<p>Hi, i am a rising junior at a top 15 university.
last semester my gpa took a hit (I got two D's--i got extremely sick during finals) and now my gpa is a 2.88..I had about a 3.32 before just from As and Bs.
I could retake the classes I failed and get my grades up...which i will do. </p>
<p>I can potentially graduate with a 3.5, 3.6 from this top school notorious for grade deflation. </p>
<p>Anyway, my question is....is it still possible for me to get into a TOP grad school?? How? I am beginning to lose hope. </p>
<p>Background--
-African american female
-first generation college
-2.88 but could become 3.5 by senior year
-started a few community service projects with the community...really great ones
-a few leadership positions...board member
-intramural sporting
-sorority
-history research</p>
<p>What else can I dooo? I am interested in yale/harvard/columbia for grad school....maybe contemplating law school</p>
<p>What type of graduate/professional school would you like to go to? Law school is very different than getting your PhD, for example, and will affect what is most important in your application package. From what I have heard about law school, your GPA and LSAT scores are the most important factors, especially at top programs. I don’t know how much they weight extracurricular experiences, but they would likely consider exposure to the law field (work as a paralegal, for instance).</p>
<p>thats the thing…i dont know 
im currently majoring in international relations and economics but i really dont like it…i feel like im in too deep pull out now though and i just lost all interest in what i study. oh gosh someone help me. </p>
<p>i was thinking about doing a post bac and then pursuing dentistry? or med stuff</p>
<p>Figuring out what type of graduate school you would like to go to or what type of career you would like to pursue (or if you would like to go to graduate school at all) should be your first type of action. Try to find internships or work experience that interests you. Look into research options, if you are considering pursuing a PhD. Try to arrange job shadows of different professions that you are interested in. Talk to your career services center–they often have information about different graduate programs, internship opportunities, or potential options you could take with a bachelor’s. You could also try talking to your academic adviser to see if they have any suggestions for your situation.</p>
<p>It seems like you’re swinging wildly from very, very different career fields. It might be best for you to explore different career paths now and perhaps take a few years away from school before plunging straight into a graduate program. Do your best to get as high a GPA as possible so that you’re options are still open, but also try to get some experience in different fields. Not only will this allow you to see what sort of career you’d like to pursue, it can also look good on your CV if you do decide to attend a program in that field. If you’re interested in law, get some experience in a law field. If you’re interested in “med stuff,” get experience volunteering in a hospital or another clinical setting. If you’re interested in pursuing a PhD, get some research experience.</p>
<p>Please do NOT go to graduate school just because you don’t know what you want to do. You should attend graduate school because you’re confident that that is a degree you want to get and that it is necessary for the career that you want to have.</p>
<p>I 100% concur with everything baktrax said. I’m a rising sophomore and I’ve known ever since I was in middle school that I wanted to become a doctor or do something involving science, and if I don’t get into medical school after trying multiple times, I’m going to pursue a Master’s in Public Health (Epidemiology) and become a epidemiologist. I’ve loved nothing else but science since I was a child, and after experimenting with different courses, I know that my future career will be in science. I’ve looked at other majors in the past such as theatre, music, journalism, computer science, mathematics, but I soon became disinterested in them, but my love for public health/biology never wavered, which is why I am majoring in Public Health with a Minor in Biological Sciences. Why exactly did you choose IR and Economics? And you have an interest in fields that are totally distant from each other, but are lucrative. Are you interested in grad/med/dent/law schools just because of the money?</p>
<p>Hey thanks for responding…and yea I guys pursuing law and such was for the money…but now I just feel list and without passion…I get excited about astronomy and scientific exploration…but thinking about it depresses me because I feel like it’s too late for me to pursue</p>
<p>Law is really GPA conscious so your grades might be a problem. But graduating with a 3.0 is no shame and you can still get into great grad schools with that. And if you want to pursue astronomy, you can take a few classes for your last semester of undergrad and then apply for a masters program in astronomy/astrophysics if you really want to.</p>
<p>^ thank you. i dont have ANY science classes whatsoever lol.
i def have to speak to someone about this</p>
<p>If you don’t have any science and have not done any research, then you have no idea if you will like that or are good at that. You would have to do extensive post-bac coursework. There aren’t exactly a lot of jobs in astronomy–like very few, and you’d need a PhD. If you did science now, you might have some experience to get into a lab or some kind of support position. You might explore how hard it is to get into a lab at your college during the semester, even just washing up, to start. You would get some idea of how the work is done. Meanwhile if you have electives left, try a few science classes.</p>
<p>Law is a terrible field to be in right now. Even if you spend 30 minutes searching on the net you will see that salaries are terrible for the many and great for the few (who get into the very top firms and like to work like dogs), and unemployment is high. </p>
<p>It seems you should work a couple of years to give time to mature and figure out what you want to do. Try to think of an area to begin work in. Try for an internship in that area next summer. Maybe in some area of community service that inspires you, or in a related govt org. Maybe in a planetarium or science museum. Maybe in a lab if you can gain some experience. </p>
<p>Are you sure that your grades will be replaced if you repeat the classes? If so, then you’d better do that to keep doors open. Hopefully doing that will be an easy extra class as you did most of the work already. A sub 3.0 will not likely get you into any grad school, without exceptional conditions.</p>
<p>Another thought. Astronomy is one of the areas we can be Citizen Scientists. People who are interested in the subject usually get involved with amateur opportunities, even as high school students. You can do a lot of self education and join related clubs.</p>
<p>Thank you for your response.
Yes, the grade will definitely be replaced. I am retaking one course right now and will retake the other Senior Fall.
Job—sigh, I really dont know what to do with my life :(</p>