<p>juillet: Thanks for the comprehensive list of schools to consider.</p>
<p>Does “I’m not sure about [Wisconsin’s] undergrad” mean “I don’t have personal knowledge…”? Or is this not as good of a choice as the other schools you mentioned for some reason?</p>
<p>The question of whether the second Bachelor’s makes sense is valid. I’m only leaning in that direction because there isn’t an obvious good alternative. I’d assumed that it’s disallowed, unwise, or both to jump into graduate study in a field without an undergraduate background in the field. This might not be true for a specific program. If no further undergraduate study is required, AND if I can get into a desirable program, then it would probably make sense to go directly to an MA.</p>
<p>If any significant number of undergraduate prereqs are necessary, I’d prefer to take them within the course of a degree program and to complete that degree. Two reasons:
- In a degree program, Stafford loans are available. Taking individual classes, they aren’t.
- After completing the prereqs, it may be possible to get another Bachelor’s without much additional coursework.</p>
<p>One problem with my situation is that the university which awarded my (current) Bachelor’s degree is not very well known. (I could have been admitted to universities a step below the Ivy League, but financial concerns severely limited my options.) Do you think that this fact would hinder admission to the best graduate schools? I’m concerned that it would be a bigger problem for graduate school than for undergraduate, as graduate admissions are more competitive than undergraduate admissions.</p>
<p>Even a Bachelor’s degree can be:
a. Academically rewarding
b. Relevant to a new field
c. From an institution which has a strong reputation nationally</p>
<p>swish14: Thanks for the tip. I don’t know much about William & Mary, but could investigate.</p>
<p>kwu and UCBChemEGrad: Good point. I’d misplaced that link (-:</p>