Getting into grad school with a bad record.

Question

So I'm currently in junior year of my undergrad as an Electrical Engineering major. As of this moment my GPA's 3.25; however, throughout my college career I've had to retake courses multiple times in order to get passing grades, and I still have some B's and C's. I plan on talking to advisors for grad school but at this rate it feels pointless to even consider thinking about applying in the future. Especially because the classes I retook were classes I initially failed, and because sophomore and freshmen year I was a different major (Biology) so it's going to take more time for me to finish my undergrad.

Answer 1

I'll be blunt: having multiple failed classes on your transcript will likely not help your chances of getting into a traditional graduate program. Some B's are usually okay. But getting an F then a C will not really reflect positively on your abilities to succeed in graduate school. Graduate school in electrical engineering is usually not for students who get C's. That's just the brutal reality. Barring a rare exception (such as the death of a parent, prolonged health issues), most admissions committees will not give much consideration to a 3.25 GPA.

Some possible hope:

If your last two years' GPA is stronger and you did well on the GRE, you could still be accepted provisionally (unfunded) to a graduate program. Become involved in research right now if you can. Build a relationship with some professors. Having a strong letter of recommendation from faculty members can certainly boost your application.