graduate early or stay an extra semester to raise grades?
I am going into my senior year at my University. I have currently enough credits to graduate a semester early from taking summer classes and AP in high school. The thing is my grades are not that good. I currently have a 2.5. I also have no clue what field i want to go into. If i graduate early i have less student loans to pay off and I also can have a head start on looking for a job. If i graduate in the winter I think my gpa will be around a 2.6. If i graduate on time, my gpa will be higher but not by much maybe only a 2.7 or something around there. I always planned on taking a year off and working and then going to grad school. But with my grades this low I will have to work harder on getting in. What would you do?! i need help on what to decide.
You’re going to have to work hard to get into grad school no matter what. You’ll have to pass the GRE, GMAT, etc to get where you are going.
Personally, I think that graduating with the 2.5 is a good thing. Make sure you have equal to or greater than a 2.5 though, this is often the cut off mark for unconditional admission to universitites. It would be good to allow yourself a little breathing room if you have any doubts on that 2.5 and go ahead with a longer schedule for graduation.
On the other hand, if you’ve got it, then go ahead and take a year off to work. I’m working on my second masters right now and it is such a rewarding experience having worked inbetween earning the first one and now. Drawing on that real world experience can really enhance your education and ability to comprehend and apply the information you gain in your coursework.
Above all, I would check out the requirements for admission to the graduate program you are looking at. Don’t just chck out university admission but also the admission requirements for your specific course of study. Sometimes admission is simply an equation: GPA + Test Score. If you think a couple of points will help with admission then you know what to do!
Good luck. I think that either way you choose to go you’re in a great position and that is exciting!
