<p>Hi, new poster here. I'm in need of some advice regarding my current situation. In 2008 I received a bachelors degree in English. Unfortunately I did rather poorly and finished with a 2.49 GPA. I was unfocused and not at all dedicated, my heart wasn't in it, I knew before I finished it would not take me anywhere in life, which made me care even less.</p>
<p>I am now wanting to apply to another university for Wildlife Biology, my true passion in life. This university requires a 2.5, but prefers a 3.0 GPA for transfer students, and I have no doubt they would deny me entry considering my collegiate record. It even makes me cringe to look at my transcripts, and I'm afraid those poor marks are going to haunt me for the rest of my life. I would do anything to attend this university, including forfeiting my English degree and having my entire record erased, or going back to my old university to retake the courses I did poorly in so they would erase the old, low marks. I know that neither is possible, which is sad considering how much we pay to attend these institutions.</p>
<p>So, at this point, I'm at a loss. I don't know what I should do. There is an excellent technical school in my city, with a strong biology program. If I completed this program and boosted my GPA, would that be enough to cause the university I apply for to overlook the poor marks I made at my old university? Or will those poor grades always haunt me and prevent me from entering a Wildlife Biology program for the rest of my life? I hate to think that a few bad choices I made in my early 20's are going to prevent me from achieving my goals.</p>
<p>I would also be willing to enter the new university as a non-degree seeking student, boost my GPA, and then attempt to gain entry into the program. The only positive aspect of all this is that for me, money is not an issue. I would greatly appreciate any advice anyone could give, or if anyone has been through a similar experience, I would like to hear about it. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Check with the admissions dept of the university you want to attend. Bring your transcript and ask what you need to do to get in to the program.</p>
<p>Iin the UK, we have a more rounded view of mature students. Previous experience in the field and/or more recent study are taken into account. So, if you can prove an interest or do well in an admissions interview your GPA needn’t be an immediate bar to entry.</p>
<p>If the college is strict, then take some undergrad classes and get good grades. They’ll either take these classes on their own for your a GPA or add them to your existing undergrad classes meaning that you could certainly get over the GPA threshold. </p>
<p>Remember, you’re a different person now. Your undergrad was your undergrad. It happened. Don’t hide it. Use it to drive you forward and seize this chance with 2 hands :)</p>
<p>@ Erin’s Dad: Of course that’s the first step I took, and I received no answer from the university. That’s why I’m on here, asking for advice.</p>
<p>@ highland_poppy: Yes, I’ve heard that things in Europe are somewhat different, but unfortunately here in the USA, universities take things like GPA very seriously, regardless of personal situation or student maturity. If you don’t meet the GPA requirements, they usually will not even bother to speak to you. Also, there generally are no admissions interviews for undergraduate students. Admission is a very impersonal process, and usually is done entirely online. I’ve known of several schools that use computer programs to assess a potential student’s numbers, and if you don’t meet the GPA and/or SAT requirements, the computer purges you from the system, and your records are never even seen by human eyes. If you are rejected, you can appeal, but again this is typically done on the internet. The other roadblock for me is that I can’t just go to a university and take several classes to increase my GPA. Most universities limit the number of credit hours you can take as a non-degree seeking student, usually somewhere around 14 - 20 credit hours, which is 5 or 6 courses only. What I’m probably going to have to do is return to my old university and retake the classes I performed poorly in, but again, I’m limited to the number of classes I can take. The new grades will replace the old grades in the GPA calculation, but the old grades remain on my transcripts, which is rather ridiculous in my opinion.</p>
<p>Since the US government stepped in and started regulating school loans, colleges and universities have become much less about helping people reach their educational goals, and are now mostly concerned with processing as many students as possible to make as much profit as possible, both for the schools as well as the banks providing the loans through the government.</p>
<p>You brought your transcript to them to evaluate? You visited them and received no answer?</p>