Should I explain about low undergraduate grades in my graduation application if I subsequently have had research and professional experience? I am currently applying for a Master Degree in Mathematical Physics. In my bachelor degree in Mathematics, my grades were low. Since then, I have worked with a professor on a research paper as a first author (for about one year now) and I have worked in a company in my field for two years now.
My question is: should I explain in my motivational letter why my grades are low during my bachelor degree? Is it considered an excuse if I do so? Or, should I focus on my research and professional experience without mentioning my grades?
My advice here is to use written application materials to focus on your success and your likelihood of future success, not your shortcomings in the past. If you are asked about grades at some point, then talk about it honestly, but don't &quot;waste&quot; valuable space dealing with things you have overcome.
There is normally at least an informal tendency by people evaluating candidates to weigh recent things more heavily than past things. This acknowledges that people can grow.
In particular, any SoP should be forward looking, not backward. At most, a single phrase in a cover letter about how you have overcome past shortcomings is enough. And try to assure that the letters you get from advisors also express a similar theme: This is a good candidate who has learned to excel.