I’ve been out of my undergraduate studies for a few years now, and the time away has given me space to grow and reflect on my desires and choices.
Here’s the thing. I got my bachelor’s degree in Astronomy after several changes of my major (from engineering to social science to physics to astronomy). My GPA is god awful, a 2.2. I wasn’t ready for college when I was 17, and once I began struggling t make it through my semesters I didn’t have the forethought to take time off, become more stable, and reassess my goals. During my undergraduate career, I worked full-time while studying full-time and struggled with mental health issues and an eating disorder (and was generally in over my head in all areas of my life).
Now, I’ve recovered from my ED and am in a healthy space mentally. Which is great! I’m happy to see how far I’ve come personally. However, now I realize that I should have pursued my field of passion, biology.
Many people advise that if you wish to study something different post-bachelor’s and have a adjacent degree that pursuing a Master’s with extra courseload is the way to go. I’m not sure if that’s feasible considering my rock bottom GPA and lack of research experience. That said, I don’t want to pursue a second bachelor’s if it would be considered a waste. Is community college courses into a Master’s a thing?
Any insight/advice is highly appreciated. I just feel so weighed down by my earlier mistakes and I don’t know what direction to turn.
If your grades were poor AND you are entering an entirely new field, the number of courses you will be required to take to come up to speed will likely be in the ballpark of what you need to get a second BA. My advice is first to find out whether earning a second degree would require new distribution/core coursework, or whether you could just complete a new major and a certain number of total hours. Earning a second BA likely isn’t worth it if you have to jump through a bunch of hoops like a new freshman; if a second BA would only take 30 new credit hours and you need 20+ anyway of coursework, then a second BA might be a good idea.
Generally, a second BA isn’t going to impress employers and others very much relative to earning a Masters. Again, if picking up the second BA would not require too much on top of what you need to take to get in to a Masters program, then go for it, but otherwise just do the coursework and move to a Masters without any further hoops.
What do you want to do with biology?
What kind of degree is needed?
For example, if you wanted at this point to go to med school, then you might do a Post-Baccalaureate program (or just take classes) at a 4 year college and then apply to medical school.
I would talk to an advisor at your local State U and see what is necessary.
I’m hoping to do work within mycology, specifically mycoremediation techniques. I can return to my school where I received my first bachelor’s (which is a top 10 school for natural sciences) and retain the core work I did, so I would not be in the same boat as a new freshman.
It seems like that would be the best option considering what all of you have said. My biggest concern at the moment is trying to look more desirable for a Master’s application down the line, as that’s the only route it seems like I could take to get a foot in the door in the field I’m interested in.
If you return to your original university, and get involved with research projects there, your professors will be able to advise you on the best way to get into the grad program that is right for you.