<p>Unfortunately, although I have been working hard this semester I just bit off more than I could chew with hard sciences/math courses and I'm probably going to pull a C in two classes. I already have a C in calculus from freshman year so the prospect of this is killing me. I am currently a Bio major but I'm switching my major to psychology and I know my grades will go up. </p>
<p>The question is, if I bring up my overall GPA and the GPA within my major, do I have a shot at grad school (or will 3 C's be really frowned upon)?</p>
<p>Sounds like you are looking for some reassurance. I had a couple of C’s on my transcript from college as well and I don’t believe those affected my admissions process in any meaningful way. Since the grades have already been earned and recorded, maybe you should focus your mental efforts on something that can be changed and improved. Do the best research you can.</p>
<p>But Belevitt, you had a full-time research position before you applied to graduate school. If you applied directly out of undergraduate, you might not have had the same excellent results.</p>
<p>Biologynerd, the Cs won’t matter much if you have extensive research experience and excellent letters of recommendation. However, if your research is average, then those grades may make a difference if they are in major classes. If you have no research experience, then even straight As won’t get you into a top program.</p>
<p>We have several people here on CC who had less-than-stellar undergraduate GPAs (3.0 - 3.3). Those people took some time off to strengthen their research and ended up in some of the best programs in their fields. The short answer is that the Cs may not affect your results, but they must be accompanied by an otherwise excellent application package, strengthened by research and demonstrated focus.</p>
<p>I agree with MWFN, Belevitt had several years (right?) of experience. Coming straight from undergrad… I mean, here’s the thing, some places accept 10% of applicants, some even less. You might get in somewhere, sure, but even with 20% acceptance rate, which are still really good places a lot of the time, you are competing against all other students… a lot of them will have better marks. And like it or not, GPA and GRE scores are the first thing people look at.</p>
<p>GPA and GRE scores are for screening purposes initially. If you have above that certain threshold, the adcoms will start looking at experience, letters, etc. They’ll probably also look at your transcript, although I’ve met some professors who just skip over it.</p>
<p>A poor GPA or mediocre grades can be compensated for by a good GRE score. Also, the strength of your undergrad institution can mitigate a bad grade. I had a few C’s but my undergrad has a good reputation so that probably helped me out.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, but if I get all As after I switch my major, my GPA isn’t going to be that weak. It’s not as if I’m failing. 3 Cs total that’s it. And they are not even going to be considered in the GPA for my major, they will count as electives. So that’s really going to hurt my chances that bad?</p>