Posted on behalf of Materials Girl
I’ll cut to the chase on this one. What are graduate schools and employers looking for the most? Where do they draw the line between the two general characteristics that lead to success – natural aptitude versus natural inclination to work hard? Some graduate programs guarantee admission for students with sufficiently high GPAs. However, a few letters on a transcript can only indicate a student’s true ability to a certain degree. It is an unfortunate truth that a mere handful of blips on the academic radar can tank a history of otherwise good marks.
It has been said that great concern over grades is useless, but it is impossible to never worry. Not all scholars are blessed with the genius chromosome that allows for effortless, perfect academic records. So where does that leave the rest of us poor mortals? Is it just luck in finding someone who wants us? As always, I wonder.
I just finished my Ph.D. interviews and fortunately was accepted at a few Universities! The way it seems to me is that grades are just used as a screening process. A person can be a great researcher and not have good grades but grades do have a significant correlation with work ethic. Many Universities take into account not only grades but also letters of reccomendation, GRE scores, research experience and publication history. If a person applies with a modest GPA but has a very good showing in other areas it seems that admissions committees take that into account. Now if in all 5 categories a person has a poor showing I think that can be a good indicator of an unqualified candidate.
Now I only applied to 6 american universities ~ ranked in the top ten in Biochemistry and it is very apparent that schools have completely different takes on a qualified candidate. I was not accepted at them all and I did not receive interviews at them all even. Other students I met at interviews were accepted at places I was rejected at and rejected at places I was accepted at.
I am sure many many qualified applicants apply with very similar credentials, so I think it evaporates down to, how well do your interests match the research interests of the faculty. I am very interested in protein engineering and NMR and there was a correlation with the schools that rejected me and them not having a great interest in protein engineering and NMR in their biochemistry program. That ended up being great for me in the end because now I can attend a University that is very compatible with me. In your personal statement be very direct about what you’re interested in, if you don’t have very clear interests make some up hah!!! On interviews make sure you have read papers written by each faculty member you interview with, have a cheat sheet if you need to remind yourself before each interview. Show you are genuinely interested in attending that University.
GPA will be the weakest part of my application, by a long shot. There’s a lot that’s important but isn’t reflected in a transcript: seminar attendance? journal reading? lab skills? capacity for independent thought? Hopefully these are more important than a few less-than-awesome grades.
Undergraduate research and good recommendations are more important than GPA.
Although I do know a rascal who got into a top school by writing a flattering email to an assistant professor.