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Question

If I have taken classes for credit at another university but the grades dont appear on the transcript at my university, will I still need to provide transcripts from all other universities as part of admissions into a phd program?

Edit: at one school, I did independent study and took 9 credits. At another, I did summer classes and have 9 credits as well. Since the grades didn't transfer, I was only aiming to pass. Needless to say, my grades ended up being Bs and Cs for those classes. I was allowed to take them because they weren't classes towards my major or anything quantitative. Those grades don't reflect my ugrad and current GPA. So do I need to disclose those grades? If so, will it be overlooked if I have a good story for it?

Kumbaya · Answer

AFAIK, it depends on the university you're applying to. Some places require you to send in transcripts for any credit courses, some don't.

ReDx · Answer

The schools I want to apply to is the same schools your're applying to, such as Upenn, NYU, UIUC, etc.

Did you have to send all transcripts for those? It would be pretty ridiculous because 6 of those 9 credits from the first school, I took when I was still in high school.

ReDx · Answer

It seems they want all the transcripts from the schools I've emailed. That sucks, should I write a paragraph to explain my poor grades from other schools?

tkkoh · Answer

Don't explain why you done poorly.... but emphasize how you have improved. Hope you have some X factors to offset this aspect of your app.

Kumbaya · Answer

I believe common wisdom is that, barring EXTREMELY significant events, don't explain anything if your GPA is in a general upward curve, the steeper the slope the better.

If you're planning on applying for Fall 2009, you still have time to focus on improving other aspects of your application, as GPA is not the be all and end all of the PhD application process. GMAT, LOR, SOI, research experience if any... all of these most likely have even greater effects.

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