Non-trad here. Should I bother explaining a downward GPA in my undergrad?

[j_diggity]

Hey all. I graduated from undergrad in 2015. My senior year, I had a downward trend in GPA. By year, my GPA goes: 3.9 -> 4.0 -> 3.40 -> 2.8.

My overall GPA is 3.64 and my sGPA is 3.95. My postbac GPA is 3.98.

Should I bother explaining in secondaries that ask me to comment on significant academic fluctuations? I basically was working part-time 20 hours a week at an internship, and I wanted to focus on my student organization leadership. I also, being frank, made the conscious decision to prioritize enjoying my social life over my grades during my final year of college. I was certain I'd never go to grad school, so I didn't think it'd matter. If I knew better, I'd have studied harder, but it was more a conscious choice to de-emphasize my GPA, and not primarily due to academic difficulty.

My advisor told me I probably shouldn't mention it to avoid drawing attention to it, and I'm of a similar mind. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts?

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[Goro]

Never bring attention to a negative.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Depends on the prompt. I would say you lost focus on your post-graduation goals without going into the details. You should practice how you would answer the question. You're a different person than you were near the end of your undergrad.

 

[j_diggity]

Depends on the prompt. I would say you lost focus on your post-graduation goals without going into the details. You should practice how you would answer the question. You're a different person than you were near the end of your undergrad.

What would be your thought process based on the prompt? NYU's for example is "If applicable, please comment on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere on your application."

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What would be your thought process based on the prompt? NYU's for example is "If applicable, please comment on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere on your application."

My suggestion stands. Don't overshare.

 

[gonnif]

My suggestion stands. Don't overshare.

I would disagree in this particular case, depending on how non-traditional student is. 4.0 to 3.4 to 2.8 deserves the briefest of explanations. I would rather have a reason such as major impact of time due to a job, rather than not having any information, and wondering if the student just couldn’t hack upper level work.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Hey all. I graduated from undergrad in 2015. My senior year, I had a downward trend in GPA. By year, my GPA goes: 3.9 -> 4.0 -> 3.40 -> 2.8.

My overall GPA is 3.64 and my sGPA is 3.95. My postbac GPA is 3.98.

Should I bother explaining in secondaries that ask me to comment on significant academic fluctuations? I basically was working part-time 20 hours a week at an internship, and I wanted to focus on my student organization leadership. I also, being frank, made the conscious decision to prioritize enjoying my social life over my grades during my final year of college. I was certain I'd never go to grad school, so I didn't think it'd matter. If I knew better, I'd have studied harder, but it was more a conscious choice to de-emphasize my GPA, and not primarily due to academic difficulty.

My advisor told me I probably shouldn't mention it to avoid drawing attention to it, and I'm of a similar mind. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts?

It really depends on the prompt and the school. It's 8 years later and if they don't ask, I wouldn't tell given your science GPA and post-bac GPA. I'm also assuming a competitive MCAT.

For the schools that do ask, I'd provide a brief, factual explanation, and as @Mr.Smile12 suggests, don't over share. Also don' make it sound like you would do the same thing again if you didn't have future applications ahead of you. You can talk about misplaced priorities that you regret or just say you had to work 20 hours a week and your grades took a hit that year.

Think about providing just enough context, but not attempting to excuse or justify when schools ask about grade "fluctuations," which means a drop. They're not concerned about increases.