I have an engineering degree from a UC with an overal 2.85 GPA. My first couple of years I paid no attention to grades and just did enough to pass. One quarter I failed all classes and was told to switch majors. I said no way and did a complete 180. My last two years I had a 3.5 which consisted of almost all upper division engineering courses which were obviously a lot harder than my earlier classes. Basically if I would have had the same attitude from the start I would have ended up with a much higher overall GPA. Can I use this in my optional essay to account for my low GPA? Thanks
I think you definitely SHOULD call this out in an optional essay. Those are the things that the Adcom wants to know about....especially since you turned your grades around - with harder classes.
If you were a member of the adcom and was reading your profile, you may be weary at first to admit someone with a low gpa... then upon reading the optional essay you'd be at ease knowing the reason for the low grades... and then showing the great turnaround....
it's better to point it out then let the adcom try to speculate...
jmo
