Question: Should You Discuss a Low GPA in Your Graduate Admissions Essay?
Answer: If extenuating circumstances influenced your performance in college or on standardized tests, like the GRE, consider discussing them in your graduate admissions essay or personal statement. Be careful to consider how your excuses will be perceived. For example, explaining poor grades for one semester by briefly mentioning a death in the family or serious illness is appropriate; however, an attempt to explain four years of poor grades is not likely to be successful.
If you perform poorly on tests and wish to explain that to the committee, be sure to have a reason for your poor performance in hand (e.g., dyslexia, another learning disability, or not a native speaker or English). Simply explaining that you don't test well will not help your application as most graduate programs entail many tests.
Keep all excuses and explanations to a minimum -- a sentence or two. Avoid drama and keep it simple. Remember that this is your chance to present your strengths and really shine, so take advantage of the opportunity to discuss your accomplishments, describe valuable experiences, and emphasize the positive.
