Grad school and GPA

Is there a way I can boost my GPA and make it favorable for grad school? I’ve already graduated last year, so I can’t boost my undergraduate GPA anymore, but if I took extra classes, would those count? I realized during my last year in college that I wanted to go to grad school, but unfortunately, thanks to my O-Chem (at least the first two quarters) grades from my junior year, my overall undergraduate GPA was a 2.7 instead, short of the 3.0 GPA that UCs (I want to go to a UC since I live in California) require. Am I doomed or will extra classes help?

I figured most schools required a 3.0 for graduate admission as the minimum?

My understanding is that if your GPA is low you should be looking at doing courses as a non-degree seeking student (this is risky) to try and enter a graduate program. I don’t think you’ll be getting into any UC’s with that GPA. Where did you go for undergrad?

I almost have a 3.1 and I am having trouble even getting into CSU’s with decent GRE’s. I am trying to get into the local school here (low-ranked for engineering) to see if I can do some courses before getting into a master’s program.

What kind of grad school are you looking at?

@CalDud: I went to UC Davis for undergrad. I already know I’m not going to get into any UCs with my GPA, I pointed that out in my OP. That is why I’m asking if classes I take after I graduate will count or if they would only look at my UC undergraduate GPA. I already took two courses at a community college, and got A’s in them both, but I don’t know if they would count. Taking courses at a 4-year university as a non-degree seeking student is too expensive and I can’t afford them, hence why I’m planning on taking extra courses at community college instead.

@NavalTradition: I’m looking to enter the Animal Biology graduate program at UC Davis.