Do Grad Schools Care About Dropped Undergrad Classes in Engineering?

[theman408]

Do Engineering graduate admission officers look if the student has a couple dropped classes during undergraduate course work?

 

[Vanadium 50]

If it's on your transcript, expect them to look at it.

 

[theman408]

Yea, but is it going to be a factor if it's just a couple?

 

[Moonbear]

By a couple, do you mean two? Or more than two? Did you withdraw before or after they showed a pass/fail grade? Did you have a lot of other credits in those terms that you dropped because you were overloaded, or did you drop just because you weren't doing well in the course? Were they courses for your major, or elective courses? Are your other grades exemplary, or were you dropping them in the same term you were just barely passing other courses by the skin of your teeth? These things will all factor into whether it will matter to them, or how much.

 

[theman408]

In my case, in 1.5 years i went into engineering school, i never dropped or failed a class but after those 1.5 years i transferred to another engineering school where my first semester was horrific as i tried to get used to living alone and doing almost everything, i got a couple of C's and a D in my Electrical Circuit Analysis I Class which I am repeating right now in summer classes and so far so good for me. I had a 3.64 GPA before starting that semester and after it lowered to 3.30ish

If that was a hiccup and the rest of my undergraduate work is pretty good as i mix in research(already have one undergrad research) and work experience, could they just view past it?

 

[Office_Shredder]

From what I've heard, graduate admissions offices prefer it if you start poorly and finish strongly than any other way involving poorly. Since you switched schools that probably counts, but make sure to mention somewhere on your application (in a personal statement or whatever) what happened

 

[theman408]

I talked to a former graduate office director from my school and he told me they don't even look at that the class performance, if you finished with a strong GPA and have research work then there is no reason to deny.

But then again, this is only one graduate officer from a school, doesn't speak for the rest and I am not going to do my masters at this school since they don't really have the graduate program I am looking for.

 

[daveyinaz]

Since you switched schools that probably counts, but make sure to mention somewhere on your application (in a personal statement or whatever) what happened

While some may agree with giving a full outright confession on your personal statement about any shortcomings with a graduate application, I think the words should be better spent on other things. To the OP...depending on how long from the school switch to when you finish your undergraduate degree, I doubt your situation will have mattered that much overall.

 

[djeitnstine]

If you only hiccuped once and then finish strong you should be fine. Your GPA is still above 3.0 so that says something. Just try to finish with 3.5+ and you'll have no problems.

 

[theman408]

THanks guys for the advise, was kinda feeling unmotivated when thinking grad school before the answers.