I’m not quite sure where to put this thread, but I’ll try here. I’ve read a bit about second bachelor’s degree programs (I’m primarily looking at the UCs) and I was wondering whether anyone has any data or stories of how that goes about. Are the chances against such an applicant?
At most schools you are fighting an uphill battle attempting to get a second bachelors by just applying. However i realize that in certain situations one might want to attempt such an ordeal. The first thing that you need to do is be able to tell your chosen school why you want to do this. Many schools believe that most people attempting this are trying to just relive a good or bad college experience and therefore usually frown on 2nd bachelors. The common question is “why dont you just take leveling classes and go apply to any graduate school of your choosing.”
There is a career that almost always needs a bachelors of science however and that is the career of patent agent. No matter your true reasons for going back, you could always tell the school that you want to go to that you need a bachelors of science to sit for the patent bar and once you are admitted you can change your major. Its sneaky and deceitful but if this is your wish it will work.
I’m actually looking forward to starting a second degree. I’m majoring in law (LLB degree) and would like to change career paths into allied health field. I’ve found it terribly difficult to find a school that will let you in for a second degree, except for nursing. I’m going in for a BS so that will probably ease up things a little, hopefully. Look at admissions policy, that’s the first place to look. Some schools I know allow second degrees:
american
tulane (but they won’t recognize credits, i’d have to be 4 years)
jmu
mason
no uc’s that I know of…
hope this helps!
I am a second bachelors applicant and in the process of applying. I have seen the info that most colleges put out about second degree applicants and most state they will admit on a “space available” basis. This is somewhat depressing in that it has been my lifelong dream to study engineering at a great school, but while active duty military for 23 years I have finally been able to complete my BS (traditionally) at a school that did not offer a BS in an Engineering field.<br>
My plan is to explain my situation and intentions in my essay(s) hoping to find a school that will be sympathetic to my goals. I hope its not too much of an “uphill battle”! I have stellar grades and a high desire for lifelong learning. I believe I would contribute positively to any college environment with my life experience and diverse background. I hate to think that the degree I just completed will be a hindrance, but this may be the case.
WrenchFries,
What does the admissions website of the UC schools you’re considering attending say? All the information you need is right on the website, and if you have more questions you should call the admissions representative for second degree (aka “post baccalaureate”) seekers.
BadVegan,
What you have written is not true for everyone, or all schools. It’s not an uphill battle, nor an ordeal, to get a second bachelors degree. At the majority of schools, people who want to earn second degrees simply apply as transfer students.
Also, not all colleges require second degree seekers to write an essay to explain why they want a second degree. The ones who do probably require ALL applicants, regardless of status, to write essays. If that’s not something you want to do, then you don’t want to attend that school. There are plenty of solid colleges that don’t require essays for admission.
It may be heartbreaking if the college someone wants to go to doesn’t accept students who already have degrees, or requires a GPA that’s higher than what the applicant has. But, just because someone’s “dream school” is out of reach doesn’t mean that they can’t still reach their goals at another school. If they want the second degree badly enough, they will go to the school that will let them in. There are many good schools out here that will take second degree seekers.
SpunOne,
First of all, what KIND of engineer do you want to be? The various engineering fields are very different from each other, and are not interchangeable, like you seem to think they are. You need to know what kind of engineer you want to be and then find the schools that have that engineering major.
There are a lot of colleges with engineering programs that will admit you for a second degree. But, you have to know how to go about doing it. At a lot of schools, for engineering (and other “competitive admissions” majors) students have to be admitted to the college, AND admitted to the major.
At some schools, transfer and/or second-degree students have to declare a major on the application. This matters because if you don’t have the pre-engineering courses and GPA required to go directly into the engineering program, you will be denied admission to the college, or told to pick another major. So, if the school you want to go to requires this, don’t apply as a degree-seeking student YET.
Instead, you should enroll as a NON DEGREE SEEKING student at the college and take the prerequisite courses needed for direct entry into the engineering major. Once you have the courses and the required minimum GPA, THEN APPLY as a degree-seeking student to the engineering major of your choice.
Note: Don’t settle for the pre-engineering minimum GPA, get the best GPA you can get b/c in competitive programs applicants are ranked in GPA order, from highest to lowest, and you want to make sure you get in.
Good luck.
Honey Brown,
To be completely honest I don’t even care what program I am in as long as I am studying engineering! Contrary to what my previous post may have conveyed, I do understand that there are different fields and different paths of study. The preliminary study though is similiar in that STEM non-specific courses are required. I have an electronics background and have for years thought I would pursue EE. I have waffled between this and ChemE and even CE. I am applying for EE though ChemE interests me very much (it will be my second choice). I have many of the prereqs completed with about 180 traditional hours over 12 years and a GPA of 3.85, but am probably short a few specifics here and there. I am applying in hopes of at least attending near "full time’, as this will be my main job when I get out.<br>
Thank you for your advice on requesting admittance to a school as a non-degree seeker. I have been told something similar to this from UTA when I called. I have learned that the holding of a BS in Management (albeit with magna honors) would not necessarily work against me for all schools. Also, from what I now understand, if a school like UTA deems me in-eligible for admittance to a major sequence due to lack of pre-reqs, then they will admit as a non-degree seeker if my application warrants, they believe I have something to offer, and they have the seat. Does this sound right?