Expert: Jay Cutts - 8/28/2009

Question
Hullo,

Thanks for answering these questions. I have high GRE scores (V: 760, Q: 770 and W:6) but have a lower gpa (3.43). I want to study the history of religion in South Asia. My major gpa from the University of Virginia (which was also in South Asian studies) is 3.87 which. The disparity in the major and overall gpa is because of low grades in unrelated courses; I had initially planned on majoring in Econ and Biology and those were the areas in which I did poorly. None of those courses (in Science and Econ) will have much to do with my grad school interests. Could you shed any light on how such a circumstance may be viewed by prospective grad school programs. Should I address this in my SOP, or should I expect that the admissions department will pick up on it.
Thanks again.

Answer
Hi, NM.

Your overall GPA is not that low and your GRE socres are excellent.  I think you could be competitive at very strong schools, even with the 3.43.

You should definitely mention in your SOP what your major GPA is.  This is standard procedure to point out sub-parts of your GPA that are stronger, such as second two years, major, etc.

Don't count on them to piece it together. They may spend 90 seconds on your SOP and will not go out of their way to look for info. This is why the SOP needs to be put together in a very concise way.

I've got a free booklet for you on the SOP and the admissions process.  You can get it at http://www.cuttsreviews.com  by clicking on any of the links for additional info.

If you are concerned about being as competitive as possible, I'd be glad to talk with you about several strategies you can use.  Sometimes you need to do a bit of research to actually put yourself in a stronger position, but we could talk about that. I can also consult with you on the SOP and help you craft it in the most effective way.  There is an hourly fee for that but I'm always glad to talk with you first free of charge to look at what kind of help you might need.

You can reach me at 800-353-4898 for a free consultation and discussion of your plans.  I'm available from noon to midnight Eastern time, 7 days.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you have other questions.

Regards,

Jay

Jay Cutts
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