Is a 3.1 GPA enough to get into grad school?

[HappMatt]

So I will be graduating spring 2010 with a degree in biomedical engineering and have decided that i definitely want to get into grad school. Currently as it sits i have a 2.8 at the University I am at right now and a 3.1 at the community college i went to before hand. It averages out to be about 3.0 and by the time fall semester is over it will be at least 3.1 I think if not better. I basically had a real horrible year my first year at the University after transferring in from that community college. I actually had a 1.9 at this school at the beginning of last year after my horrible first year, but with a little assistance for a learning disability and retaking the 2 classes i got D's in, i was able to bring my GPA up to that 2.8 and had about a 3.3 last year. I feel like i definitely have things under control now and am doing fine in my summer courses and will do fine in the fall also but at most my gpa will be a 3.2 by the time i have to apply for grad schools. I know a strong GRE score will definitely help things out but I'm sort of wandering how competitive I may be for getting into grad schools. I am at a tier 1 school right now and would like to pursue biomedical engineering with a emphasis in BioMEMS and BioNano tech at a decent school. All these schools say that they have a competitive application process and don't mention any thing about gpa ot they say must have above a 3.0 but that it is competitive. I have done a little bit of thin film/ultra sound research but besides that and a mediocre GPA I am not sure what how to tell what grad programs i should pursue? So if anyone has any good advice on this it is appreciated.
thanks
Matt

 

[Choppy]

So if I understand, you had a legitimate learning disability, got help with it and now your GPA has significantly increased. This is the kind of thing that admissions committees will usually take into consideration.

Coupled with some research experience and a couple good reference letters, I don't think you'll have a problem getting into graduate school. You may not get your first choice, though.

You can always contact the graduate advisor for a particular program with the same questions you've posted above to see if you would be expected to be competative with what the students they might typically expect at their school.

 

[f1b1o2]

If you have a legitimate learning disability and have been improving, you have a good chance. This situation could make for a great personal statement. Try your best on the GRE (you'll want a good/great score if possible) and get some good recommendations. Also, you'll want to keep improving on your grades because even if you don't get into grad school at first, a final transcript that shows continued improvement throughout your career will show that you are serious about studying and overcoming your disability and could help. You may have to settle for less than top schools, but you should be able to get into some decent schools if you continue improving and taking things seriously. Remember that GPA isn't the only thing taken into consideration, but if it isn't good you'll want everything else to be as competitive as possible. You should try to have an excellent personal statement describing your situation, good GRE scores, great recommendations, and good research experience. Good luck.