GPA is one of the pre-requisite for getting admitted to a top college in the USA. Most universities have a GPA cutoff of 3 on a scale of 4. But don’t worry if your GPA is low. There are still some colleges to which you can get admission with a low GPA. You can check the Universities with low GPA requirements here.
Also, there are some tips that you can follow to impress the admission committee of the college to get your admission granted. There are various factors other than the GPA which the colleges consider for admission. Let us see some of the common tips you need to follow for admission to a top college in USA with a low GPA.
Table of Contents
Good TOEFL/IELTS score
TOEFL/IELTS score is the English language proficiency score necessary for the foreign students from non-English speaking countries for their admission to the specific program. If you have a very good TOEFL/IELTS score than the average and if you can impress the academic committee with a very good extra-curricular background, then your admission to the program will be considered. You can even apply for the bridge course of the program to which you want to get admitted and prove your proficiency after completing the course.
Good GRE/GMAT score
GRE score is required if you want to get admitted to a STEM degree. It is the Graduate Record Examination which gives you a standardized exam score for getting admission to a graduate college. Also, there is the GMAT score which is required by the students applying to the MBA programs in a university in USA. GMAT is the Graduate Management Aptitude test required by many colleges. If you have a very good GMAT/GRE score, you can convince the academic committee with your scores and other qualities.
An appealing SOP
An SOP creates the first impression of yourself in front of the admission committee. Prepare your SOP in such a way that the SOP speaks for you. You need to add everything about your education and goals including why you are doing the particular course and what are your plans after the course. Describe yourself in a page or two, not more than that. Don’t keep bluffing about your achievements. Keep everything to the point. Point out how your weaker side in GPA can be overcome with your other qualifications such as work experience, scores, etc. Every university asks for an SOP from the applicant to get an overall idea and views about the applicant. Also, there might be some interviews with the academic council authorities for granting your admission. In most cases, it will be telephonic or an online interview. What you need to do is make yourself appealing and answer to the question throughout the conversation. It can earn you a high chance of getting admitted.
Recommendation Letters
Nowadays, recommendation letters play a vital role in the selection process of a candidate. The recommendation should be from a person who knows you very well and is in a professionally higher status. It can be your tutor, mentor or your previous company’s employer to anyone whose words can be taken granted. What the colleges look for is a reference from your side who can give a detailed idea about you and why you should be considered for admission to the program.
Published papers in journals
Even if you are not academically very bright but have the very good technical knowledge and research expertise, your application still has a chance to get approved. For that, you can submit your research papers and journals in front of the selection committee. The more the number of research papers and the higher the depth of the research topic, you have a higher chance of getting admitted.
Above all, it is the academic selection committee that decides on your admission. What you can do is to convince them.
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