ebbytempura

Hoping people could help me out with my predicament. I'm 28 from the Philippines and really want to do graduate school. My undergrad degree was Chemistry. I took a postgrad degree in Biology. The reason for the shift was because I have multi-disciplinary interests that generally fall towards the direction of Life and Nutritional Sciences. I scored above average (C/C-) in Chemistry but far better in my postgrad (B+/A). The low grades in college were a result of not being able to properly manage the academic demands of the honors program while I was in a position of student leadership. Unfortunately I didn't finish the postgrad degree because of personal, financial, and geographical issues that just made it impossible to finish the degree. Now I have a professional career as a brewer/brewing scientist (I make beer!) and I really want to take up Food Science and Engineering, or even Fermentation Science. But I'm worried about the low undergrad GPA. Does my result in postgrad performance (i.e. higher GPA, did not finish) reflect relatively poorly on my academic ability?

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I've been looking at admission stats whenever they're available and it does seem like the numbers are up. Do you see the number of applications dying down in the next few years?

Thanks for the reply! I've really been stressing out about the possibility of rejection because of my undergrad GPA, so your post is really reassuring! Do most unis have the special admission that you mentioned? And are you still funded under this type of setup?

Hey guys, it's my first time to post here. Hoping some of you can give some advice on my situation: I'm an international student planning to apply to a PhD in Toxicology. My undergrad is chemistry, but I realized after college that I really want to study toxic effects of exposure to environmental pollutants. My problem is that I've been told by several programs that I would most likely be rejected because my undergrad GPA is not high (probably around 2.5-2.7 because I screwed up my last two years in college). Also I've got 2 years of research experience in chemistry, but almost none related to toxicology. In the last two years, I've taken some undergrad courses in biology to make up for my deficiencies in biology, and I'm currently taking some grad courses in biology. My GPA has improved, but it's still not very high. In terms of work experience, I'm a part-time lecturer in biology now, and I'm about to become a research assistant for a project that's related to toxicology. What I want to ask is that, given my situation, do I have a realistic chance of being admitted to a PhD program in the US? Can I make up for my deficiencies with a really high GRE/GRE subject score? Do my current credentials merit a possible shot at high ranking unis, or should I stick to "reasonably good" ones instead? I am considering some top universities, but I would be happy to get admission in a reasonably good university. I'm really desperate to switch fields now, and I would really appreciate some advice.