I am about to be a junior this Fall and currently have a 2.6 GPA right now. I also don’t go to a very popular college and it’s located in the city. I have low grades and I am thinking about either getting into a masters program for applied statistics or maybe applied math. However, I might have no chance because I got a few C grades in my early math classes and I had to withdraw from Calculus 1 twice. I am also interested in economics and I have a B and B- in the first two economics classes so far. I understand that I screwed up bad but I am thinking about changing my life around. I have a total of 5 w grades and I am thinking about trying to at least get into a masters program for higher education as that I am thinking about pursuing a career in data science or possibly a consulting/financial field like quantitative analysis. I have a total of 5 w grades on my transcript so far and I don’t want to end up a failure. I just need brutal honesty. I am currently about to be a junior this Fall and if it’s not possible for me to get into a master’s program, what are some possible career choices for me? What else can I do? I don’t have internships yet but I am looking for some experience in the field so that I can get accepted later possibly. Are online master’s a good choice because I was just thinking about that. I also graduate in two years so does anyone have some advice for me?
What is your current major? When I advise students with your type of record, the first thing I suggest is GPA triage. What classes can you take in the fall, and apply towards your graduation requirements, that will bring up your GPA? How many credits have you accumulated? If your current major is too difficult to make progress, can you consider a change of major? These are the issues you should be concerning yourself with right now. Have you spoken with your college adviser - what do they suggest?
I am a math professor, and the companies that hire applied math/ stat majors are looking for high GPA’s, especially from colleges that are in the middle tier. I teach at a regional university and my students who have gone on to careers in actuaries, data science etc. have a college GPA of 3.8+.
I am currently undecided and I was thinking about getting into applied math or economics. I can take Calculus 2 this Fall and I am thinking about finding a job after college. I have gotten up to 55 credits so far and I am taking summer classes so that by the end of the summer, I would have about 61 credits. I was thinking about computer science but I struggled in the intro class to programming. I don’t go to a well known school but it is less known. I was thinking about those analyst roles or roles in banks and actuary. What advice do you think that I can do to improve and to stand out?
Calculus 2 your junior year and struggling in an intro to programming course and withdrawing from Calc 1 twice does not bode well for any type of a heavy quantitative major. Your best bet is to sit down with your college adviser and see what kind of suitable major you can choose and graduate within a reasonable timeframe. If it was just one course here and there that you had difficulties in, or just one bad semester, I would give you different advice.
Accounting is a choice but I didn’t want to do it because it’s boring and getting automated. The best way to get higher salary is by taking the CPA. I was thinking about doing an economics major so I can work in finance or a analyst role. I understand math but I have had bad study habits and it has messed me. I do understand math the big subjects. However, I am willing to give programming a second try because I want to succeed. Any advice to get into the field??
I am not sure why you have not contacted any adviser at your college as to what to do. Unfortunately, I have no magical advice that is going to take you from where you are right now to where you wish to be (banking analyst etc.)
Agree with momprof9904
What does adviser say you need to do to be accepted to econ or applied math major?
For example, at Univ. of Maryland, 8 courses with at least a C- are required. Department of Mathematics - Course Requirements
Some colleges might admit a student to a masters in applied math on a conditional basis. For example, DePaul
I wonder, have you considered information science or something similar? Some BS programs have a data science specialization and its more stats and programming oriented.
What do your college advisor /career center say about grades needed to declare a major, to consider grad school, to be recruited at job fair?