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In one of my applications there is an optional essay that asks me if there is anything else i'd like the admissions committee to know. I want to know if this is the right time and place to explain my horrendous start to my undergrad six years ago or whether I should just not mention it?
The reason I ask is that my GPA after grade forgiveness is actually very competitive, so i don't know if they care about my poor grades since in their eyes I've made amends for them and done my time retaking a ton of courses.
I was however placed on academic probation, and that is indicated on my transcript.
Should i take this as an opportunity to try and offer up an explanation for a terrible GPA that I eventually corrected, or should I just not speak on it? My MCAT score is fine and everything else is good. i just worry that this is one part of my application where adcoms might ding me.
My fear is that I inadvertently shine a spotlight on a part of my application i'd rather keep in the dark. Maybe adcoms only really look at the GPA AACOMAS calculates which is currently above a 3.5 and don't really pay attention to the trend of grades over time or what a student gets in his or her individual courses. I don't want them to focus too much on the negatives so i'm not sure if writing an essay about them would be wise.
If i were to write an essay, the main points would go something like this, though obviously this is the quick and dirty version which is unrefined that i just put together right now:
To put it plainly, my GPA was horrible. The reason is that I didn't care about school and that I just wanted to have fun now that i was 18 and out on my own for the first time. I've done everything i can since to right my wrongs and screwing up so badly 6 years ago in school is probably my biggest regret because i could have been fulfilling my dreams right now in my second year of medical school if I had my head on straight but instead I am still paying for the poor decision making I had. I always knew I was smart and capable, but I didn't want to put effort where it was needed and was fine with neglecting my duties so I let it get away from me. My conviction to become a doctor is strong however, so even though I knew the road to fix the mess i put myself in would be long and hard, once I realized how i was very nearly on the brink of losing the chance to be what i wanted to be, I lifted myself up and have since done everything in my power to fix my situation. i am able to confidently apply today because of the years of hard work I put in to get here. I know I want to be a doctor more than anything because it would have made sense to abandon my dream at that point, but I refused to give up on what i wanted most.
What are your thoughts on this?
The reason I ask is that my GPA after grade forgiveness is actually very competitive, so i don't know if they care about my poor grades since in their eyes I've made amends for them and done my time retaking a ton of courses.
I was however placed on academic probation, and that is indicated on my transcript.
Should i take this as an opportunity to try and offer up an explanation for a terrible GPA that I eventually corrected, or should I just not speak on it? My MCAT score is fine and everything else is good. i just worry that this is one part of my application where adcoms might ding me.
My fear is that I inadvertently shine a spotlight on a part of my application i'd rather keep in the dark. Maybe adcoms only really look at the GPA AACOMAS calculates which is currently above a 3.5 and don't really pay attention to the trend of grades over time or what a student gets in his or her individual courses. I don't want them to focus too much on the negatives so i'm not sure if writing an essay about them would be wise.
If i were to write an essay, the main points would go something like this, though obviously this is the quick and dirty version which is unrefined that i just put together right now:
To put it plainly, my GPA was horrible. The reason is that I didn't care about school and that I just wanted to have fun now that i was 18 and out on my own for the first time. I've done everything i can since to right my wrongs and screwing up so badly 6 years ago in school is probably my biggest regret because i could have been fulfilling my dreams right now in my second year of medical school if I had my head on straight but instead I am still paying for the poor decision making I had. I always knew I was smart and capable, but I didn't want to put effort where it was needed and was fine with neglecting my duties so I let it get away from me. My conviction to become a doctor is strong however, so even though I knew the road to fix the mess i put myself in would be long and hard, once I realized how i was very nearly on the brink of losing the chance to be what i wanted to be, I lifted myself up and have since done everything in my power to fix my situation. i am able to confidently apply today because of the years of hard work I put in to get here. I know I want to be a doctor more than anything because it would have made sense to abandon my dream at that point, but I refused to give up on what i wanted most.
What are your thoughts on this?
