Graduate School

warblersrule
Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:28:31 +0000

Graduate programs look at ALL grades when examining applicants. This includes transfer grades and study abroad grades if applicable. Transferring wouldn’t benefit you in the slightest and would in fact probably be a pretty foolish move. The good news is that most programs tend to heavily emphasize junior/senior year and major grades, so that works to your advantage.

The best strategy would be to work as hard as you can in the classes you take before graduation and get as much research experience as you can. If you’re a junior, you still have two years to get involved in research (or 3 if you take an extra year). Ask around in the department and see if any professors are willing to take you on as a lab assistant. You won’t be doing groundbreaking stuff if you’re new to the major, obviously.

Applying to master’s programs would be a very good idea – many of them offer funding and would be great stepping stones to PhD programs like Columbia.