Need realistic point of view - really low BS GPA

[Ashash2012]

I have a BS in psychology with a 2.44 gpa. Long story short, I was aiming to please my parents by staying in school instead of taking a break. I developed a rare autoimmune disease and it took a while to get everything under control. 

 

Would a 2nd bachelor’s degree in CSD look better than a post-baccalaureate program? I ask because a lot of schools require a minimum 3.0 from your bachelors degree. My last semester gpa was 3.8 (all health issues finally under control). 

 

ETA: I don’t know how 2nd bachelors degrees are calculated, but if your GPA continues, I would need 110 credit hours of a 4.0 to get my cumulative GPA to 3.0. 

Edited May 21, 2019 by Ashash2012
Clarification

[Rezzy S.]

Given the number of units you need to hit a 3.0, maybe the second bachelors, but be careful with online programs because some have reputations among grad programs of grade inflation. When you go to apply to grad school be sure to explain why your GPA is so low in your SOP, and apply to a lot (at least 7) of  less competitive schools using ASHA EdFind. Try to get as close to a 4.0 as possible in your CSD classes and give the GRE your everything. Build strong relationships with your professors in order to get great letters of recommendation and prioritize research experience, followed by shadowing/volunteering.

Good Luck!

[Ashash2012]

How do I know which online schools have a poor reputation? Does Longwood have a poor reputation? 

[KEIM]

On 5/21/2019 at 11:15 AM, Rezzy S. said:

Given the number of units you need to hit a 3.0, maybe the second bachelors, but be careful with online programs because some have reputations among grad programs of grade inflation. When you go to apply to grad school be sure to explain why your GPA is so low in your SOP, and apply to a lot (at least 7) of  less competitive schools using ASHA EdFind. Try to get as close to a 4.0 as possible in your CSD classes and give the GRE your everything. Build strong relationships with your professors in order to get great letters of recommendation and prioritize research experience, followed by shadowing/volunteering.

Good Luck!

I am also interested in which schools have poor reputations for grade inflation.

OP, I was in the same boat as you... low gpa (psych major). I have one last class to go before I complete my 2nd BA and I've managed to get As in all of my CSD courses. I opted for a second BA because I wanted to show that I've grown academically. My cum GPA will be a whooping 3.1 once I'm finished. I suppose there is no guarantee that going this route will ensure me a seat in graduate school but I would regret it if I didn't give it it a shot. 

Edited May 23, 2019 by KEIM

[slporbust2016]

What do your last 30 hours look like? If you do a 2nd bachelors and get a great GPA then your last 60 hours should be pretty competitive so you can look for programs that look heavily at the last 60 hours. 

[Rezzy S.]

51 minutes ago, KEIM said:

I am also interested in which schools have poor reputations for grade inflation.

OP, I was in the same boat as you... low gpa (psych major). I have one last class to go before I complete my 2nd BA and I've managed to get As in all of my CSD courses. I opted for a second BA because I wanted to show that I've grown academically. My cum GPA will be a whooping 3.1 once I'm finished. I suppose there is no guarantee that going this route will ensure me a seat in graduate school but I would regret it if I didn't give it it a shot. 

Just to clarify, it's not that these online schools have poor reputations overall, just with certain picky schools. You'll probably find a lot of people have been successful with them. The one I was able to recall was USU and here's a little bit on that one. I recommend if there are any grad programs you really have your heart set on, reach out to them now to make sure they don't have any biases against your online post-bacc program so there aren't any surprises. 

Also, completely agree with @slporbust2016.

Edited May 23, 2019 by Rezzy S.

[Ashash2012]

16 hours ago, slporbust2016 said:

What do your last 30 hours look like? If you do a 2nd bachelors and get a great GPA then your last 60 hours should be pretty competitive so you can look for programs that look heavily at the last 60 hours. 

My GPA for my first 31 hours (because one semester had 16 hours) is 2.68. 

ETA: do you think a post-back program would be okay, too? Or do you highly recommend the 2nd bachelors degree?

Edited May 23, 2019 by Ashash2012

[Ashash2012]

16 hours ago, Rezzy S. said:

Just to clarify, it's not that these online schools have poor reputations overall, just with certain picky schools. You'll probably find a lot of people have been successful with them. The one I was able to recall was USU and here's a little bit on that one. I recommend if there are any grad programs you really have your heart set on, reach out to them now to make sure they don't have any biases against your online post-bacc program so there aren't any surprises. 

Also, completely agree with @slporbust2016.

Thank you for sharing that! I am researching now. I’ll be signing up for my physics, bio, and stats courses at my local community college.