u/xTotica

Hi all, I’m a sophomore at Seoul National University (one of the best universities in South Korea), studying Electrical and Computer Engineering. I’m aiming for an MS at elite US grad schools (Stanford, Berkeley, CMU, UPenn, Michigan, Princeton, etc. — Stanford being my top choice), most likely in robotics, though the exact field is still tentative. My grades have plummeted recently.

Here are the numbers (4.3 scale):
- Cumulative: 3.25, 52 credits earned (130 required to graduate)
- Major GPA (ECE): 2.55 — my weakest point
- By semester:

2024/2 3.45
2025/1 3.78 (my best)
2025 summer 2.3 (2cr)
2025/2 2.56
2026/1 3.71 (but only 10 credits, all non-major)

I also have some extracurriculars, but they’re quite fragmented and lack proactiveness.

I worked hard for grades in my first two semesters, but got swept up in the AI hype around late 2025 — I founded a company with some seed investment but little traction, then took an internship in SF at a personal-AI company that only lasted a week. I was building generic AI wrappers, to be honest, chasing that “get rich young” hype without solid fundamentals.

I was really burned out afterward, so in 2026/1 I took very few credits (10, when we normally take 17–19), all from non-major classes (college of music and design — which I love, but unrelated).

I’m enlisting soon (2026 → early 2028), and when I come back I basically have to restart sophomore year, because I missed many major requirements like basic circuit theory. I plan to rebuild my fundamentals, and join project teams and a lab to get solid letters of rec from professors. I’ll try my best in junior year to raise my grades. SNU has a policy to retake some classes, which replaces the grades so I may for some — if it goes well, I’ll apply; if not, I’ll maybe get a job first and apply later, using the work experience as a boost.

My worry is that my low grades will disqualify me in the admission rounds. If they won’t, how should I spend my junior and senior years mending what I’m currently lacking?

Some extracurriculars (fragmented, and light on leadership):

- VP of SIGMA robotics club (2026/1), but mostly maintenance-level
- College of Engineering student council member (2025/2)
- Bronze prize at SNU’s Creative Design fair for a brain-wave smart alarm project
- Past ventures/projects: Proovit (a goal oriented social messaging app), a tutoring business, Krunchmallow, plus a few hackathons
- Jazz club member (since 2024/1)

I’d appreciate any realistic advice from you fellow applicants. Thank you for your time!

Hi all, I’m a sophomore at Seoul National University (one of the best universities in South Korea), studying Electrical and Computer Engineering. I’m aiming for an MS at elite US grad schools (Stanford, Berkeley, CMU, UPenn, Michigan, Princeton, etc. — Stanford being my top choice), most likely in robotics, though the exact field is still tentative. My grades have plummeted recently.

Here are the numbers (4.3 scale):
- Cumulative: 3.25, 52 credits earned (130 required to graduate)
- Major GPA (ECE): 2.55 — my weakest point
- By semester:

2024/2 3.45
2025/1 3.78 (my best)
2025 summer 2.3 (2cr)
2025/2 2.56
2026/1 3.71 (but only 10 credits, all non-major)

I also have some extracurriculars, but they’re quite fragmented and lack proactiveness.

I worked hard for grades in my first two semesters, but got swept up in the AI hype around late 2025 — I founded a company with some seed investment but little traction, then took an internship in SF at a personal-AI company that only lasted a week. I was building generic AI wrappers, to be honest, chasing that “get rich young” hype without solid fundamentals.

I was really burned out afterward, so in 2026/1 I took very few credits (10, when we normally take 17–19), all from non-major classes (college of music and design — which I love, but unrelated).

I’m enlisting soon (2026 → early 2028), and when I come back I basically have to restart sophomore year, because I missed many major requirements like basic circuit theory. I plan to rebuild my fundamentals, and join project teams and a lab to get solid letters of rec from professors. I’ll try my best in junior year to raise my grades. SNU has a policy to retake some classes, which replaces the grades so I may for some — if it goes well, I’ll apply; if not, I’ll maybe get a job first and apply later, using the work experience as a boost.

My worry is that my low grades will disqualify me in the admission rounds. If they won’t, how should I spend my junior and senior years mending what I’m currently lacking?

Some extracurriculars (fragmented, and light on leadership):

- VP of SIGMA robotics club (2026/1), but mostly maintenance-level
- College of Engineering student council member (2025/2)
- Bronze prize at SNU’s Creative Design fair for a brain-wave smart alarm project
- Past ventures/projects: Proovit (a goal oriented social messaging app), a tutoring business, Krunchmallow, plus a few hackathons
- Jazz club member (since 2024/1)

I’d appreciate any realistic advice from you fellow applicants. Thank you for your time!