Hey guys, I’m applying to some REUs. I transferred to a more difficult university and took the most challenging courses possible while also doing 18 credits due to financial reasons, and so for my first semester ended up with a 3.33 gpa. My previous cumulative gpa from my old school was 3.7. Now, it’s apparently a 3.6. So, still not abysmal I suppose.
Should I explain this dropping trend in my essay? I was actually going to because I feel like I have good reason to, but I don’t want the people reading over my personal statement to roll their eyes at the same time.