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adamtn
- Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2011 5:21 pm
- Thanked: 1 times
- GMAT Score:770
Hello,
I am trying to figure out what the best way would be to explain the ups and downs in my semester-to-semester GPA. I've had health-related issues (not cancer, but serious), family-related issues (death & a serious disability), and growth/maturity-related issues as well. But I don't want the optional essay for this to seem like it's filled with excuses. After all, there are true chemotherapy-taking cancer patients who've gotten 3.9's from ivy-league schools, so it seems my excuses aren't enough.
In all honesty, it was the inability to deal with such setbacks in a positive way, a lack of discipline, personal development/growth factors (had a wild-partying year), and some arrogance as well in thinking I didn't need to do well academically (I had a successful business going at the same time). But I can't even say that I did well in the end. I started with a 3.4 GPA my first semester and ended with a 2.7 GPA my last semester, with even lower GPAs and up to 3.9 GPAs in-between.
This was at a tough-grading top 20 undergrad school and I never took a class to get an easy A, I always took classes that were either required or were interesting to me, no matter how difficult I thought they would be (again probably because of my arrogance thinking I didn't need to show 'grades'). Also changed majors around, graduated w/ triple-major and a full year above the minimum 120hrs required (had 155hrs).
GMAT is 770/6.0 on 2nd try (but it's the only score that shows up on report since I cancelled my scores from 1st test due to me being very sick/throwing up & having a super-headache).
Thank you in advance for your advice and comments.
I am trying to figure out what the best way would be to explain the ups and downs in my semester-to-semester GPA. I've had health-related issues (not cancer, but serious), family-related issues (death & a serious disability), and growth/maturity-related issues as well. But I don't want the optional essay for this to seem like it's filled with excuses. After all, there are true chemotherapy-taking cancer patients who've gotten 3.9's from ivy-league schools, so it seems my excuses aren't enough.
In all honesty, it was the inability to deal with such setbacks in a positive way, a lack of discipline, personal development/growth factors (had a wild-partying year), and some arrogance as well in thinking I didn't need to do well academically (I had a successful business going at the same time). But I can't even say that I did well in the end. I started with a 3.4 GPA my first semester and ended with a 2.7 GPA my last semester, with even lower GPAs and up to 3.9 GPAs in-between.
This was at a tough-grading top 20 undergrad school and I never took a class to get an easy A, I always took classes that were either required or were interesting to me, no matter how difficult I thought they would be (again probably because of my arrogance thinking I didn't need to show 'grades'). Also changed majors around, graduated w/ triple-major and a full year above the minimum 120hrs required (had 155hrs).
GMAT is 770/6.0 on 2nd try (but it's the only score that shows up on report since I cancelled my scores from 1st test due to me being very sick/throwing up & having a super-headache).
Thank you in advance for your advice and comments.
