<p>I was wondering about the upward trend grad schools want to see in the last two years/last four semisters. I really finished my major courses by the end of my Jr. year (PChem I/II and lab, Senior Research presentation). My last year, I had to finish my elective requirements so I took three PE classes and alot of Sociology and music classes, which I did enough to just pass. So I got a C's in Sociology 101 and freshman Psychology. Because of this, I am not fit for grad school because my upward trend is off ? I mean, I got A's in both PChems, and I won a dept. award for the best research presentation. I literally had to take a bunch of BS classes my senior year, and I had to return for an additional semister to take a CS class which I got an A in . </p>
<p>Jr Year Semister 1: 3.82
Jr Year Semister 2: 3.81
Sr Year Semister 1: 2.80 (1C, the rest B's)
Sr Year Semister 2: 2.56 (Ok I messed up here: 2A's, 2B's, 2C's, 2D's)</p>
<p>Super Senior Year Semister 1: 3.2 (1 C in a class I really didn't want to take, A in CS, A in Applied Math-because I had nothing else to challenge me). </p>
<p>Also, my cum. GPA is 3.19 ( I didn't like electives). I have a research credit (A) at another 4 yr college. Was wondering if I add this one A to the rest of my transcript from my home university could I push my cum. GPA to a 3.2?</p>
<p>The problem, in a nutshell, is that attitude of “I’ll just do enough to pass” is not what gradcoms want in a student. Even if they’re non-major classes.</p>
<p>Think about it this way: Either you did poorly in them because you couldn’t hack the coursework, or you just didn’t care enough to put in the effort in a class you didn’t like. Thus, you’re either not a great all-round student or you don’t have the self-discipline to work hard on stuff you don’t find interesting. Neither of those traits are going to impress a gradcom.</p>
<p>So yes, the last four semesters/60 units are considered, regardless of whether they were in-major or not. How they’ll respond to your application is hard to say.</p>
<p>what area? what school? you’ll have a tough time getting into a decent program. perhaps convince them with your steller gre scores.</p>
<p>I have seven continuous years of research (3 undergrad, 4 professionally). I will have strong LORs and have a s*** load of research and products in the market (>2.5 Million in US sales). It troubles me sometimes on this forum that people with my same stats have gotten into top 20 programs, regardless of school, or GRE. I really don’t think GRE counts that much in grad admissions unless you get less than 1200 (500+ on Verbal, 700+Quant). Besides the GRE doesn’t measure your ablilty to do anything but sit down and take a test. Anybody can sit down for four months and study for a test and ace it (fabricated skill/ intelligence). True ability is getting in a lab, developing a product/concept, and delivering it to the market/trade/journal, etc (actual skill/ intelligence). I really think it comes down to LORs and personal statement and research. After all, isn’t a Ph.D a research degree?</p>
<p>Even with the research experience, the downward trend will be an issue. You’re going to have to explain it in your personal statement. And regarding your CGPA, I got into grad school with a 2.25 CGPA 
So no, its not the be all end all. You have to show that you have the work ethic to excel in grad school, and that comes down to an upward trend in GOP + LOR’s for the most part (I got 1440 in the GRE and they barely looked a it).</p>
<p>Nobody’s saying you have no chance. But remember that graduate admissions are absurdly competitive, with 5-10% admit rates very common. There are likely many applicants with the same amount of research experience but no senior-year grade collapse. That drop in GPA gives gradcoms an excuse to sift out your application.</p>
<p>The best advice I can give you is to contact professors at schools you’re interested in, explaining your situation the best you can. They might be able to give you a hint as to how they would see that GPA drop in context.</p>
<p>I got in and funded multiple places with a flat 3.0 and a 540 quant score, but I had an upward GPA trend and aced the verbal. I contacted professors to feel out their reaction before applying. The places that were enthusiastic about my professional interests from the start were the places that accepted me.</p>
<p>It’s not impossible by any means - just recognize that you will have a greater challenge than others. Good luck!</p>
<p>My Sr. year collapse was caused by 1) Having to leave school for the first month to rescue my family during Katrina (I am really from New Orleans, and this is no exageration. If your mother, nieces and nephews, and aunts were down there you would have done the same thing). When I came back to school after missing nearly the first month I was behind in all of my classes. I bussed ass for a 2.8. </p>
<p>The next semister, I just crapped out. I had two jobs, taking 21 hours of classes and trying to support my family and myself. Therefore, I got a 2.5 GPA. So explain to me how to pass this off as an acceptable excuse to grad schools. I told this to one of my college profs and he said, “everyone has a hard time, get over it”. So I am supposed to get over my family loosing everything, and having to leave school and get my mother, neices, nephews, and aunts from the Convention Center in New Orleans. If you smelled the death down there you will never forgit that ****, nor can you get over it.</p>
<p>Everyone for New Orleans at my college suffered this entire year, and we all struggled to pull ourselves to class everyday while our families slept on our floors and borrowing our clothes because they had nothing but the clothes on their backs to their name.</p>
<p>LOL@“get over it”. That professor sounds like a complete jackass.</p>
<p>Also, those are pretty good reasons. You can use them in your Personal Statement.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would definitely use your hardships in your personal statement, not as a reason to blame your not so stellar grades but to show that even though you endured these hardships, you knew the importance of education and kept yourself dedicated because you were committed to completion of the program. Use it to show your character as someone who is there for family, endures hardships but does not let it get in their way of completing their goals. You can definitely write this in a light that will show how dedicated you are and how serious you are about your education without whining or blaming.</p>
<p>Sometimes life is a struggle, but the attitudes people have in facing difficulties are different. Some people live in complaint without doing anything, but this is not something the admissions commitee wants to see in your statement of purpose. Instead, they know everyone has difficult experiences. They want to know what they are and how you overcome them. What makes you special and what life experience separates you from all the rest are going to make you stand out from all applicants.</p>
<p>12 years ago, the 921 Earthquake happened in Taiwan. This is the “Quake of the Century” in Taiwan, in which 2415 people were claimed. More than 100,000 people, including my family, were made homeless by the quake. Our family almost lost everything, and there was nothing we could do at that moment. We were forced to have a difficult life since then.</p>
<p>During these 12 years, I put all my passions into practice in order to change the destiny. These adversites have strengthened me to overcome personal and professional obstacles. Despite limited resources, I still tried anything I could do to complete the college education. I even left for the USA and made scientific achievements by publishing scientific research. And now is just time for me to apply for graduate school. I am planning to describe all my experiences in the statement of purpose.</p>
<p>Some people live in true adversity and obscurity, but against all odds, have the wisdom and the courage and the determination to make their mark. They are the real success stories. If you can demonstrate this to the admissions commitee, you will surely distinguish yourself.</p>
<p>No no no, graduate admissions committees don’t want to read any of that in your statement of purpose.</p>
<p>The statement of purpose for graduate school is not a “personal statement.” An SOP is just that - a brief essay outlining your purposes for pursuing graduate study, including your proposed research direction and your qualifications for performing that research. Do not weigh it down with sob stories. </p>
<p>I wrote a separate, one-page essay outlining my academic challenges and why I believed I was qualified for graduate study despite a barely-above-3.0 GPA. But I relied on my letters of recommendation to tell those stories in more detail. An LOR from a professor explaining the obstacles you’ve overcome is much more compelling and believable evidence.</p>
<p>I kind of agree with polarscribe. Your “personal statement” is really like a cover letter, and you don’t want to put anything negative in a cover letter. You can write a supplemental statement that explains the grades wrt Katrina, or you can get a recommender to reference it.</p>
<p>I’m actually in the same position. I have a 2.9 CGPA and a 3.65 Major GPA in Philosophy and a specialization in African Studies. I have had almost a completely positive grade trend, however. I have one more semester left, so I’d be graduating in December. I want to know, if i get straight As for my next 12 credits hours…about where would that put my GPA. Currently, Im set to get 2 As in my summer classes and possibly a B+. I’m really banking on this putting me over the 3.0 minimum GPA for grad school. I want to get in to a Masters in African American Studies at Columbia, Cornell, Temple…Syracuse. I need to know what my chances are. I have contacted directors of these programs. I’m also considering UChiacgo’s MAPH 1yr program.</p>
<p>You need to tie in your struggles into your PS in a way that doesn’t sound like you’re trying to get sympathy. Your main argument should be why you think you are qualified to attend GS, and why precisely at the school you are applying. You can tie in your struggles into that. But you have to be very subtle about it. (I must have edited mine at least two dozen times over the course of a few months)</p>