I'm on a second bachelors -- how much will the first drag me down?

vjk2

I did very badly at my first shot at college. It took me 5 years to barely graduate with an english literature degree. I hated life in college, but I especially hated life after college.

In that time I went up to Physics 2 and Calc 3 and passed with C's. I withdrew from Chem after missing an exam due to my disorganization.

Now I'm back in school in an engineering program. Bachelors.

I'm doing pretty well. I'm taking Chem and am on track to get an A. I'm retaking Calculus 3 and am on track to get an A. The other classes I have are A's from the looks of it. I may even be able to make the deans list, which would be pretty awesome.

So here's the thing. I'm not really feeling the engineering classes right now. I'm enjoying Chem the most. I'm continuing with Chem 2 next semester even though I don't have to so I can keep my options open.

If say, I wanted to pursue dental or medical school, how much would my previous 5 years of misery weigh against me? If say my first pathetic BA was like a 2.8, but my GPA in the second BS is like a 3.7

Mech_Engineer

It will depend on how competitve the med school is. The only real shoe-ins for most med schools are a 4.0 gpa and respectable extracurriculars. Below that, your admission will depend on the crop of students that year and your application letter and references.

I have a friend with a 3.6 GPA, it took him 2 years of applying to med schools all over the place before he was accepted by one. Not sure if your english lit degree with help or hurt, my guess is neither as long as you have an excellent GPA in you applicable degree. For most med schools, a degree in biomedical engineering, biology, or related will be your best bet.