AboutJay Cutts Expertise Preparation for LSAT, GRE, MCAT, GMAT. Personal statements, letters of recommendation, graduate application process, practice tests.
No Questions about Undergrad Admissions Please (unless you are planning to go to law, business, medical or grad school eventually).
Note that I change private questions to public so they are available to others. If you have something that is truly private, let me know.
Experience Over 18 years full time graduate entrance exam prep with over 1500 students nationally and internationally.
Education/Credentials BA, Linguistics with Honors and Distinction, University of Michigan
MA, Special Education with an Emphasis in Learning Disabilities and Giftedness, with Honors, University of New Mexico
Question QUESTION: I want to go to graduate school to become a social worker (I'm looking at Morgan State University, Baltimore School of Social Work and Gallaudet University.) However, my undergrad GPA was 2.53 due to illness. I graduated back in 2000.
Because I graduated so long ago, I have lost touch with teachers. I have also lost touch with other social workers I've worked with. Assuming I put together a great personal statement, and a great in-person interview, would a very good GRE or MAT score make me look like a better candidate? Do schools get annoyed if they don't require a specific test but you send them scores anyway?
Thanks for any help you can give me!
ANSWER: Hi, Jenesta.
If the school does not require the GRE or MAT, you should contact them to see if they would like a copy of your scores, given that you feel your GPA is not representative. They will then tell you whether they want it or not. If they say no, don't send it.
For more free help with the whole admissions process and the GRE, please visit my site at:
QUESTION: Thank you for your quick answer; I'll be sure to contact each school specifically. Will a good test score help make up for a law GPA if it's high enough?
Answer Yes, a strong test score will help balance out a lower GPA but only for schools that require the test. For other schools it may not mean much. Refer to my site for more ways of standing out from the crowd and feel free to contact me directly for help.
