Include reasons for bad grades in personal narrative?

[ldylisa]

Hey everyone,

 

I was just wondering if it is a good idea to write about my poor undergrad grades, which was the cause of my low GPA, in my CASPA personal narrative? Or should I just focus on the reasons that motivate me in becoming a PA? Thanks!

[rev ronin]

I would recommend it. I mentioned my divorce briefly, without going into unnecessary details, obliquely accounting for a lackluster couple of semesters while also recounting how that moved my life forward.

[ldylisa]

Thank you for the quick responses! I spend 2 years after I graduated to retake those classes I did poorly on, and spent time volunteering and gaining more medical experience. Hopefully, this will show that I have an upward trend in my grades since, and was able to pick myself up and move forward.

[rev ronin]

The reason I tend to favor addressing perceived weaknesses in your PS is that that space is the only freeform space you have to explain things that don't fit neatly into one of the other fields. By all means don't dwell on it, per PAMAC, but if you don't even mention it there, then it won't get dealt with until and unless they grant you an interview.

[Corpsman2PA]

Do any of the programs you plan on applying to have supplementals statements? Sometimes mentioning poor grades on a supplemental prompt statement is a good bet, leaving the CASPA PS to why you want to be a PA. Of course, the more schools you apply to, the harder that gets. I agree with PAMAC and Rev (I think they're both saying the same thing in a different way). Mention it, how you corrected it, and how you're a better person for it (thats where you mention life skills acquired through the learning process). Rev's right, if you sweep it under the rug, that rug will be completely exposed at the interview.