Any chance for me?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’ll be starting my last year of high school in less than two months and even though my I haven’t exactly finished high school yet. I’m beginning to worry about where I’ll be in a year from now. My GPA has dropped significantly from my freshman to junior year and I am left with a 3.1 UW and 3.5 W GPA. Now I’m not expecting to get accepted into Harvard or anything, but I do want to get into a at least decent school to get the right education I want. I’m definitely willing to work very hard my senior year to at least attempt to fix my GPA, but I know at the back of my head it won’t really help me too much. Due to lack of motivation and to the fact that I didn’t care, I slacked off, especially my junior year, I let my few AP classes destroy my GPA. At this point, I think I’m just self-sabotaging I feel like there’s nothing out there for me, this also making me really afraid to apply to any college knowing that my sister graduated with a 4.2 GPA but a sadly low SAT score and a rather average ACT score leaving her to enter a CC, only for the fall semester then transferring into UCF.

Going on to the point. I’m stressed. Financially. Academically. Mentally. I wonder if I’ll ever get lucky as my sister even getting accepted to a college. I just need some advice. Maybe I shouldn’t focus on to big colleges such as Florida State Uni or University of South FL or am I just better off focusing on community college? Or to be more clear, is it worth applying to these state colleges hoping that I’ll get accepted with my low GPA? I’m open for the opinions!

2

What can your family afford? What is your home state?

3

My home state is Florida. Financially my parents couldn’t afford much, my sister had to rely much of FASFA to get into a CC which was mainly the reason she is attending for fall.

4

Bright Futures can help with funding. http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/PDF/BFHandbookChapter1.pdf What do you want to major in and what are your strong and weak subjects?

5

I wish to be a business major. My strong parts of me are definitely English and science, but I do have much trouble with math, which I know can already cancel out business accounting for me.

6

There is always a path for you. If you hang on CC long enough you will think that everyone has a perfect ACT, 4.0 UW gpa but that is exceptional, NOT the norm. Did you know that the number of people earning a 34 or higher on the ACT is literally 1.7% of ALL Act test takers? The truth is the majority of college students have probably never seen CC but they go on to perfectly-fine state universities and with hard work and determination graduate into great futures.

7

You are asking great questions and really displaying an admirable desire to turn things around and find success, whatever that means to you.

YES!!! Working hard will matter, absolutely! The next 7 or 8 decades of your lifetime are not fixed because you did not work to your full capabilities for a couple of years of high school. I mean, working hard would have been great, but that’s over and done, the important thing is to learn from it and MOVE FORWARD. Starting today, decide to work hard, take advantage of opportunities, make opportunities, treat everyone with dignity and respect. Do those simple things every day. You’ll do well.

Academically and financially, it sounds like you will be looking at a Florida public university or community college. That’s perfectly fine. Either can certainly be a launching pad. Apply to Florida public universities that might work and apply to community college. Go to either with a POSITIVE attitude and OPTIMISM about the future. Go to class–that is essential. Do homework–that is essential. Study for exams and work hard on papers–that is essential. Get to know professors and other staff, get extra help, with papers and tutoring. Most profs want to help, especially help hard-working students who are seeking help.

You can complete your studies at that university/community college. Or you can transfer. Schools like student who have turned things around. It shows RESILIENCE. Resilience is actually one of the best predictors of success, in college and in life. You can make the opportunity to transfer with a strong senior year and a strong first year or two of college.

It really is in your hands. No one can do it for you. It sounds to me like you want to turn things around, and I’m confident you can.

If the financial side is a prohibitive challenge, you might look at “work colleges.” I know Berea a little. It’s a terrific LAC and free for all students. You have to apply early and have to interview. You could look into that. I’m not sure how the school is with transfers, so you could research that, or talk to them about it, if it did not work for freshman year.

http://www.workcolleges.org

Maybe come back to CC in the fall to ask about other ideas that might work financially. Good luck (which you can make)!

8

Thank you both for that. I really needed that. I’m definitely going to put immense effort into my schoolwork while also exploring my options and what fits best for me. :slight_smile:

9

You can get more detailed advice from people who really know the FL public system inside and out, if you post over on the Florida forum. (Or maybe the mods will move this thread over there for you.) http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/florida-colleges/

10

@hopedaisy said “There is always a path for you. If you hang on CC long enough you will think that everyone has a perfect ACT, 4.0 UW gpa but that is exceptional, NOT the norm. Did you know that the number of people earning a 34 or higher on the ACT is literally 1.7% of ALL Act test takers? The truth is the majority of college students have probably never seen CC but they go on to perfectly-fine state universities and with hard work and determination graduate into great futures.”

So true. To those who have children with a 34 ACT plus realize that over 1.8M students took the ACT. That means there are 30600 kids with those scores. Vet intelligently. It does not mean automatic acceptance to top schools or free rides anywhere. It does give you opportunities others may find more challenging. Even a 27 is far above average (average is around a 20) and as the poster said there are a lot of opportunities for students at all levels.

11

You are never too old to change your path. Start fresh your senior year with a goal of demonstrating how good you can be. Perhaps dont worry about applying to college this year. Focus on proving what you can accomplish. Then after you complete your Senior year you can plan where to apply–take a gap year so speak. Take a couple classes at community college and get a part time job for that year. Not everyone’s plan looks the same.