<p>I am a 23-year-old non-traditional student attending Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC. I worked for three years at a grocery store after high school and after being fired, I decided to go back to school. I want to transfer to Boston University and major in English/Mathematics and then attend law school. I have not had a great experience at CVCC; my advisors have not been helpful in my transfer process, since I want to transfer to an out-of-state college. They have put all the responsibility on me, which I know is a part of being a college student, but I am still confused. I have my reasons for not wanting to attend a college in NC: I am gay and I'm really unhappy living here. I have always wanted to live in a big city like New York or Boston. When I started, I had a GPA of 1.0 due to taking two college classes when I was in high school, and had to take remedial math courses. I pulled my GPA up to a 2.6, but this last semester it plummeted to a 2.1 after I had many problems. I contacted BU found that I don't need the transfer requirements to transfer to BU, but I have made the mistake of putting in three semesters. I have also had problems adjusting to college, problems with both my parent’s health, and my general unhappiness in how my life is going. College is my only option at having a better life than the one I have now, but I am so insecure of my ability to succeed. I know what I have to do to raise my GPA and succeed in college, but my questions are: Should I stay another year and raise my GPA to a 3.0? Should I attempt to transfer with what I have?</p>
<p>I think you have to give yourself another year to bring up your gpa before the transfer attempt. If you are not happy with the current CC, do you have an option to get into another CC? Also, at the age of 24, you will be an independent student and you will be eligible for FA without your parents financials and you should try NC States first as they will give you the most. UN-CH is good in your major but I doubt you can get in though.</p>
<p>I have thought about going to another CC in Statesville to start over, but I didn’t know if that would be a good idea. All CC’s in NC have an agreement with state universities, so I could possibly go to UN-CH, but I don’t want to live in NC anymore. As my post stated, I am gay and have had terrible experiences where I live. I would rather go to a city where there is a large gay community where I could have support. Charlotte does have a gay community, but I would rather move North where jobs are more plentiful and I could start my life over.</p>
<p>Move to where ever you want be and goto a cc there as oos, then after a year, you became a resident and eligible to that state u as in-state with aids. Perhaps San Fran?</p>
<p>Thank you for your suggestions, but I’m afraid that wouldn’t work. I would need a place to live, a job, not to mention a lot of money that I don’t have.</p>
<p>You may not be able to do all of the above all at the exact same time. You may have to position your life in strategic moves–and not all of it happening at once. Meaning, you may be able to move to a larger city that is gay-friendly and find a job, but not be able to afford college. Or you may be able to move to a different CC in your state, but then have to delay moving to a big city until after finishing college in your homestate. Research some inbetween alternatives, such as moving to a state that is cheap to live in that you could also afford state college and that the town is gay-friendly but not necessarily a large one. Etc. But in every scenario, you probably have to delay some important aspect to a “phase 2” – so think about what next move would be position you for the next step rather than trying to get it all to work in a single move on the chessboard, because it sounds like you don’t have the money or the gpa to do any drastic changes right now. Work with what you have.</p>
<p>My concern is not affording college. My concern is that I’m almost 24 years old and have absolutely no future. Why can I not stay at the CC I’m attending now, raise my GPA to a 3.0 and transfer to Boston University? Or, why can I not go to another CC for a year and then transfer? From my understanding, Boston University doesn’t have a GPA requirement. I want to go to a private college because the classes are much smaller, plus if I went to a college in Charlotte I would have to drive within the city and I am not familiar with driving in such heavy traffic. That is why I want to move to New York or Boston because there are cabs that will take me where I need to go. Also, many of the private colleges in NC are religious affiliated schools. I don’t want to go to a Baptist college. I can not stay in the area that I live in any longer. I can not get another job because I was fired and placed on a non-rehire list. NO ONE will hire me and the unemployment rate in my area is over 10%.</p>
<p>Just a simple question: Suppose that BU accept you right now, do you have the 50K to pay for it? Even as you planned, if the next year you raised your gpa to 3.0 and get accepted, since you are independent then, you will get aid, but it will NOT cover the full COA, maybe $20k short, maybe 30K, how can you afford the school?</p>
<p>I don’t have the money to pay for college. I have been getting loans for the past two years because I didn’t qualify for financial aid, and would take out further loans to pay for whatever else I needed. It would probably be the same if I went to a college in NC and probably the same if I went to law school. As I have said in my post I have no other choice but to go to college. I don’t mean to be a schmuck, and please forgive me if I am being one, but it just seems that every time I attempt something I fail. I’m guessing by your post that maybe I should just quit.</p>
<p>Boston University has a 28% transfer rate. While it has no required minimum GPA for transfer students, even a 3.0 is going to be too low for such a competitive college. As an example, Santa Clara University has about a 58% transfer acceptance rate and MOST students need at least a 3.3 to be considered competitive. Not to mention, students with higher GPAs are turned down all the time as well (a good student with ECs and a 3.9 GPA was not offered transfer admission). Don’t be lulled into thinking that “no minimum GPA” is the same thing as being able to get in with a modest “B” average (3.0) gpa. </p>
<p>How did you get fired with such prejudice that you are on an actual “non-rehire” list? Sounds like you have a lot of things to settle in your life and frankly, finding a low-key place where you can work fulltime and take one or two classes part-time at a CC is your best bet right now. Slow and steady will yield results. I don’t see fulltime at a competitive private college as the right place for you right now, and the admins will sense this as well. It can be difficult to be patient when 26 and frustrated with life, but you have a backlog of issues and mistakes that can’t be quick-fixed by a move to a big city when you have no money and are afraid of basic issues like driving in heavy traffic.</p>
<p>What are some actual <em>feasible</em> options available to you for the next step/s?</p>
<p>I worked in the produce department of a grocery store and was fired for poor performance. I live in a small rural area and worked in a place where people did not like me. I want to go to college full-time and work part-time. If I go back to working a full time job I’ll never go back to college. I just want to get out of where I live! I’m sorry for being so hateful but I don’t know what to do.</p>
<p>*I’m sorry for being so hateful but I don’t know what to do. *</p>
<p>I hear your desperation. And I don’t take it personally. I know that hearing feedback from strangers can be very confronting, especially if you don’t like the blunt news.</p>
<p>To say “if I have to work fulltime I’ll never go back” is really just a combo of you being upset and throwing a small personal temper tantrum. There are people out there in the world with far worse life situations that finish college. Yes, your path will be tough no matter what. But not the most difficult and not impossible.</p>
<p>I know a person who worked a 40 hour work week while finishing his degree! It was the only way he could do it. My own husband finished college in his 40s while working a 50+ hour work week and raising a family. I know a mom of 2 small children who took a bus 2 hours EACH WAY in order to attend community college because she had no car and this was the program available to her. I have lost track of her since, but I know she finished her AA degree and was accepted into a 4year college and was determined…determined to get her 4year degree.</p>
<p>There are very very few people who manage to go to college fulltime while only working parttime unless they live with parents, have won full scholarships, or perhaps attend a very inexpensive community college (or have someone else like a spouse or parent footing the bills). You have no money, I presume do not or soon won’t be living with parents and you seem to want to attend a <em>private</em> college? Your grades aren’t anywhere near enough to win major scholarships. You might as well ask to be an astronaut.</p>
<p>Your first step to getting somewhere awesome in your life is assess what next steps you CAN take and then go for them. As you gain independence, work skills, study skills, improve your gpa, etc, more and more opportunities will become available. Or you can throw a personal fit because you can’t afford to attend a premier private college (nor do you have the gpa) and say that it is all too difficult and quit forever. I suggest finding that middle way.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>So. What are a few options that you DO have available?</p>
<p>I still live with my parents and probably will stay with them until I can afford my own place. Where I live there are no full-time jobs except healthcare and manufacturing, which I’m not qualified for those jobs. I think one option that I have, and it may be the wrong one, is maybe attend another CC within driving distance and work harder there. Since I won’t have to have my parents tax returns on my FAFSA, I may get more financial aid that what I got the past two years. The other option is trying to find someone at my current CC to help me with my transfer process.</p>
<p>I suggest constructing a short list of colleges you could transfer to that A) you know you can afford based on living costs and the kind of FA you are likely to receive and B) would be highly likely to accept you given your gpa history and where your gpa (as you mend it before transfer) is going to end up.</p>
<p>Start with 2, 3 or 4 places. Make a chart. List costs, ask other transfer students what kind of FA is given at each, list the realistically needed gpa, etc. Also list any core classes needed so that you know what other CC classes to take in order to be qualified for each. Basically read every inch of each transfer college webpage and dig down a few layers to find stats (ie: ave. transfer gpa) and other published but somewhat insider info. Be smarter than the transfer counselor–frankly, most transfer counselors know very little and you can find the info they overlook.</p>
<p>A few things to consider about moving to Boston or NYC…</p>
<ol>
<li>If you can’t afford your own place now, you can’t afford to take a cab everywhere you want to go.</li>
<li>If you can’t afford the cab, get familiar with the Subway.</li>
</ol>
<p>Now that I’m done adjusting your perspective of the city, I would recommend for you to take your time and make a longer list of colleges you would like to go to. I would guarantee that going to a private school in New York or Boston will not solve all of your problems, so be a bit more open minded in your strategy.</p>