GPA for getting into Graduate School?

jojothegreat · 2 Jan 2007

Hi all, this is my first post.

As graduation approaches, I've been considering the possibility of going to grad school in Japan. The current candiates being: Tokyo U, Sophia, Keio, Waseda, and Kanda Gaigo. I previously studied abroad in Japan for a semester, and my Japanese is fairly good (I can pass the previous years JLPT 2 tests.) I plan on taking the JLPT 1 this December.

However, my GPA is not so good. At the end of this semester, my GPA was a 3.18... I understand many grad schools are looking for canidates in the 3.5+ range. I have 3 D's on my transcripts, two of which are going to be retaken in my final semester to raise my GPA. Assuming all goes well, I hope to be able to hit the 3.5 mark by graduation. I'll be graduating with a BA in Linguistics and a minor in Japanese.

So my question: Are having D's on my transcript (the original and retaken grades both show on the transcript but only the newer one is factored into GPA) and a not particularly high GPA going to be a large obstacle in entering one of the schools I posted above? I was hoping strong language skills and some good reccomendation letters would help make up for such things.

Please let me know what you think!

Pachipro · 3 Jan 2007

I haven't checked recently, but if I remember correctly the GPA required for getting into graduate school at Sophia was 3.0. D's should not affect you as they are only looking at the overall GPA. However, you should double check that at Sophia's site.

Emoni · 3 Jan 2007

I've heard from many people that while GPA is very important, a lower GPA does not totally prevent you from graduate school. Just do your best and apply to many schools.

jojothegreat · 6 Jan 2007

Thank you so much for the responses! I'll keep working to raise my GPA if thats the case - never hurts to have it higher right?

Emoni · 6 Jan 2007

Nope, doesn't hurt at all. Good plan.

jonathancameron · 7 Feb 2007

jojothegreat said:
Hi all, this is my first post.
As graduation approaches, I've been considering the possibility of going to grad school in Japan. The current candiates being: Tokyo U, Sophia, Keio, Waseda, and Kanda Gaigo. I previously studied abroad in Japan for a semester, and my Japanese is fairly good (I can pass the previous years JLPT 2 tests.) I plan on taking the JLPT 1 this December.
However, my GPA is not so good. At the end of this semester, my GPA was a 3.18... I understand many grad schools are looking for canidates in the 3.5+ range. I have 3 D's on my transcripts, two of which are going to be retaken in my final semester to raise my GPA. Assuming all goes well, I hope to be able to hit the 3.5 mark by graduation. I'll be graduating with a BA in Linguistics and a minor in Japanese.
So my question: Are having D's on my transcript (the original and retaken grades both show on the transcript but only the newer one is factored into GPA) and a not particularly high GPA going to be a large obstacle in entering one of the schools I posted above? I was hoping strong language skills and some good reccomendation letters would help make up for such things.
Please let me know what you think!

Tokyo U for what? A masters degree in Japanese getting a BA in a foreign university? I dont care if you graduated with Summa Cum Laude! You better be joking! You do know that our BA even with a Honours BA in Japanese from a western university even an IVY league does not even give you the language competency of a 窶吮??ﾅ?wﾅｽO窶扼ﾂ青ｶﾂ。 Which means that you would hardly be even a middle school graduate. Why not study after getting JLPT level 1, Japanese at a night school for those wanting to complete their high school in Japan, and then enter university to major in Kokugo, and try obtaining a BA first. An MA in Japanese langauage is something even your 窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾂ人窶堙個坂?佛津ｪ窶堙個静ｦﾂ青ｶ will have trouble doing.
Have you thought that an ESL student would have a fighting chance to get a M.A. in English from Oxford University in England? You better get yourself ﾋ?ｪ窶ｹ窶ｰ
in the Japanese Kanji kentei that is a test for those who are native Japanese, which is a lot tougher than your JLPT Level 1. that almost any Japanese national with middle school that has never left his or her country can pass without study with ease.
Why not go to Harvard to do Japanese instead? It would be a lot easier.

JimmySeal · 7 Feb 2007

I don't see anywhere that jojothegreat said he has any intention of getting a degree in Japanese language. Where did you see that?

But Mr. Cameron does raise a good point. No matter what you may think, level 2 does not equate to "strong language skills," and level 1 is about just enough to get by in a university in Japan. I don't know much about going to college in Japan, but perhaps you should consider spending some time at a Japanese language school, and then applying for a masters program.

jojothegreat · 6 Apr 2007

No, in fact my intention is not to obtain a Japanese degree. While it is true that passing the JLPT2 does not necessarily equate to strong language skills, the same can be said for JLPT1. I think it is probably better to use them as a general guideline - I would consider my ability to listen and speak multitudes stronger than my reading (due to kanji.) While I was at my previous exchange in Japan, I took a Japanese history course in Japanese (intended for normal students), wrote my paper in Japanese, etc. But of course that is because it is simple (kind of) to look up kanji you don't know when you are reading or writing. The main point is that I would place my Japanese ability in the fluent if not quite native range. I would probably have some difficulty on a native level entrance exam though! (good thing the universities I'm applying to have a different process for foreign students)
As for everyones advice, much appreciated. I plan on going ahead with applying this Fall for the Spring 2008 semester. Hopefully things will work out.

GPA for getting into Graduate School?

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