Should I explain this course on my transcript?

Question

I overloaded in college and took an additional Philosophy course called Business Ethics in order to satisfy a degree breadth requirement, (so that I could take more courses related to my major in later semesters). This course is not part of my GPA but still counts as a credit for graduation and on my transcript it is coded as Degree Requirement, Not included in Average. A friend of my mine said that I should explain why I overloaded, especially an ethics course on my optional essay, because it may seem like this was done as a penalty of some sort by my school. I want to use that essay to describe my GPA and life circumstances and I'm a bit confused as whether or not I should explain this course. To be clear, I have never been part of any disciplinary matters at my school, but I want to avoid confusion of any kind. Although I would also not want to draw attention to something that is clearly stated on my transcript and focus more on extenuating circumstances. Am I thinking about this too much? Is this a common occurrence? Side note, I also took a year off of college (due to one of my parents having serious organ failure), so I wanted to explain my GPA around that time in my essay (as it took a bit of a nosedive).

tl;dr, Are overloading courses common in applications to MBA schools? And are adcoms seasoned with the various course codes that are stated on applications or should I explain this in order to remove any doubt?

tl;dr, Are overloading courses common in applications to MBA schools? And are adcoms seasoned with the various course codes that are stated on applications or should I explain this in order to remove any doubt?

Ross2018 · Answer

I am also interested, exactly in the same case but with latin.

Hope someone will come to help us!

abhimahna · Answer

Hey andrewrayne22 , Welcome to GMATClub

I don't think there should be any problem with that and that would have neither positive nor negative impact on your profile. But yes, if you feel you should explain, there isn't any harm in doing that. But make sure that somehow should relate to your short term/long term goals. All the best

mbaMissionKrista · Answer

Hey  andrewrayne22 
The Ethics course to me seems like a non-issue as long as you got a decent grade. What you do need to explain is your overall GPA (it sounds like you are saying it's cumulatively low) and the gap in your education. Be honest, be forthright. Explain what you would/wouldn't do differently knowing what you know today. (My guess is that you would still take that year off, right?) I hope that helps!
Krista

TheIvyLeagueEdge · Answer

andrewrayne22 Dude,
You should be showing this off as an achievement, not worry about it as a negative. Such "mentions" can be casually slipped into any sort of essays

Feel free to connect for more.

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

It is definitely common practice to use an optional essay to explain poor performance in school. That said, it should be done carefully. This is not the place to list excuses, but more so to explain an extenuating circumstance and point out your efforts to show your abilities to succeed. I recommend keeping it pretty brief overall as well.

Best,
Scott

Should I explain this course on my transcript?

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