Doing a Second Bachelors Degree?

[LitWit]

Hi There,

I'm in a bit of a predicament. I'm in my last year about to graduate from my undergraduate at the University of Toronto from Political Science and History. I'm graduating with 2.5 CGPA due to many issues that came up in my first two years of undergraduate, last two years I have 3.8 GPA. I want to pursue graduate studies in History. In Canada, most schools look only at your last two years of undergraduate for admission to graduate studies. I want to pursue graduate studies outside Canada, preferably in the UK at schools like LSE, Oxford, etc. Obviously my current grades are not sufficient to merit admission. I was considering doing a second bachelors degree to pursue graduate studies at these institutions, is it worth it or a viable option?

[feralgrad]

I don't think a second Bachelor's would be worth the time, money, and effort. You have several other options to improve your application.

How are your grades in history? Many programs will focus on those. You can also mention your undergrad struggles in your SOP, and describe how you were able to overcome them and improve your GPA. I've also heard of people auditing courses, which can show your academic improvement, get you better letters of rec, and allow you to develop a stronger writing sample.

Another option (at least in America) is teaching high school for a few years. Once you've been out of undergrad for a while, GPA becomes a less important factor. Teaching will allow you to stay engaged in your field, and it may help you choose your research area. Additionally, many US states will help pay for teachers to attend grad school. It would also look nice on a resume if you intend to apply for TAships.

[LitWit]

My grades in History are for better than any other discipline I've taken courses in. The requirements for the schools in the UK (LSE and Oxford), are ~3.7 GPA and higher. Do you think its still possible to gain admission to these schools with a great Personal Statement + my upward trend in GPA. I don't know.