First, I’ll preface this with the request to keep lectures about a low GPA at bay, I was working a full time job for my first two years of college so my grades took a huge hit. Now on with the question:
I’m on the hunt for a molecular biology PhD program and my GPA is definitely the weak point of my qualifications. Granted, I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill, so I know the difficulty of the program will play a tiny role but I can’t rely on that too heavily.
My overall GPA is a 2.976, which is unfortunately JUST below that 3.0 cutoff that a lot of PhD programs seem to have. However, a couple of the institutions that I am looking at list this as their requirement statement:
“Applicants more likely to be considered favorably will meet the following requirements/guidelines.” and have 3.0 out of 4.0 GPA listed under that. Does this mean that having almost 3 years of research experience in a lab (2 of those being on a campus at which I wish to apply and full-time), a significant improvement in academic standing in my last 2 years of undergrad (3.5 avg GPA), and references (my PI & lab manager) that work for the university can offset the low GPA?
I will be taking the GRE in the spring as I won’t be applying until next fall, but I just wanted to know whether this pursuit of a PhD is a little far-fetched. I realize I won’t be getting into a top-10 program, but at this point I’m just looking to have a career in science.
If it doesn’t say it is a hard cutoff, then it’s not a hard cutoff. A lot of schools I know say things like the average admitted GPA is 3.7 or something, but that is just likely a result of correlation not causation. If you highlight your experience and perhaps your current academic achievement (which they see on your transcript as well) then you still could have a solid chance. Also make sure you check the box that you’d be interested in masters as well, you could perhaps get a foot in the door with a masters program and then have a good graduate GPA to catapault you into a good PhD program.
And having two years of research experience at a university where you are applying is EXCELLENT, make sure to have a recommendation from your mentor/PI in your application. That could definitely do a lot to outweigh the poor GPA.
Very few programs actually have hard cutoffs. Graduate professors like to keep it flexible, so in case a student with a 2.8 undergrad GPA comes along who has also published in Nature, they can admit them.
So yes, your other qualifications can indeed offset the low GPA. That’s more likely to happen if you have taken some time off in between college and grad school and done some full-time research, maybe taken a couple grad classes as a non-degree student. But if the rest of your package is truly outstanding and you have a high major GPA, then yes, it’s still possible you can get admitted.
But you don’t want your lab manager to be your reference. Your reference letters should come from all professors or researchers with PhDs in the same field (or a very closely related one) in which you want to get your PhD. The PI of your lab is a great choice (and the lab manager will likely help them write it), but the other two should come professors you’ve had before in whose classes you have performed well.
Grad schools typically only look at the last 2 years. If you have a 3.5 in your major, I don’t see a problem in getting into grad school, especially if you went to UNC. Just get a reasonable score on your GRE. The GRE isn’t that hard.
I hardly studied for it and I had no problem getting decent scores. The GPA might not get you into a prestigious school, but it’ll get you into a respectable one.
