Is it too late for me to pursue physics?

[dbush2765]

So long story short, I've already graduated from a technical college with an Associate's of Technology in Control Systems Technology (think industrial programming) with 85 credit hours in the bag and a 4.0. I'm currently working full time as a database administrator for a marketing company in St. Louis, Missouri.

I would love to get into the science field though. I've actually already applied and got accepted to University of Missouri - St. Louis, with physics as my declared major (unfortunately, only 34 of my 85 credit hours transferred over). I actually start my Calculus I class tonight. The plan is to get a BS in physics, and hopefully transition into astrophysics in grad school.

How likely is grad school for me though? I'm assuming it will take me longer than four years to get my BS, considering I'm at the mercy of night classes. When it comes time for the higher level courses, I can convince my boss to let me work from home a few days a week so I can take those classes, but I don't really have that option for these easier courses at the moment. Even this semester, I was hoping to take more classes, but Calc I was all I could get into since I was coming in at spring semester.

I'm absolutely determined to get a 4.0, but I'm afraid the time it will take for me to get the BS will be a red flag to grad schools. I'm just afraid of getting my hopes up, I guess.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Taking multiple years because you're part time is not a problem.

 

[dbush2765]

Taking multiple years because you're part time is not a problem.

Awesome, that's a huge relief. I had seen a few people mention that taking too long on a BS could be a red flag on a grad school application, so that's where the worry was coming from.

Thanks!

 

[jtbell]

That applies if you're a "traditional" full-time student. In that case, taking more than 4-5 years to finish a bachelor's degree (in the US) sometimes correlates with failing many courses and having to repeat them.