll be happy.</p>

<p>In addition to not being sure of myself GPA-wise, my very first semester out of high school I received an F in an Anatomy and Physiology II class. That was an interesting situation! What happened was that part of the class was lecture (70% of the grade) and the other part was lab (30% of the grade). However, despite having a lower percentage in regards to overall grade, in order to pass the class a student needed to pass both lecture and lab. So regardless of my passing average, I received a failing grade because I failed the lab section. I am terrible at science and there is no way to get this grade off my transcripts. Luckily, it is not a factor in my GPA because I switched schools. The problem is, when applying to grad schools I have noticed that ALL transcripts are required, meaning that my failing grade will be visible to all! It is a big, black spot on my life and I am curious how much it will affect my future!</p>

<p>That was a lot of information and I thank anyone who stuck it out till the end!</p>

2

<p>Lots and lots of people get into graduate school with one F. Or even more than one F. The vast majority of grad students weren’t 4.0 summa cum laude performers as undergraduates.</p>

<p>Your GPA is plenty high enough. Focus on getting solid letters of recommendation and writing a clear, compelling statement of purpose.</p>

3

<p>Thank you both for responding! My morale has been raised significantly.</p>

<p>I am devoting a ton of time to studying for the GREs, and am taking practice tests and whatnot. I really need to dominate the verbal section to have a shot.</p>

<p>I guess the remainder of my anxiety stems from a worry that the schools on my list are too far out of reach. I do have some schools that are not necessarily prestigious, but I definately have some that are! At the risk of being laughed at… UPENN and Brown are on my list… These schools both have programs that are pretty perfect for me so I’ve decided to go for it and hope that I at least have a shot. I’ve heard mixed reports from people regarding what it takes to get into these programs as far as GPA and GRE scores are concerned. What do you guys think?</p>

4

<p>The worst that can happen is that you get rejected. The cost of another application, transcript and GRE score mailing isn’t that great… so why not? :)</p>