I have a BA from a great undegrad in a useless subject. I want to go back for my second bachelors in biology. My goals is to work in as a cancer biologist. Eventually, I would apply to PhD programs. I have already taken a few courses and I enjoyed them. However, I keep getting rejected from the jobs I want due to lack of a science degree. I am thinking I just need to go back for a whole new BS. I will continue on to a graduate program. Anything I should look out for? I only took out 10k in federal loans for undergrad. So, I have reached the loan limits.
I wonder if you could do something similar to a post-bac, but for your area of interest. Post-bacs are usually for premed students who missed several premed prerequisites while an undergrad. You wouldn’t necessarily have to go to a top school for those classes, but you’d need to get top grades. In addition, I’d look for opportunities to work in labs doing cancer research.
Ideas for how to get work on campus with a prof: So if you’re seeking bio classes from X college, you may decide on X college or community college because a prof is doing cancer research and then work in that lab. Or you could get a job in a lab, a job that pays. Look at the job listings at local unis and see if they have openings for researchers in labs. Even if you start as an administrator in the lab, you could get to know them and move into research work. And you’d be getting paid too, maybe.
This is brainstorming that I’d give to my child with a similar situation. These are what I see as your objectives: 1) you have a BA; 2) you need to supplement your coursework and 3) you need to supplement your skills and expertise, which can be done in a lab or other research positions, such as in a private company and to get into a Ph.D. program they will want to see also 4) great GRE scores and 5) that you have dedication to the field, which will show from your lab work.
best wishes