Has anyone gone back to school to get a 2nd bachelor's degree?
I have a B.S. in biology, and I'm stuck in a job where I'm unhappy and making very little money. I don't see much room for growth at the laboratory I'm working at, and it took me a long time to just find this job. I don't think I could get into grad school. I had a fairly poor GPA and nothing to make me really stand out. I've been thinking of going back to school in the spring at my local university and studying engineering. I'm just thinking about it at this point. I'm 23, and I feel like it might be better for me in the long run if I bite the bullet and go back to school instead of spending forever in a job where I'm unhappy and there aren't much prospects for the future. Since graduating and getting into the "real world", I feel like I've learned a lot and would totally devote myself to my studies, making connections, and getting myself prepared for a career. I believe I would be able to use all my general undergrad classes for the 2nd degree, and would need about 2 years to finish the engineering courses. Has anyone done this? Good idea? How was your experience? Thanks.
Why do people go back to school for a second bachelor's degree?
To begin a new career. The popular myth that a bachelor’s degree in one field (ie BA in any Liberal Arts or Humanities) will qualify you for a Master’s degree in EVERY OTHER FIELD no matter how radically different it may be (ie nursing, computer science, or electrical engineering) is exactly that: a myth. The fact is that while you can get a Master’s in a different field than your Bachelor’s (like English to Business Management), it often not the case in a science, health, mathematics and engineering. You will need to either a) start with a second bachelor’s or b) take prerequisites classes, pass the GRE or GMAT and hope your GPA is high enough so a University will accept you into their program. Route b) will often take 4 years to complete (adjusting for Pre-Reqs, tests, applications and Masters), while route a) will perhaps take less time if your second college accepts all the credits from your previous degree (mine’s did, but some will not accept all of them) and less money. It usually sucks, but hey: if you struck out with the first degree and you want to get into a field that is in HIGH DEMAND and PAYS A DECENT SALARY then it needs to be done.
How easy is it to get a second bachelor degree?
I know several people who have done it. Usually, it is because they realized after a short time in the working world that the history degree they earned does not have the career potential that their colleagues in the computer science world have (for example). So they start over with a new major.However, in most cases, I would recommend going for a masters degree. A bachelors degree takes about four years. A masters degree can be earned in two years. A masters degree looks more impressive on a resume than a second bachelors.It took me five years (part-time while working full-time) to get my MBA because I had no business classes in my undergrad degree. It took me 20 months to get my second masters - again, while working full-time. And my employers covered almost all of the costs associated with both of my masters degrees.So, specifically to address your question “How easy is it to get a second bachelor degree?” Well, are you going for a CS degree after getting a bachelors in fine arts? Are you going for a physics degree after earning a bachelors in ancient history? Or are you going for a zoology degree after you have one in biology? How “easy” it is to get a second bachelors is probably more about how related the two disciplines are than anything else - or how well you know and love the second major.
Could I finish my bachelor's degree in 2 years?
People are saying it’s extremely difficult or impossible. They’re wrong.I made it my mission to finish college as soon as possible the day I started high school. I ended up finish high school with 90 college credits and getting my master’s degree at 20.I wrote a blog post on the topic, but here’s the gist of it:In High SchoolTake as Many AP Classes as PossibleGo to Community College During the SummerIn CollegeTest Out of Easier ClassesExplore Co-op education programsDual-enroll and Take Community College ClassesIf you already have some college credits and want to finish ASAP, i’d recommend looking into the school Western Governor’s University.It’s an online school, but man have they come a long way. I attended WGU because they’re:Non-profitAffordableRegionally Accredited (AKA recognized as a legitimate college)Go at your own pace (AKA finish early if you’re smart)Online, so you can work anywhereI don’t want to be too much of a cheerleader, but I had an excellent experience at WGU. If you can pass the final, you pass the class. None of the BS of arbitrary class lengths or busy-work assignments.They can hold your hand with study guides and provide all the materials you need to pass. Or you can use your materials and study on your own terms, taking the final whenever you feel ready. You pay per term at about $3500 a term. Much cheaper than traditional universities.In my opinion, every school should be this way. It’s hands down the best way to finish college early with a legit degree. I highly recommend you look into it.Best of luck,Cole
Will my DeVry University bachelor degree carry over to Cal State University so that I can get another degree without starting over?
I have a business degree: Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications from DeVry University in 1999. I want to go back to school and take high level mathematics, finance, economics, and business classes so that I can get a new degree in Actuary Science from Cal State. I'm trying to change careers.
Two Bachelors degrees vs one Masters?
If I can complete a second Bachelors in a year vs. only a few Masters classes in one year (several years to complete a Masters) - both attending part-time, which would be the better choice? Does having two Bachelors degrees even mean anything or help with employment?
After graduating from my bachelor's, can I take 2 years before med school?
A2AYup, as Karol Emil Thornton-Remiszewski said, you can take as much time off as you want. It may make it a little more difficult to get back in to med school, and it may mean you have to retake the MCAT, but it's certainly doable. I had 2 years off between undergrad and med school, mainly because I didn't realize I wanted to go to med school until about a year after I'd graduated. During those two years I:worked in a molecular biology labworked in a pizza placetutored organic chemistry & physicsplayed in a bandtraveled a lotA good friend of mine in med school had been a firefighter for about 15 years before med school. Another had been a contractor. Navy nuclear sub captain. Industrial Engineer (one of 3 people who knew the recipe for Life Savers). Fish biology researcher. Most impressive - a housewife who decided to go to med school after her kids left for college (incredibly smart, incredibly organized).In my opinion, "second career" physicians are some of the best - they had the time off to really decide if med school was what they wanted to do, and had worked & made money. They had consciously given that up to come back to school. Very different attitude towards school and learning than those who came straight through from undergrad.
Is it true that if you get a degree from a two year school...?
>Not true.<
How long does it typically take to earn a bachelor's degree after an associate's degree?
It all depends on what the school which you are going for a bachelor’s degree, accepts from the school where you earned your associates degree from…If it’s the same school, it will likely be about two years (or about 60 credits).However, in my situation, I foolishly went to one of those BS for profit schools for a totally worthless associate’s degree. It was a complete waste of ~18 months and $20,000. More than 15 years later, I’m still paying for that.However, I saw the reality before I finished, and I started working on my bachelors at a much more reputable school (see my bio).As a result, I started with zero credits and had to earn every one of them at that school. So, it should have taken four years.But, I worked hard, took more classes than most people, and completed my bachelor’s degree three years after I started. I went on and added a MBA in another year. So I went from nothing to a MBA in four years.All from a Big 10 university.So it all just depends on what schools you go to.Good luck!