Hi everybody. I’m 31 and currently a freshman at a community college seeking transfer to a 4-year institution. I’m wondering how I might be evaluated…
My high school GPA was 2.88 - that was over 12 years ago. How relevant is this?
My GPA at the CC is 4.0 after one semester. I took the SAT this year and scored 1400 (640m/760w).
I was in the 99.99th% of the state as a child, but got into drugs very young, stopped caring about school, then spent the next decade dealing with depression. I have overcome that and am now trying to become the person I should be. I’m hoping to get into a top-tier school, but I don’t know how much that 2.88 from high school is going matter, or how much a 4.0 in a community college actually matters. My essays should pull some weight, assuming they make it through the door.
What do you guys think? What type of schools should I be aiming for?
If you intend to transfer at the junior level (i.e. after two years at the CC), then many universities will ignore or only slightly consider your high school record because you will have enough of a college record that is considered much more relevant (for example, California public universities do not require anything from high school for junior level transfer applicants). You may want to check the web sites of the specific universities you are interested in.
Being a non-traditional student may be favorable at some universities that appear to specifically favor non-traditional students (e.g. Stanford, though it is still extremely selective and a reach for everyone).
That’s so weird. You’re like my twin. I, too, got into drugs as a teenager and screwed up my life for like 5+ years. Got sober in my early 20s and have been clean since. I am now 27 and have a 4.0 GPA across 45 credits. I had bad grades in high school as well. I’m in the honors program, Phi Theta Kappa, etc. and still got rejected from my top choice school (Carnegie Mellon) for spring transfer. The worst thing is that I actually attended CMU last summer and got straight As and great recommendations from the faculty.
If I can’t get into CMU, I’m guessing I don’t have a shot at most Top 25 schools. I’m still going to apply to Wash U and Vanderbilt, but other than that, I’m going to aim for Top 25-50-ish schools.
I honestly don’t know where you could transfer now, after only one semester at CC. However, as you put in more semesters at CC and assuming that you keep up the strong community college GPA, then I think that your high school GPA is going to matter less and less, and rather quickly become of very little importance.
I think that it is really great that you are doing this. I think that you will do well. I will also note that I know many people who have done very well in their careers with a degree from their in-state public universities, and you really don’t need to go to CMU or equivalent to do well in life.
Your present record is most important, but as stated above, one semester probably isn’t enough to transfer on. Be sure you understand any articulation agreements your current CC has with local universities. They are going to be very good bets for you to get into, and may be your best deal financially. Make sure you meet those requirements. If you want to put in some other applications and the financial situation seems workable, you could do that as well.
I guess I’d caution you that there are students who take a later in life run at college and do well at CC that suddenly think that schools like Harvard and Stanford are realistic options for them – that really isn’t very likely. Sometimes those students then stumble because they try to go from just getting their feet under themselves at a CC to thinking they should be competitive for some of the toughest universities in the world – and when it doesn’t happen, they lose confidence and don’t always follow through to get their four year degree. So be realistic – you are already off to a great start, and are setting yourself up to get your degree and move forward in whatever career you are interested in.
Where are you located? I would strongly recommend waiting until you have 60 units completed at the time of transfer (junior status) as that gives you the best range of schools. I would stop by your transfer center at your CC and see where students have gone in the past. You have a lot of time to figure out what makes sense for you in terms of location, cost, etc.
Yay for you! You have overcome some serious hurdles in life, which many admissions professionals will likely appreciate.
I have a friend who had a similar path, but didn’t start college until her mid 40s! She got through medical school and became an MD at 50! Even while being a doctor, she continued her education and just passed her boards to be a psychiatrist! She also runs marathons!