LOW CGPA? OYA GATHER HERE

Hello Future Global Citizens,

It is Monday again and I am here to get you fired up with enhanced motivation!

What do I even mean by enhanced motivation? This is the kind of motivation that is equipped with knowledge and action steps. By the time you are done reading this email, you would be ready to take a few steps towards your study abroad success. So let’s dive in.

I do get a lot of emails and Dms from people asking me how they can secure admission and scholarship with a low CGPA.

The truth be told here, a low CGPA should not spell the end of your study abroad dreams but you must accept the reality that with a low CGPA, you would need to do more work as compared to someone with a higher CGPA. I won't lie to you about that. 

But the good news is that this work that needs to be done is something you can do. You just need to put in the time and the effort. Let’s quickly talk about time and effort:

Time: As regards the time, you must avoid the rush syndrome. I see this a lot. Everyone is in a rush, even those that are not well placed to do so. If you have a low CGPA, you have to be very tactical and measured in your approach. Study Abroad admission and scholarship opportunities are competitive hence submitting a low CGPA profile on its own without working on it would result in straight rejection. Hence you need to give yourself the time to work on your profile and build it to a point where it can stand-up against the competition.

Effort: As the saying goes, there is no food for the lazy man or woman. With a low CGPA you must be ready to do the extra work required to make your profile competitive. Do not expect that there is a silver bullet or magic formula out there that would help you secure admission and scholarships to study abroad. In fact, if there is actually a magic formula, it is this:

Time + Effort = Success (even if you have a low CGPA)

So here are some tips for you to consider in order to secure admission and scholarships to study abroad despite your low CGPA:

1. Standardized Test: One challenge when it comes to having a low CGPA is that it makes the admission committee for most schools abroad see you as someone who lacks the academic ability to do well in graduate school. Taking a standardized test like GMAT or GRE and doing well at it gives you a second chance to prove your academic ability.
2. Credential Evaluation: A credential evaluation e.g. a course by course WES (www.WES.org) evaluation can improve your overall CGPA. The reason for this is that courses you had initially failed, re-sat and passed are counted positively towards your CGPA. I have seen it severally where WES evaluations have reported a higher CGPA than what was reported in the transcript of students. 
3. Target Schools that accept students with Low CGPA: Here is a list of some schools you can look into. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e2jRoPSuwPFaKlGju3GFAwtzDsdHRFDHu6ce324EFuE/edit?usp=sharing 
4. Application packaging: This is the first of the 3 secrets of study abroad success. This recognizes the fact that your application is evaluated in totality and not just based on your grades hence this provides an opportunity for you to work on other aspects of your profile to make you more competitive. If you have not watched my free study abroad webinar, then click here to watch it asap so you can learn about application packaging and how it can help you secure admission and scholarships even if you have a low CGPA.

So there you have it. If you have a low CGPA, now you know what to do. Take action and achieve success.

As usual, I remain dedicated to supporting you to achieve study abroad success.

Take care

Zino Ojogbo

Your Study Abroad Guru

PS - Information in power but coaching is what brings results. Now you know what to do, you need to prioritize taking action, but not just any kind of action but guided action that makes your application stand out and that leads you in the right direction towards achieving study abroad success.

• You need guidance to ensure that your study abroad mission is aligned with your targeted program.

• You need guidance to ensure that you know how to apply the 3 pillars of study abroad success - mindset, system and action.

• You need guidance to ensure that you are making the right choices for your course of best fit, program and country. 

• You need guidance to be able to draft competitive documents to make you stand out of the crowd.

• You need guidance to craft a funding strategy that maximizes your opportunities to secure full funding. 

The list goes on and on. Action takers and success chasers know this secret and have been using it including top athletes, celebrities and CEOs. Why do you think your case would be any different?