Explaining bad grades on personal statement

[PTChargers]

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Should I explain my bad grades on the PTCAS personal statement? I got a lot of my low grades (C's and C-'s) during my first two years of undergraduate. Also, they were mainly in chemistry and engineering classes. I got a lot of A's in my bio classes so I was going to mention something like "... I found biology more interesting and focused more..." Is it worth explaining or should I just wait until the interview (if I get one) to explain my bad grades?

 

[markelmarcel]

Your personal statement is supposed to be about how you decided you wanted to be a PT-- if you got low grades in the courses because you had a different major and then decided to switch, then yeah, you could maybe explain it.

I would focus more on talking about how awesome you are (no, seriously) and not draw more attention to something that could be taken "negatively". 😉

 

[jbizzle]

There's an "additional information" section on the PTCAS that ask if your academic records reflect your actual abilities.

The general essay for PTCAS asks: Which personal characteristics and motivating factors have led you to pursue the profession of physical therapy?

I wouldn't add/explain low gpas/scores here but it's your essay so you can do whatever you want.

If I wasn't using PTCAS, I would have had about two sentences about it, but that's it.