Study Abroad with a Low GPA--Has Anyone Appealed Successfully?

[Anonymous]

I like the suggestion about participating in a shorter study abroad program. If that’s a successful experience, he can apply for a full semester program or full summer program later if that’s an option? My kid did a two-week trip abroad as part of one of their classes- major/course/academic logistics probably won’t work out for a full semester abroad. There are a lot of options out there.

[Anonymous]

You are focused on the wrong thing. A 2.5 GPA from a SLAC could be a 5 alarm fire -- how on earth is he going to get a job and support himself after college? Does he have good connections for internships? A part-time internship during the year would be more useful than study abroad. Unless you are wealthy and have connections I would be very, very concerned about an impending failure to launch. Several of my neighbors kids graduated in the spring and are still living at home hoping for jobs. It is rough out there.

[Anonymous]

Have your kid look for summer programs!

And I mean this nicely; this really should be on your kid. While it’s a lot easier to navigate study abroad than when I did it 25 years ago (thanks to Google maps and Google translate etc), it’s still a culture shock and living that far from home can be a challenge. If your kid isn’t the one doing this research then maybe they aren’t ready for this.

[Anonymous]

I think it’ll be fine. Just try. These programs are moneymakers. Great experiences but not usually all that academic.

[Anonymous]

My niece had a similar GPA and was denied to go on a school-sponsored semester-long program. Instead, she went on a summer-long DIS program in Scandinavia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My niece had a similar GPA and was denied to go on a school-sponsored semester-long program. Instead, she went on a summer-long DIS program in Scandinavia.

Now that I'm looking at it, it seems that DIS has a higher GPA requirement. Don't know how she went about that, but I know she did it. It might have helped to have parentage and citizenship in the Scandinavian country where she studied? She essentially failed freshman year due to mental health issues, so her GPA was quite low.

[Anonymous]

https://www.goabroad.com/articles/study-abroad/how-to-study-abroad-with-a-low-gpa

[Anonymous]

https://ifsa-butler.org/programs/ifsa-study-in-london/

[Anonymous]

What explanation is he going to use in his appeal?

[Anonymous]

https://ifsa-butler.org/program-search/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As other parents can attest, study abroad programs are basically a semester of partying and touring around Europe every weekend. My kids were going to school in Italy and Spain. They both had no classes on Friday, so travelled a lot on the weekends. Dublin, London, Prague, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Portugal, Morocco, Switzerland, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and more I can’t remember. Keeping up with school is a challenge for even the most studious. I wouldn’t send a 2.5 GPA student abroad unless maybe Australia where they are landlocked and not enticed to travel with college and high school friends every weekend. YMMV

Maybe rich kids but my kid knew how much of a financial sacrifice it was for me. She planned a few trips but didn’t go crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have experience only with Oxford graduate programs. When Oxford says a 3.7 minimum, it means it. Don't even try.

That's not at all what the OP was asking.

She said she had experience "ONLY" with it. stop being a jerk.

As to St. Andrews, what they say (2.5) is apparently not what they mean: "St. Andrews University requires a minimum college GPA of 2.5 on a 4.33 point scale and a minimum high school GPA of 2.5. However, applicants should ideally have a current GPA of at least 3.04, with a preferred GPA of around 3.16. The university accepts 42.86% of transfer applicants, making the process competitive."

But that's not what the OP is asking. You're assuming the criteria for general admissions as an undergrad are the same as the criteria to be accepted at the target university as a study abroad student. Which may or may not be true. But this sounds like a very university specific criteria, so best your kid talks to his own school and gets their opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As other parents can attest, study abroad programs are basically a semester of partying and touring around Europe every weekend. My kids were going to school in Italy and Spain. They both had no classes on Friday, so travelled a lot on the weekends. Dublin, London, Prague, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Portugal, Morocco, Switzerland, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and more I can’t remember. Keeping up with school is a challenge for even the most studious. I wouldn’t send a 2.5 GPA student abroad unless maybe Australia where they are landlocked and not enticed to travel with college and high school friends every weekend. YMMV

Maybe for your kid and your kid's study abroad program, but I wouldn't suggest parents take your gross generalization as fact. If you're doing a year abroad at a rigorous international university (Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Sorbonne etc.), in my experience, the study abroad students are studying as hard as their peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have experience only with Oxford graduate programs. When Oxford says a 3.7 minimum, it means it. Don't even try.

That's not at all what the OP was asking.

She said she had experience "ONLY" with it. stop being a jerk.

As to St. Andrews, what they say (2.5) is apparently not what they mean: "St. Andrews University requires a minimum college GPA of 2.5 on a 4.33 point scale and a minimum high school GPA of 2.5. However, applicants should ideally have a current GPA of at least 3.04, with a preferred GPA of around 3.16. The university accepts 42.86% of transfer applicants, making the process competitive."

But that's not what the OP is asking. You're assuming the criteria for general admissions as an undergrad are the same as the criteria to be accepted at the target university as a study abroad student. Which may or may not be true. But this sounds like a very university specific criteria, so best your kid talks to his own school and gets their opinion.

+1 My university had a minimum GPA requirement of 3.75 to even apply to be considered for the Oxford or Cambridge junior year abroad. Every school is different--your kid will need to advocate for himself and make the case that it's something he can handle...

[Anonymous]

Okayyyy I don't think we're discussing Oford study abroad so