Back to School: Advice for 24-Year Old with Low GPA and Interest in Astrophysics

[toxicity_27]

Hello, I apologize ahead of time for the length, but I have a question that I would appreciate some advice on. I am currently 24. I graduated high school 6 years ago with a 3.0 GPA and a 27 on the ACT. I know that's nothing special, but I never really tried in high school.

I attended college in pursuit of a Computer Science degree. I found out very quickly that I hadn't matured enough to be on my own. All I basically did was party. I got put on academic probation and then was told I had to take a semester off. I cam back for my third semester still not having matured enough, but was a little better. I was told once again that I had to leave for a semester unless I wanted to write an essay about why I should be able to go back, and then if accepted I would only be allowed to take a certain amount of credits. I decided not to go this route. I think I “passed” most classes. By this I mean I achieved at least a D.

Fast forward 4 years. I've been working full time since I quit college and all I've ever thought about since then is going back. I had a job for 3.5 years working 60+ hours a week, traveling constantly. This job definitely matured me a lot and very quickly.

Ever since I can remember I've been interested in space. I took an astronomy class in college the rekindled my love. I loved physics and math in high school. I want to go back to college to pursue a degree in astrophysics. I would like to go get my PhD as well. I may be able to get readmitted to my old college (small public liberal arts university), but I've also been looking at going to a different school.

My questions are;
With my bad college GPA would transferring to a different school basically be out of the question?

Should I go for a Physics degree instead and then go into an astrophysics field when I want to go to grad school?

Should I try to get readmitted to my old college, switch majors, go for a couple of years, improve my GPA and then try to transfer?

I know this time around I will have a better attitude towards school. I try to read as much on physics, astrophysics, etc. as I can. I need to brush up on my math a little though. I'm planning on finding some textbooks this summer and try to learn some more. Any other advice you have would be greatly appreciated and I thank you for taking your time to read this.

 

[DrummingAtom]

My questions are;
With my bad college GPA would transferring to a different school basically be out of the question?

Should I go for a Physics degree instead and then go into an astrophysics field when I want to go to grad school?

Should I try to get readmitted to my old college, switch majors, go for a couple of years, improve my GPA and then try to transfer?

When I transferred schools I started with a brand new GPA, you will have to check if this works for whatever school you transfer to. If you have any concerns about going back to the school you got kicked out off, then I would look into transferring because it's a nice feeling to start over. You can always start a community college and then see if you're ready for school again without having to pay a larger tuition. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[toxicity_27]

I've contemplated going to a community college, but I can't seem to find any around here that would let me take a lot of math or physics. I looked around for the brand new GPA thing and that seems to hold true for most schools, so that is definitely a load off of my mind. I think I will be transferring to a different school, but now I just need to find one. Also what would be better if I plan on going to grad school for astrophysics; majoring in physics or majoring in astrophysics? Any downside to either?

 

[toxicity_27]

Anyone?

 

[toxicity_27]

Anyone else have any insight on my situation? I'm trying to find some schools that have an astrophysics program but they seem to be the schools that I would most likely not get into because of my lackluster gpa and ACT score.

 

[twofish-quant]

I would like to go get my PhD as well. I may be able to get readmitted to my old college (small public liberal arts university), but I've also been looking at going to a different school.

I'd take things one step at a time. Get in. Take physics courses and get good recommendations, and get yourself involved in undergraduate research. If you take a few intro calculus and physics courses, and then decide that you really don't like astronomy, then you'll still be able to do things with those courses.

With my bad college GPA would transferring to a different school basically be out of the question?

Should I go for a Physics degree instead and then go into an astrophysics field when I want to go to grad school?

Should I try to get readmitted to my old college, switch majors, go for a couple of years, improve my GPA and then try to transfer?

A lot of these questions are very school specific, and it's unlikely that someone that doesn't know the specific schools will be able to answer. The astronomy core courses are more or less the same as physics core courses, but whether to go to physics or astronomy depends a lot on the details of the school.

I know this time around I will have a better attitude towards school. I try to read as much on physics, astrophysics, etc. as I can. I need to brush up on my math a little though. I'm planning on finding some textbooks this summer and try to learn some more. Any other advice you have would be greatly appreciated and I thank you for taking your time to read this.

One thing that I think you should do as quickly as possible is to get involved in undergraduate research. You might find out that you like it. You might find out that you hate it. If you end up liking it, then that will give you motivation to go further, and if you end up hating it then it's better to find out quickly.

Also, it is probably a good idea to set closer goals. For example, once you get started, you just should focus on getting through the basic classes. This is important because if you find yourself in a situation where you either can't or don't want to go further, you still have gotten something useful out of the experience.

 

[toxicity_27]

Thanks twofish-quant. I'll keep on looking for a school, and use this advice to help me out.