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what if you are asked during an interview to explain why your grades were low in certain semesters, how do you answer this?
WAT WILL YOUR ANswer be?
- Thread starter lsexie
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Because you couldn't log onto SDN during your exams.
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We can't help you with this. Only you know the answer to why your grades aren't so hot during a certain semester.
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Well, I don't have any alarmingly low-grade semesters, per se, but I do have a W on my transcript. My real, honest-to-goodness answer to that question is what I give when I am asked about it because it is the truth and it was a reasonable thing to do at the time.
I will repeat your question back to you... what is the real reason your grades were low in certain semesters? Only you have the answer to this question, but if you at least share your true answer (don't sugarcoat it), perhaps we can help you make it sound more reasonable or legitimate. Lying, making up a reason, or expecting SDN to tell you the answer to this question... those are the three worst possible answers you could give.
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My answer is that that was twenty years ago and I was an idiot. I'm not that person now and my recent grades prove it. But I don't think that my answer will work if the low grades were only a few semesters ago. You will need a reasonable explanation and if you don't have that, emphasize how much you learned from your mistakes.
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There is only one acceptable kind of answer: honest.
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HAH HAH
When they ask you why you screwed up in school, just say:
My body, my choice!
...if you can't answer this question on your own, i highly suggest you look into a different field.
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One semester, I took Physics while retaking Organic I, Gen Chem I, and Gen Chem II, and taking the Intro to Pharmacy Seminar thingy at LIU.
I ended up dropping Gen Chem II for a W, B+ in Gen Chem I, D in Organic Chem I, and C+ in Physics and an A in the Intro to Pharmacy thing. My answer to this question was, I bit off more than I could chew, and my study habits were not up to par yet but as evidenced from my last semester where I took Physiology, Microbiology, Immunology, Statistics, and Philosophy II, and got nothing less than B, you can see the improvement.
I ended up dropping Gen Chem II for a W, B+ in Gen Chem I, D in Organic Chem I, and C+ in Physics and an A in the Intro to Pharmacy thing. My answer to this question was, I bit off more than I could chew, and my study habits were not up to par yet but as evidenced from my last semester where I took Physiology, Microbiology, Immunology, Statistics, and Philosophy II, and got nothing less than B, you can see the improvement.
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If it's more than one semester, they're not going to bite on very many excuses. There comes a certain point where poor grades simply mean you can't cut it in rigorous academics (hence entry requirements).
Sometimes, it's better to explore other options.
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My 18-year old roommate kept getting drunk and prank calling the dorm room phone at 2:30AM?
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At my interview, I gave the same answer as Storm90.
You want to admit making a mistake and say this first. And then spent the majority of the time going into details on how you've learned from your mistakes and what you've done to turn things around.
Like Hels2007 said, be honest with your answers, and if it's meant to be, then it's meant to be.
Unfortunately, I got denied. Obviously, the school where I interviewed didn't think I've turn things around....yet.
So the moral of all this is be honest and if the admissions committee is convinced you've turn things around, then you might have a chance at admission.
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Just be honest. Every one has his/her own situation, you can get that and put on you. For me, I got the Ws on all of my courses in fall 2006 because I moved from Indiana to California since summer and I assumed that they would drop me if I didn't show up. However, they didn't and I ended up with a lot of Ws. I explained it in my supplemental in that section when they ask if you have any difficulties or any thing to explain about your acedamic performance. However, no-one asked me on my interview day. Also, some schools want you to explain any semester that course load is less than 14 units.
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My first quarter at a university I had 2 F's, a D, and a C-. Not sure why they weren't ALL F's. I dropped out of school in the middle of the quarter without telling anyone (especially NOT the school) and ran away from home. I was young (18 yrs old), irresponsible, unfocused, and simply did not give a f*ck (I wrote about it in the section labeled "Do you have any discrepencies on your transcripts that you would like to explain?") Four years later, I came to my senses, returned to try to mend the family I left behind, and attempted to go back to school, but only AFTER I almost RUINED my entire life! My grades since that 4 year gap has been staight A's in all my courses. I was really honest while writing my application, without going too much into the gory details. I talked about what I learned from my mistakes and how my mistakes can be a motivator in keeping me focused. I also gained comapassion and empathy for those who live in poverty areas (right HERE in our own U.S. of A in the slums of so. cal.) because I lived with those people when I ran away. Living day to day sucks. So that's one of the reasons why I want to be a community pharmacist that works in a small retail pharmacy. I feel I can do more for patients that have financial issues in that environment...
Anyways, I digress...So, I only had one interview (seeing as I only applied to 2 schools...there was only 2 schools that I wanted to go to). But during the interview, no one asked about my academic issues. I guess they see that if you have improved, that's all that matters (Plus, those grades were in 2001, about 8 years ago). In the end, I got accepted to my #1 choice. Just goes to show that a person who has made MANY mistakes as I did (not only with my education, but in ALL other possible aspects of life), still has a chance to change, succeed, and make a difference in the world.
So I guess the problem would be if you had bad grades a semester from a long time ago and have been able to bring your GPA up, or if the bad grades came from last semester. I'm guessing the schools want to see an incline, not a decline.
To be honest, I've told my story to many people. Some people appreciate the struggle, the enlightenment, and the reinvention. Some people don't. Hopefully the school you want to go to appreciates the fact that people are human, and we all make mistakes.
Good luck.
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yeah well, hopefully theres an upward trend in your grades, so you can just tell them that you didnt work hard enough your first couple of semesters but you've learned your lesson, and that experience served as a good wake-up call
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