# Grad School with low Undergrad GPA?



## Sun Lips (Jan 28, 2013)

I have one year left before I graduate with my BS in Management Information Systems. (I always say I'm a "business" student, but that is the actual title of my degree. Most people just haven't heard of it.)

Until recently, I didn't really think about grad school. I know it's not crucial for success and that the bill is rather large. However, I had to take some basic accounting classes as prerequisites, and that lead to me taking higher-level accounting and finance classes for my restricted electives. I really like accounting. I considered switching my major, but I'm too close to being finished with this degree.

I'm not sure which would make more sense - to go back and get a second Bachelor's degree in Accounting, or to go for a Master's in Accounting instead. I know plenty of people who have an undergrad degree in Business Management, Marketing, etc, who have been able to tackle a Master's in Accounting, so I don't think the Bachelor's degree is really necessary.

However, my undergraduate GPA is not great. It's a 2.7 now, after multiple 4.0 semesters. 

I won't give a bunch of excuses for this; I crashed and burned my first three semesters of college. Since then, though (three years) I have been completely dedicated to my education. If one were to look at my college timeline, I think it'd be pretty obvious that I started out rocky, and then really got it together. But I don't know the extent to which a graduate admissions panel considers these things - I imagine they're probably more likely to just toss out my application when they see my GPA.

Does anyone know about the possibility of getting into grad school with a "meh" GPA?

Right now, I don't plan on going to grad school immediately after undergrad. I'd need to save up some money, anyway, and I figure a few years of working in a related field can't hurt my chances when/if I do apply. My game plan would also include enrolling as a transient student and acing the program prerequisites before applying to the graduate program, as well as scoring well on entrance exams. But will that GPA still drag me down?

I _would_ go back and re-take the classes I failed to fix my GPA, but they're all Women's Studies courses limited to Women's Studies majors at a different university. Naturally. (Perhaps the real question is why I started college with a Women's Studies major; the world may never know.)

Any advice is wonderful, thank you!


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## Dewymorning (Nov 24, 2012)

I thought you were a midwife...


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## Soul Eater (Jun 6, 2010)

My graduate program (which isn't Accounting or anything business related) only took into consideration the GPA for the last 60 credit hours, not for the first 60. 

From the few programs i looked into, they typically did not seem keen on admitting students with under a 3.0 GPA. On the rare cases where they did, they admitted them on a probationary basis and made them take a couple of classes before they actually take graduate level classes. What may be your best bet is to meet with the program you're interested and ask them these questions yourself -- be honest, but show that you've matured a lot since your first semesters of college and that you have a sharp grasp on accounting. Make sure your references are excellent. If you have relevant working experience in your field, I imagine it would only serve to your benefit.


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## dragthewaters (Feb 9, 2013)

It really depends. I knew someone who got into the genetics Ph.D program at my (Ivy League) college with a 2.9 undergraduate GPA from a middle-ranking college. And he took 5 years to graduate from undergrad too so he probably failed some things.

If the credits were all from a different college, would it be possible for you to just "throw out" all the credits you earned at that college and take enough classes to make up the difference at your current school? Or would that take up too much time and money?

Also, if you plan to work a few years before going back to school, I think your GPA will be less important and your work experience more important.


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## Sun Lips (Jan 28, 2013)

Dewymorning said:


> I thought you were a midwife...


I was training to be a midwife (only informally, through apprenticeship) until recently, while studying business formally. It was all part of my Master Plan, but things have changed due to one of those _*sigh* long story_ situations. It's not off the table but I'm also reconsidering my options.

I do think the best thing for me will be to work for a few years after earning my undergraduate degree, so hopefully that will help me when/if I decide to go to grad school. That's where the real education takes place in my opinion, anyway.


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## BroNerd (Nov 27, 2010)

Sun Lips said:


> I have one year left before I graduate with my BS in Management Information Systems. (I always say I'm a "business" student, but that is the actual title of my degree. Most people just haven't heard of it.)
> 
> Until recently, I didn't really think about grad school. I know it's not crucial for success and that the bill is rather large. However, I had to take some basic accounting classes as prerequisites, and that lead to me taking higher-level accounting and finance classes for my restricted electives. I really like accounting. I considered switching my major, but I'm too close to being finished with this degree.
> 
> ...


Upward trend is good.. in general, for graduate admissions, that will help. Like what others said, work experience would be a plus too since it would show maturity and work ethic. But work experience is definitely valuable..

Depending on what kind of school you're looking to go to, try to do really well on the entrance exam. I had a lackluster GPA from a top private university but got a high GMAT score which helped me get into a pretty good business school right out of college.

Good luck!


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## angularvelocity (Jun 15, 2009)

Agreed with Bronerd. If you have an upward trend of good grades, they will consider that. I would be sure to write a good and clear statement of purpose outlining your goals, your struggles (defend your low GPA), your achievements, and why that particular school will be of use to you. Also having good letters of recs to defend your GPA would be helpful as well. I know a lot of schools look at the whole package not just GPA.


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## searcheagle (Sep 4, 2011)

Sun Lips said:


> I do think the best thing for me will be to work for a few years after earning my undergraduate degree, so hopefully that will help me when/if I decide to go to grad school. That's where the real education takes place in my opinion, anyway.


I agree. It doesn't seem like you are too sure what you want to do in life. A few years of real world education will help you decide that!


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## OldManRivers (Mar 22, 2012)

It seems that you are now interested in a field that requires a master's degree to go beyond peonage. If you visit the school, talk with admissions, present a good case for having excelled in the later semesters, have a good GRE score or whatever, you should do OK. Delaying til later. . . most people get too involved in life to ever go back. But just do the things that put value in your life - that is what really matters. Just be able to say in your old age, It has been a profoundly satisfying run -


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## chimeric (Oct 15, 2011)

OldManRivers said:


> Delaying til later. . . most people get too involved in life to ever go back.


I don't think that's a problem if she's working in a related field.
---

OP: Be creative. Try starting a blog or getting articles published. Anything that shows that you're academically serious, a solid researcher and writer.


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## StElmosDream (May 26, 2012)

Rapid incline GPA improvements can also be quite eye catching too on a transcript... @Sun Lips Is there no finalising degree classification boards or degree admissions boards that can advise on how you might highlight improvements in your final GPA results (or at least means of re-submission of coursework under extenuating mitigating circumstances in the US University system** ?


**(I know the UK system is very different, I just wanted to ask anyway when I went from a C-D GPA to majority B-A* in the final year, achieving a 5.0 GPA degree grade overall)


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

First and foremost, you need to smoke your GRE. If you can do that and write a pretty good narrative about your change in motivation and enthusiasm, you'll have no problem getting into grad school. 

Harvard may be out of your reach though. :wink:


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## farfaraway (Feb 15, 2013)

You could try for an MBA in accounting. If you get a good score on the GMAT, quite a few schools will take you just to inflate their average GMAT score.....


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## Manunkind (Jan 2, 2012)

As others have pointed out:
- Upward trend in grades puts you in a great position
- The last 60 credits usually looked at as well.

Just write a kick ass state of purpose/whatever they make you write and smoke those GREs. If anything work for a couple more years/volunteer/something resume worthy to really boast up your eagerness to study.


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