A few grade-related questions for PhD applications:
In an application for a PhD program, where the average GPA of applicants seems to be 3.75 or higher, would it be better not to include a cumulative GPA of 3.65 on the required resume? I realize that in the end, it does not really matter because all the program applications also require uploading a transcript. Still, the question remains whether it makes sense to highlight GPA on the resume when it is not stellar for a particular program’s applicant pool. (The undergraduate college is a good school.)
Also, what about making Dean’s List for 7 out of 8 semesters? I would be inclined to put Dean’s List on the resume only if it I could put every semester, but I am interested in what other people think. (The missing semester is the last one.)
Finally, for a college that covers first semester grades, should the applicant nevertheless upload the unofficial first semester grades with the official transcript, if they are good grades?
My kid did not put her (not terrific, lower than yours) GPA on the resume. She did say how many semesters she made Deans List. Regarding the grades, I’d give them the official, and the unofficial semester if they are good. BUT, my kid found that the applications were all over the place in terms of what could be loaded and how to provide things, so you may or may not have that option. It would be a LOT easier if there was the equivalent of the Common App for PhD/grad school programs!
Thanks intparent! I should clarify, I am the (helicopter?) mom here, not the applicant. I recognize that my kid is the boss of his application process, but he is open to hearing any tips or advice I can give. So I am asking in that tip-giver capacity.
Also, as to the covered 1st semester grades – they are good, but maybe too good, in that they were his best grades in college. So I worry (yes, I overthink everything) that uploading them with his official transcript might highlight that his grades went down after that. His cumulative gpa is fine, but the fact is, his first semester (covered) grades were his highest, and his last semester grades were his lowest.
I agree it would be wonderful if there were a Common App for grad school applications!
It literally makes no difference. They’ll have your transcripts. They’ll therefore have your GPA. There’s really no difference.
@boneh3ad is absolutely correct. Highly selective graduate programs will likely triage on the GPA and GRE scores before they even take a look at the resume. If the applicant gets into the pool which is being read thoroughly, the resume will be more or less irrelevant. More important is the personal statement and the letters of reference.
I think part of the OP’s point is that the official GPA won’t include the very good most recent semester. I think it is in your kid’s best interest to get those grades to them. My kid had a similar situation. Lots of her apps had Dec due dates, but her fall transcript (with better grades) was not available in any format (official or otherwise) until around Jan 3. I think she went in the very day it was available and shipped off new copies to each school. It cost more, since she’d been required to submit an official transcript already with the application. I think one school had already emailed asking to get her fall grades, so maybe she was on the cusp there for admission (she got in, and ended up attending that program).
Thanks, Intparent. I am happy to hear how that worked out for your kid!
But for my kid, it’s his first semester freshman year grades that are the issue. He has already graduated (has been working as a lab tech since then), so he does have a complete transcript. But his college covered first semester freshman year grades, so that the official transcript shows only S for all those classes. He does have access to the actual grades online, but they are unofficial, will never be part of the official transcript, and are not factored into his cumulative GPA.
I should also say that in my case, this is moot. I talked to my kid last night, and he is opting to not upload the covered grades, and instead just go with the official transcript. Which is fine!
But it’s an interesting dilemma for some students. The point of the covered grades was to let kids ease into the rigor of college. But for kids who did well that first semester, it works against them. For my son, those grades would have given him a better cumulative gpa. But the difference is not that great, plus he’s decided, so – that’s fine. (Also, I think those first semester grades were his best, and so might have the downside of highlighting a slight but real downward trend. There are always pros can cons!)