<p>This is how it goes:
my undergrad GPA is 2.011, my MS GPA is 4.0 so far (I think it's going to stay this way).
I have some research experience, but nothing extraordinary.
As an undergrad, I had to take one extra year just for writing different thesis. I was not allowed to enroll in any classes (& boost my GPA), but I studied anyway. But I have no proof of course.</p>
<p>Do you think I stand any reasonable chances for a grad school?
Does it make sense to enroll in a different undergrad program (I studied molecular biology, so I can enroll in either general biology or biochemistry) with completed MS degree?</p>
<p>If you have a master’s, why would you want a second undergrad degree? </p>
<p>I went back to school as an adult to pick up additional undergrad hours for professional licensing purposes (and before that, for personal development and/or job-related purposes), and if it had been a matter of another course or two to get an additional degree, I might have done that just for the fun of it.</p>
<p>If the reason is to improve your odds of admission into a PhD program, I believe that being a rockstar master’s student, with good grades / research / recommendations, will do you more good than adding undergrad hours to pad an old GPA.</p>
<p>“If you have a master’s, why would you want a second undergrad degree?”</p>
<p>I don’t know how much is my undergrad GPA going to harm me. I think that it is reasonable to assume that I have significant gaps in the basics (chemistry, physics, math, more general biological courses), which would hamper my ability to see causalities. Second undergrad degree in similar field would help that.</p>
<p>“I believe that being a rockstar master’s student, with good grades / research / recommendations, will do you more good than adding undergrad hours to pad an old GPA”
I have nice research project for my Master thesis, but it is not outstanding, and we cannot have a publication out of it before July 2013. I could not get into summer school or something like that this year. So nothing extraordinary.
Of course, my first objective (if I don’t get anywhere) would be pursuing some research experience, but I would be able to complete second BSc while doing it. It would mean waiting two years instead of one (although I can apply next year anyway, and drop the course if accepted for PhD), but the amount of work/time/money would not be very significant.</p>
<p>My question is how did u get into a grad program at all with an undergrad GPA that low? What is your MS in? Im really worried about my own chances right now, thats why Im asking…</p>
<p>I am European, so it might be more or less country-specific, but the adcom cared only about:
do I have a lab where I’ll work on my diploma thesis (most important, because the faculty labs wouldn’t take me) - yup, I’ve found it year before
quality of my Bachelor thesis (uncredited, so the grade does not affect GPA)
grade from my final exams (uncredited as well)
And they asked some random questions from cell biology (I was applying for MS in cell biology), which they reportedly do only if they don’t like the transcript.</p>
<p>Maybe that would do the trick anywhere, persuading some PI that you are worth to work with.</p>
<p>When I googled for “sub 3.0 GPA grad school” (or something like that), I’ve found several topics started by people with GPA close to 2.0 or even lower than 2.0, and they were usually told that Ph.D. is unrealistic at this moment, and that they should apply for unfunded Master.
I did not pay attention to further discussions, because that’s not my problem, but definitely there are some discussions on this topic on various websites.</p>
<p>I can only speak for the US. But if you have a 4.0 in a master’s program, research experience (even if you don’t have publications - most applicants don’t), and strong letters of recommendation from your graduate professors, and you are able to articulate why you want to go to graduate school and why the program is a good fit for you, I highly doubt that your undergraduate GPA will matter. You’ve already shown that you can succeed in a graduate environment.</p>