Low GPA due to switching majors halfway through (and switching back) - chances of grad school?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi everyone! I apologize if my question is redundant but I found no questions with a situation similar to mine, so:</p>

<p>I started school majoring in biology (ecology) and kept my GPA at 3.50 for the first two years of school (not stellar, but not horrible either). I then switched to engineering for stupid reasons (come from a poor background and wanted a secure job, always been good at math and figured that equated to being good at this too) and did absolutely horribly (prepare for "excuses") due to a complete absence of a support network with severe depression (I'm first generation and didn't really realize how stupid I was being in staying with a major I was not only bad at but couldn't handle at the time). After a long 2.5 years struggling to even stay in college as an engineering major, I switched back to biology which I am currently in. So far, since switching back, I've been doing well and currently have straight A's again (my school does letter grades, not +/-).</p>

<p>So, problems abound, however, because most graduate school look at GPA of either the last 60 credit hours (abysmal due to the fact that that will include 30 credit hours of engineering classes due to graduating this next spring) or the overall (cumulative GPA will end at a 2.6). However, my major GPA (even including organic chemistry and such) will be in the 3.35-3.45 range when I graduate. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, I only spent one semester in a lab doing research during sophomore year but wasn't trusted with much due to being younger and having less experience, and this is the only research experience I have (have had to work two jobs pretty much every semester to stay in college, and while I will be in a lab next semester I couldn't do it this semester or last semester when I switched back to biology). My relationships with professors are so-so at best (I do well in their classes but don't know them) and I'm worried about recommendation letters.</p>

<p>I do, however, have a ton of volunteering hours (I know it matters for medical school but I'm not sure about the ecology field and if it even matters) - an average of 75-100 a semester - and extracurriculars (including officer positions). I also work at least 30 hours every semester while doing everything else (I know it's stupid to take so much time away from work, but I have to or I couldn't continue).</p>

<p>This isn't my sob story, but before people potentially flame me for being ignorant please understand that I come from parents who have minimal schooling (one didn't finish high school) and grew up in a house with drug abuse problems. During a year in engineering I lived on friend's couches because my apartment building was condemned for structural problems. I know not to include most of this in a statement letter but that's the problem - these things are, at least somewhat, relative to my performance.</p>

<p>I'm not too picky at this point to where I go - I want to continue in the same vein and go to graduate school for ecology/environmental sciences. I'm just worried that <em>no</em> programs will take me with these stats that would be relevant enough for me to continue to a doctoral program. I have not taken the GRE yet but am generally a good test taker (I know that isn't akin to an actual score, but my ACT score was 34 and I can generally handle tests well). </p>

<p>I've written quite a bit and I apologize for that. Easy breakdown of my stats, since they're in the wall of text:
Major GPA: ~3.4
Overall GPA: 2.6 (switched majors)
Last 2 years GPA: ~2.5 (switched majors)
Last year GPA: ~3.85
Little to no research experience
Many relevant extracurriculars/job experience (position at sustainaibility department currently)
Concerned about recommendations due to being new to department again/segmented biology work</p>

<p>Main question: Is it possible to be accepted into a grad program with enough prestige that I could have chances of being accepted into a decent doctoral program in the future (or even to any graduate programs at all)?</p>

<p>Thank you all.</p>

2

<p>Have you thought about working for a year or two in your chosen field? The added experience might help you. </p>

3

<p>I’ve thought about it, but it’s not a particularly enticing option. Jobs in my field aren’t very plentiful in my area, and I’d likely need to move away to find a good job with beneficial experience. Thank you for the suggestion though, it is something I’ll unfortunately need to keep in mind.</p>

4

<p>Posted this about a week ago and got no replies; figured I’d try again.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1711130-low-gpa-due-to-switching-majors-halfway-through-and-switching-back-chances-of-grad-school.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1711130-low-gpa-due-to-switching-majors-halfway-through-and-switching-back-chances-of-grad-school.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>Instead of making a new thread, if you want to move your thread up just “bump” the old thread (you can post something like “Anybody else?” or even just “bump”).</p>

<p>Anyway, your situation is more common than you might think - lots of people switching over from pre-med into a different field or engineering into something else. A couple of thoughts (disclosure: biology is not my field. I’m a social scientist. So I’m speaking from general experience):</p>

<p>1) No, your volunteering doesn’t really matter for academic programs in biology/ecology/environmental sciences. Unless, of course, the volunteering was research-related.</p>

<p>2) One semester of research experience won’t make you competitive for PhD programs, but it sounds like you’re trying to get into an MS program first. That could probably be enough.</p>

<p>3) I don’t know that I would say that “most” programs consider just the last 60 credits GPA. I think most academic programs take a far more flexible approach to examining your grades than most undergrads would expect, primarily due to their experiences with college admissions. They might look at several different indicators - so your cumulative GPA, the GPA for your last 60 credits, and your major GPA. They might look at how you perform in individual classes. Also remember that admissions committees are made up of a council of professors. Different things might be important to them - one professor might find that last 60 credits GPA matters more to him, whereas another may only care about your major GPA.</p>

<p>I can’t speak to whether you could or couldn’t get into any MS program, but I will say that many a student has rebounded from a low (sub-3.0) GPA to go on and get an MS or a PhD. I think you could write an additional statement to attach to your application matter-of-factly explaining your situation and highlighting the fact that your major GPA, and your last year’s (or 60 credits) GPA excluding engineering courses, are quite high. You can leave out the first-gen and working stuff; I think a lot of professors are sympathetic to the fact that some college students don’t hit their stride until they find the right major.</p>

<p>4) You really need an otherwise outstanding package to support you. That means that you need to strengthen your relationships with some professors so that you can get strong recommendations. You want one professor to be close enough to you to be able to say “efieldsMU’s grades in his engineering classes do not reflect his skill and prowess in biology. He’s an excellent student and I think you should overlook the engineering grades” or something like that. If a professor can vouch for you, that has more power than you explaining it yourself.</p>

<p>5) In my field, the prestige of your master’s program doesn’t really matter. What matters is getting the graduate experience and research experience if you need it in between undergrad and a PhD. I’m not sure if this is also true in biology, but I’m willing to bet that it is. What I mean is, you don’t have to try to get into Harvard et al. and pay obscene amounts of money to get the MS. You can probably go to a reputable MS program at a public university in your home state to get the kind of experience you need. However, ask this of people in your field to be sure.</p>