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Basically, my last two years GPA is much lower than my first two years: I got almost straight 4.0 in first two years but my junior year is a mess (one semester is 2.7) and my last semester GPA pump up a little with 3.5. I think the main reason is that I feel depressed with the over-packed schedule (I took 7 courses with a job in lab in the semester of 2.7) and slow progress of research. But, should I mention those in my personal statement?

I am triple majored in CS, Econ, and Math. I am planning to apply for Master degree in CS.

Thanks in advance.

zack
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    Possible duplicate of How does the admissions process work for Ph.D. programs in the US, particularly for weak or borderline students? – gman Feb 11 '16 at 10:58
  • @gman Thanks for the link. The link addresses towards Ph.D. program and did mention: An applicant who did poorly in 1st year general electives will be looked at very differently from a student who did poorly in advanced specialized classes but that is exactly what I concern. I did rather poorly compared to my first two years, and the courses can be fallen into advanced specialized classes. – zack Feb 11 '16 at 11:08
  • @scaaahu Computer Science. I am shooting for MS, not PhD – zack Feb 11 '16 at 11:35
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    There are two kinds of masters program: Research master or Professional/taught master. Which one are you shooting for? – Nobody Feb 11 '16 at 11:57
  • For the present discussion, MSc or PhD makes little (if any) difference – vonbrand Feb 11 '16 at 13:50
  • @vonbrand Well, from what I learn, PhD relies on whether you have strong research potential while MSc puts more weights on if you have good learning ability. Not sure if this is true? – zack Feb 11 '16 at 14:00
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    @scaaahu More lean towards course-based master. My essential interest is to get systematically trained on Big Data knowledge (ie. distributed system & database, network ...), so I think course-based is more suitable for me. Research opportunity is a plus not required :) – zack Feb 11 '16 at 14:05
  • Should I address my GPA declination in my personal statement? What is a GPA declination? Is there also a GPA right ascension? –  Feb 12 '16 at 04:53
  • @BenCrowell Well, if you consider my last semester pump from 2.7 to 3.5 then there is a slightly ascension. Other than the overall trend in GPA is falling. – zack Feb 12 '16 at 07:58

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Triple-majored and still above 3.5? That's very commendable. Typically when you refer to declines in academic perfomance, it's because your GPA is STILL low, perhaps below the minimum requirement for graduate school. But you seem to have graduated with an overall great GPA, and you should focus your personal statement instead on what you've learnt and done, such as research, projects, jobs - instead of that one year where things didn't go well. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about as it is.

EDIT: While a good GPA is necessary, your skill set and recommendations from your superiors you worked with are also as important. You need to show the school you're applying to what you can bring your field, which is what a personal statement is there for in the first place.

Kaya311
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    Thank you for your comment. My overall GPA is 3.6. However, I got a F in Abstract Algebra (retake it in following semester and got AB but F can still be seen from record) and BC in algorithms. I guess those courses the admission will look into if I plan to apply for CS. Now, I have almost a year experience in a software company and I'm not sure if this experience will compensate for those gaps. Thanks. – zack Feb 11 '16 at 11:13