From: clin@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin)
Newsgroups: soc.college.gradinfo
Subject: Re: Statement of Objective
Date: 7 Oct 92 04:43:46 GMT
Organization: College of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park
Originator: clin@periodic.eng.umd.edu


In article <5841@news.duke.edu>, infante@acpub.duke.edu (Andrew  Infante) writes:
>
>I was just talking to the director of graduate studies for Computer
>Science at NC State and mentioned that my GPA was less than a 3.0.
>
>First, I had just been to UNC and they (one woman, actually) recommended
>I _not_ talk to the director until I took my GRE's (gonna in December)
>because they are _so_ selective of who they let in.
>
>Anyway, OB_statement-of-objective:
>
>The director at State told me that I should take some classes at state
>before applying to the MS program, i.e. there's this PBS program 
>(post bacclaureate studies) which allows anyone to take the same classes
>as the rest of the school.  So, I'
>m taking one in the spring, and I need to get an A in it.
>So, here's the other thing...
>He also said that I should mention in my sop the reason why I got the grades
>I did (assuming it's not because the rest of the school was smarter than
>me - which is most likely).
>Has anyone else had such an experience?
>I don't really think that I have much of an explanation for my grades - 
>incidentally I got a 2.65 - except that I partied too much and didn't
>ask for help early enough in a class to get myself out of trouble. 
>
>Of course I began to realize this come senior year, but by then it was 
>obviously too late.
>

    Partying too much is probably not the best reason to use, but if you
had been through some traumatic experience (perhaps a relative getting ill
or something), then this is the kind of thing that a SOP would bring out
that woudl be hard to notice just by looking at the grades.   Assuming
your grades went up by the senior year, you may wish to explain that
your early years were not so productive, but by the time you were a
senior, you felt that graduate school was something you wanted to do
for reasons A, B, and C, and that your grades did improve.   The only
problem is that unless you have made up the material in the courses
where you received low grades, it may be tough on you to go to graduate
school.  Not saying it can't be done because it can, but you may have
to be prepared to do a bit of work to keep.  You yourself will have
some idea of whether you think you can handle graduate work by the
course you mentioned and by whether you felt you understood material
in your senior year.

   I actually know someone who's GPA was quite low (maybe lower than
yours) who got into graduate school, but it may have taken a bit
of work, which involved getting into an M.Eng. program that had
lower standards, which he only got in by doing well his senior year.
I think that he also did reasonably well during the MS and may have
done some research which helped him get into a relatively prestigious
university.   I think it's uncommon, and may involve knowing some
ways to convince the committee that you are ready to do graduate work.

   Unfortunately, the 3.0 is a fairly strong cutoff, and you are
quite a bit under it.  I would guess (and it's only a guess) that
you will really need to get an A in the course you mention, and
even that will be no guarantee of getting in.  You may have to
do a bit work if this course requires previous material.  In that
case, you can try to say, "Yes, I had low grades, and it was because
early on you didn't concentrate on studying as much as you should have,
but by senior year, you were doing better, and you got an A in this
course, and you wouldn't have taken it unless you were serious about
doing the work and could handle the work."  It helps if you have
done some research or helped out.  Hopefully, you can program reasonably
well, because that may plat some factor.  High GRE scores can compensate
somewhat.  At least, it will give evidence that you did learn something
which the grades might not show.  I suggest you study for it (ETS
who administers the test, sells "old tests" though only two sets
of it) to give yourself the best chance you can.

   It's going to take some bright spots here and there, perhaps
a solid recommendation from someone, and some good salesmanship
to convince the grad school that you can indeed handle the
work.

  Disclaimer: I have not and never have worked in admissions.  The
              above are just my personal opinions.

--
Charles Lin
clin@eng.umd.edu