Low GPA Advice/Tips

[vampyrica]

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I searched around to see if a similar thread was already created to revive but I couldn’t find anything..so here we go.

I’ve been reading lots of low gpa students considering a Master’s to boost their GPA and I thought we could use a more organized place to discuss this given the new BBB terms and to discuss the cheapest yet most effective ways to boost your GPA.

 

[vampyrica]

For me personally, I chose not to pursue a Masters and instead took grad level courses as a non-degree seeking student and paid out of pocket per credit. It isn’t feasible for everyone, and each person’s situation is unique. This is just what worked for me.

I worked full-time at a university and got a discount on the credits so I took as many as I could afford. So, that is definitely an option if you’re looking to take 1-2 years off to help boost your GPA.

 

[pp9]

Imo the cheapest/most effective way to boost your GPA is to repeat courses as cheaply as possible (community college courses when possible, for example) and aside from your IS, only apply to schools that do grade replacement. Especially if the original grade is particularly low (like below a C).

Regarding a master's specifically:

A master's degree is usually only going to benefit your cGPA/last 45 at some schools. may or may not contribute to science GPA depending on the school and the degree you get. READ THE FINE PRINT/ASK THE SCHOOLS. Some schools barely consider a master's, one off the top of my head does not consider master's credits at all.

If you have a pretty low (<3.2 maybe) cGPA by the end of your bachelor's degree, a master's won't do much to bump that up. So if you are set on getting a master's, perhaps you should then only apply to schools that consider a master's heavily/only consider last 45 and science/prereq GPAs.

 

[vampyrica]

If you have a pretty low (<3.2 maybe) cGPA by the end of your bachelor's degree, a master's won't do much to bump that up. So if you are set on getting a master's, perhaps you should then only apply to schools that consider a master's heavily/only consider last 45 and science/prereq GPAs.

that and consider schools that look at academic trends.

unfortunately, those holistic schools are some of the most applied to each year, but those will have to be your options as they will be the most forgiving and maximize your chances.

 

[JaynaAli]

I agree with PP; from what I’ve seen sticking around SDN for nearly 15 years now is that masters often don’t help as much as people would like or as much as you’d think. So many schools emphasize prereq GPAs and other various calculations that it can be hard to move the needle. IMO, thorough research and applying smart is much more important. That’s not to say a masters is useless or doesn’t ever help, but make sure you know what your target schools look at and how they’ll factor it in. I’d mostly advise someone to do a masters if they’re truly interested in that topic and if it can be an acceptable backup plan for them if vet med doesn’t work out.

In regards to the BBB and changes to student loans specifically, don’t forget that there is now a $20,500 annual limit for federal loans for a masters/PhD. It’s hard if not impossible to pay tuition and live on that amount. I believe that the $100,000 lifetime cap for graduate studies is separate from the $200,000 professional studies lifetime cap, but you would still be subject to the $257,000 total lifetime, across-all-types federal loan cap, so if you’re planning on vet school, you need to be really careful how much you borrow for potential masters coursework (and undergrad, though that’s probably outside the realm of this thread). If you don’t have undergraduate loans, that gives you a little more “wiggle room” within the federal caps to pay for a masters, but funding extra classes has definitely gotten a lot more complicated with the new changes.

 

[HorseObsessed]

Food for thought and not my own experience. My partner has taken three years to get his master's. He takes 2 classes at a time through UF for an MS in Microbiology. It costs him about $3000 a semester and he's been able to pay for it out of pocket while working full time on a pretty meager research salary (40k). If you have a bachelor's in something like biology, this path could be helpful— research pays not much but enough to afford the master's. (he's applying to med school not vet school but it still feels like an applicable piece of advice as research helps for vet school too!)

 

[oweue]

I was also told by advisors that retaking is better than masters as you are also showing you've now mastered the concepts in those classes you did worse in. I found that UCSD Extension has had the cheapest online courses and is accredited so has been approved by all programs I have applied to

 

[biomajor2024]

I agree with PP; from what I’ve seen sticking around SDN for nearly 15 years now is that masters often don’t help as much as people would like or as much as you’d think. So many schools emphasize prereq GPAs and other various calculations that it can be hard to move the needle. IMO, thorough research and applying smart is much more important. That’s not to say a masters is useless or doesn’t ever help, but make sure you know what your target schools look at and how they’ll factor it in. I’d mostly advise someone to do a masters if they’re truly interested in that topic and if it can be an acceptable backup plan for them if vet med doesn’t work out.

In regards to the BBB and changes to student loans specifically, don’t forget that there is now a $20,500 annual limit for federal loans for a masters/PhD. It’s hard if not impossible to pay tuition and live on that amount. I believe that the $100,000 lifetime cap for graduate studies is separate from the $200,000 professional studies lifetime cap, but you would still be subject to the $257,000 total lifetime, across-all-types federal loan cap, so if you’re planning on vet school, you need to be really careful how much you borrow for potential masters coursework (and undergrad, though that’s probably outside the realm of this thread). If you don’t have undergraduate loans, that gives you a little more “wiggle room” within the federal caps to pay for a masters, but funding extra classes has definitely gotten a lot more complicated with the new changes.

I've heard this too and chose to do a masters because my undergrad didn't offer upper level animal nutrition or much animal welfare related coursework and I thought that would be helpful for vet school and my interests. Regarding cost, I took a gap year and worked for a year and a half to be able to pay down my undergrad loans and for the masters. If anyone is interested, it is possible to reasonably do a masters without accruing more loans. I also have several classmates who work full time for the school as they get free tuition and they are doing a longer non-thesis based masters. It's worth noting that I also retook some classes during my gap year.

 

[wearecharlixcx]

I did a vet tech associates after my undergrad. My Bachelor of Arts CGPA was 3.05, but after doing a bunch of applied science courses for an associates it left my science GPA at 3.9 and cGPA at 3.3. Pretty cheap too, and my employer comped some of the cost. Combined with doing a post baccalaureate for the actual science prerequisites I was able to get my science to 3.95 and cGPA to over 3.4. It’s not stellar, but my last 60 credits are 4.0 and everything less than a 3.7 is more than 10 years old.

 

[catman506]

Something I don't see many people talking about when discussing MS/PhD programs are graduate assistantships. Many assistantships will cover your tuition and give you a living stipend in exchange for being a research and/or teaching assistant (as well as taking some graduate classes). Not only does this mean you get a free degree, but you also get paid (albeit a small, yet liveable, salary) while gaining incredibly valuable experience with research, animals, teaching, people skills and communication, grant writing (and writing in general), critical thinking, public speaking/presentation, reading scientific literature, making professional connections, attending conferences, making publications... the list goes on. It will also give you experience with a variety of aspects of animal/veterinary science and expose you to different paths within the field.

Personally, I think all the responsibilities that come along with an assistantship speak volumes, and are perhaps more beneficial professionally than solely taking graduate classes. You will also still get to take plenty of graduate-level science courses to boost your GPA and show that you can handle difficult coursework. I highly recommend pursuing an assistantship to anyone who wants to explore their options, give themselves some more time to mature before pursuing vet school, explore options within the field, and gain research, teaching, and animal experience! I will say: it is very important that you are genuinely interested in the research and topic and make sure it is something you think will benefit you in the future, whether you attend vet school or choose a different path.

All that being said-- you don't need to pay for a graduate degree in order to get one. You just have to look in the right places and be open to exploring a different type of school that is not as course-focused.