Coming Back from Bad Grades

Off Topic
1

Im currently a junior in high school, and to make a long story short my grades have really suffered due to some personal stuff my family’s been going threw. I might be in high school 5 years (graduating in 2011). Hopefully threw summer school and after school classes I can bounce back and graduate on time, with decent grades.

But there’s a big chance that might not happen. My question is, can I still get accepted to college’s with 5 years of high school? Or will I have to go to a community college and start there?

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What are your aspirations?

3

if your grades really suck and your ACT/SAT scores suck it is extremely unlikely you will be able to go anywhere other than a community college for your first 1-2 years.

4

Stop using family stuff as an excuse for bad grades! If you really cared about school that much you wouldnt be making excuses.

I am sick and tired of listening to this sort of fukin whinging serously harden the fuk up!
What is so important about college anyway? I dropped out of school in year 9 and currently own two successful business and in the process of starting a third, so trust me when i say school and grades arent everything in life!

Apologize if this comes accross a bit harsh but there are worse things in life than not goin to some fancy college.

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T-nationT-nationT-nationT-nation

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[quote]TNUT wrote:
Stop using family stuff as an excuse for bad grades! If you really cared about school that much you wouldnt be making excuses.

I am sick and tired of listening to this sort of fukin whinging serously harden the fuk up!
What is so important about college anyway? I dropped out of school in year 9 and currently own two successful business and in the process of starting a third, so trust me when i say school and grades arent everything in life!

Apologize if this comes accross a bit harsh but there are worse things in life than not goin to some fancy college.[/quote]

Im not gonna get into why I have bad grades, that’s not what im making this thread about.

7

I knew people with terrible grades in high school (cumulative GPA of 2.0, which is a C average) yet excellent SAT/ACT scores (something like top 1%), and they still had their choice of where to go to college, but their poor grades kept them from getting a scholarship.

8

I was a pretty bad high school student. I had no excuse…just laziness and not giving a damn. I wound up with about a 70% graduating average. In Canada that kind of mark doesn’t take you very far. I applied to a University for a course I didn’t want, got in, finally applied myself and transferred into the course that I wanted.

Most colleges allow for program transfer after the first year. If your marks are pretty bad, target a school you like with a program that interests you, and if you can’t accepted for it apply for Introductory Beekeeping or something, talk to a program advisor and find out what courses you need to take to transfer. Then work your ass off.

9

you’ll probably have to get into a community college first, think also, most people apply to these colleges way before hand, your looking at applying and then attending in 3-4 months? Probably not going to happen, look into community colleges, and find one that has a good transfer program. Myself, I’m going to a florida community college and in a year or so I’ll be able to transfer to UF, FSU, USF. I’m sure schools around there will be the same. Just make sure your grades are impeccable for those 2 or so years your in community college.

10

[quote]TNUT wrote:
I dropped out of school in year 9 and currently own two successful business and in the process of starting a third, so trust me when i say school and grades arent everything in life!
[/quote]

Congratulations to you on your success. But take a second to think how many people would succeed similarly under those circumstances. Most people NEED school to have any level of success. A decent number have little if any success in spite of school though.

Blacklabel: Truth is, whether you do well at school or you later have a good career in spite of doing poorly in school, sooner or later you are going to have to light the fire under your ass. You have to look for reasons to be motivated. For me it was getting into a certain grad school with funding. That goal burned inside of me every day for 4 years. Focus, discipline, and no fucking excuses is what it takes. If you hate the class, do even better in it. Nothing in school is more satisfying to me than getting a solid A in a class or series of classes I hate and knowing I’ll never have to think about that bullshit ever again. I have a friend that went to community college for 2 years at 26 and then got into the best civil engineering school in the country and excelled. There are a number of different routes to any given destination. But the time to start working hard is now!

For the record, I do not like school.

11

It’s really pretty easy to get into a decent university. It’s really easy, actually. It does not take much. The upper tier colleges are where you need to put in actual effort.

Also, you’re talking like community college is a last resort. For some people it is, and that’s why it has a bad rep, but if you apply yourself and transfer to a good uni after 2 years to get your diploma, it’s a good choice. That’s what I’m doing. I could easily go to a 4 year uni, but I think it’s a better idea to do good in CC for 2 years, save up money, then graduate from a good uni.

12

[quote]Artem wrote:
It’s really pretty easy to get into a decent university. It’s really easy, actually. It does not take much. The upper tier colleges are where you need to put in actual effort.

Also, you’re talking like community college is a last resort. For some people it is, and that’s why it has a bad rep, but if you apply yourself and transfer to a good uni after 2 years to get your diploma, it’s a good choice. That’s what I’m doing. I could easily go to a 4 year uni, but I think it’s a better idea to do good in CC for 2 years, save up money, then graduate from a good uni.[/quote]

listen to this. In our economy you don’t want to be in hella debt when entering the workforce, if you can enter the workforce at all.

13

[quote]TNUT wrote:
Stop using family stuff as an excuse for bad grades! If you really cared about school that much you wouldnt be making excuses.

I am sick and tired of listening to this sort of fukin whinging serously harden the fuk up!
What is so important about college anyway? I dropped out of school in year 9 and currently own two successful business and in the process of starting a third, so trust me when i say school and grades arent everything in life!

Apologize if this comes accross a bit harsh but there are worse things in life than not goin to some fancy college.[/quote]

Dude, just because you have a good and relatively wealthy family, so you can afford to not go to college and still live decently, doesn’t mean that the same applies to everyone. Besides, saying that family problems is not an excuse can come only from someone that have never seen ‘family problems’. I wonder where you’d be if your alcoholic father was beating the shit out of your mom every evening… while you’re trying to study. Or if you had to work full time, coz your drugged single mom can’t make a dime.

14

[quote]sevenmoist wrote:
What are your aspirations?[/quote]

Im hoping to be a strength coach.

15

[quote]mrodock wrote:
TNUT wrote:
I dropped out of school in year 9 and currently own two successful business and in the process of starting a third, so trust me when i say school and grades arent everything in life!

Congratulations to you on your success. But take a second to think how many people would succeed similarly under those circumstances. Most people NEED school to have any level of success. A decent number have little if any success in spite of school though.

Blacklabel: Truth is, whether you do well at school or you later have a good career in spite of doing poorly in school, sooner or later you are going to have to light the fire under your ass. You have to look for reasons to be motivated. For me it was getting into a certain grad school with funding. That goal burned inside of me every day for 4 years. Focus, discipline, and no fucking excuses is what it takes. If you hate the class, do even better in it. Nothing in school is more satisfying to me than getting a solid A in a class or series of classes I hate and knowing I’ll never have to think about that bullshit ever again. I have a friend that went to community college for 2 years at 26 and then got into the best civil engineering school in the country and excelled. There are a number of different routes to any given destination. But the time to start working hard is now!

For the record, I do not like school.[/quote]

Alright, thanks man,

But the thing is, grades were never really a problem for me. Only up to this year…where my abcenses really affected my grades. Everything should be fine going into next year, so hopefully getting the grades will be possible.

16

[quote]Isis. wrote:
TNUT wrote:
Stop using family stuff as an excuse for bad grades! If you really cared about school that much you wouldnt be making excuses.

I am sick and tired of listening to this sort of fukin whinging serously harden the fuk up!
What is so important about college anyway? I dropped out of school in year 9 and currently own two successful business and in the process of starting a third, so trust me when i say school and grades arent everything in life!

Apologize if this comes accross a bit harsh but there are worse things in life than not goin to some fancy college.

Dude, just because you have a good and relatively wealthy family, so you can afford to not go to college and still live decently, doesn’t mean that the same applies to everyone. Besides, saying that family problems is not an excuse can come only from someone that have never seen ‘family problems’. I wonder where you’d be if your alcoholic father was beating the shit out of your mom every evening… while you’re trying to study. Or if you had to work full time, coz your drugged single mom can’t make a dime.
[/quote]

Where did TNUT say that he had a good and relatively wealthy family, so that he can afford not to go to college? Maybe it could have been the other way around, where his family was poor, and he was faced at a dead end, and he made a choice to change his life and started working for himself.

That is great that you dropped out of college and started your business. To be truly successful it’s really the only way to go, working for your self.

Have you guys ever heard the saying “A students work for C students”, I forgot where I read it, either a robert kiyosaki, napoleon hill, or a Robert Allen book…
http://www.youngarchitect.net/your-boss-was-a-c-student/ but found this link.

So OP, don’t worry about good grades and college, sooner or later you will find your “calling”. So if you want to go to a great college, you can only make it happen for yourself.

17

I bet you can get into Arizona State and you sure wouldn’t mind the chicks…

19

[quote]DevinMcAfee wrote:
Community college is actually a great option. Personally, I slacked off in high school. Going to community college was like a fresh start, after 30 credits of community college (2 years or so as a full time student) and colleges no longer ask to see your high school grades. Just relax, enjoy high school and start community college new. I slacked off in high school, got a lot of 2.7, 2.8 GPAs. I attended Community College and got good grades and just got accepted to UMD College Park, (Their minimum GPA for high school students is 3.5) This would have never been possible without community college, so stop stressing it homie and just enjoy high school while you can. Regardless, you are going to have to work hard in college, so enjoy these last two years and get your shit done in college.[/quote]

That sounds a lot like me. Is it feasible to get straight As in CC and transfer to a good uni for 2 years? I’m willing to buckle down in CC and not do much but school, work, and lift.

20

[quote]Artem wrote:
DevinMcAfee wrote:
Community college is actually a great option. Personally, I slacked off in high school. Going to community college was like a fresh start, after 30 credits of community college (2 years or so as a full time student) and colleges no longer ask to see your high school grades. Just relax, enjoy high school and start community college new. I slacked off in high school, got a lot of 2.7, 2.8 GPAs. I attended Community College and got good grades and just got accepted to UMD College Park, (Their minimum GPA for high school students is 3.5) This would have never been possible without community college, so stop stressing it homie and just enjoy high school while you can. Regardless, you are going to have to work hard in college, so enjoy these last two years and get your shit done in college.
That sounds a lot like me. Is it feasible to get straight As in CC and transfer to a good uni for 2 years? I’m willing to buckle down in CC and not do much but school, work, and lift.
[/quote]

I’m an administrator at a four year liberal arts college and have worked for eight years at the community college level. I would echo what many have said here. A community college is a great option for several reasons. You’ll save a lot of money. With hard work and good grades, you will position yourself as a stronger candidate for transfer and acceptance at more four year institutions. You will also have one or two years to develop the strong study skills needed to be successful in college and beyond.

To the person who suggested you don’t need college – this is true. I agree that college is not for everyone. If you feel you can go out and start your own business or find the career you want without a college degree, this is certainly a viable route. The important thing is asking yourself what it is you want to do with your life. Once you set goals for yourself and identify what it is you want, the next step is seeking avenues and paths that best allow you to maximize your potential and your opportunities. For many, college provides that path and opens more doors of opportunity.

Best wishes to you and stick with it. One key to student success I have noted over the years is perseverance.

22

[quote]BlackLabel wrote:
Im currently a junior in high school, and to make a long story short my grades have really suffered due to some personal stuff my family’s been going threw. I might be in high school 5 years (graduating in 2011). Hopefully threw summer school and after school classes I can bounce back and graduate on time, with decent grades.

But there’s a big chance that might not happen. My question is, can I still get accepted to college’s with 5 years of high school? Or will I have to go to a community college and start there? [/quote]

I don’t know where your grades started or got down to, but it shouldn’t terribly impede your ability to get in if it is just one bad year due to out of school issues. I have a friend at an ivy league school right now who had a really bad year in high-school when he had some major family issues. Just make sure you kill that SAT’s and do well with your remaining time and you should do well. If I were a college looking at your application, it would look very good for you if you came back from this and pulled straight A’s the rest of the way through if your grades were good to begin with.