<p>I'mm curious if anyone on College confidential have had a success story from dropping out of HS to transferring to a UC. and did you go get your GED or went straight for the B.S after transferring.</p>
<p>It’s not unusual for a high school dropout to transfer to a UC. At a CC your GPA is completely new, and when applying the application requires nothing of your high school grades/records. To be successful, all you need to do is work hard for at least two years, get your stuff done, and apply during the application period. I think most people get their GED just to have the certification of an equivalent of a high school education before pursuing their BA or BS though.</p>
<p>I posted this almost a month ago.</p>
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<p>I probably don’t have a good story as some of those who are getting into really big name schools but my HS times had to be one of the worst, haha.</p>
<p>High School
GPA: 1.67 before taking the CHSPE and leaving early
1270/1600 SATS (fell asleep during one portion of the english part)</p>
<p>Worked for a decade and then finally decided to go back to College</p>
<p>CC
GPA: 3.8
Major: EE</p>
<h2>Been accepted to UCD and waitlisted at UCSD. Still holding my breath on USC.</h2>
<p>As for now, was accepted to Berkeley on appeal for EECS. Attending in the fall.</p>
<p>I didnt drop out but was bottom of the barrel in highschool. In high school i barley tried, got like a 2.6 and a 1490 on the SAT. Got two F’s my senor year and got like a 2.3 the final semester. When I got to jc i saw all my friends leave to 4 year colleges and i was still stuck here. Made it a mission to get out and surpass them all. Took 3 years but i did it. @ jc 3.74 gpa, honors program and was accepted to UCLA and UC Berkeley. Choose my dream school LA. One word REDEMPTION</p>
<p>Weird that I come on the day this is posted lol.</p>
<p>I dropped out of high school and middle college (for those that know what that is), and ended up going with the GED. </p>
<p>I’m going into my senior year at Berkeley, and am literally working on a Philosophy essay right now. </p>
<p>@ jg2290: I literally had the exact same GPA in CCC, saw all my friends go off to 4 years, and made it one of my missions to surpass them all too. Congratulations to you, and good luck at LA! :)</p>
<p>I dropped out of high school (skipped my senior year, long story) and passed CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Exam). I went to Santa Monica College right after I passed CHSPE and I’m transferring to UC Berkeley next spring :)</p>
<p>Lol, Berkeleyphil are you me?</p>
<p>I did the exact same thing… except I went to a different community college.</p>
<p>Just finished the philosophy essay! 
</p>
<p>@ berkeleyphil: I’ll message you back right now too. And interesting! I considered the CHSPE, but chose the GED ultimately because I was warned that the CHSPE is only valid in CA, and if I wanted a job somewhere else, and presuming at the time that I wasn’t getting a degree, I would have to work in CA. </p>
<p>Just happy that we’re both moving onto our BA’s. And congrats on Berkeley!!</p>
<p>Yeah I’m going to Berkeley too. I didn’t drop out of HS but I was a ward of the court who was constantly moved around so I only got about 4 months of HS collectively. My choices were to either get the GED, or graduate HS at like 21 years old, so I got the GED and tested high enough for many scholarships :)</p>
<p>Not hs but college (Although I did mess up in hs as well). I was accepted to Cal Poly Pomona after hs and attended for 2 quaters. I dropped out with a 1.16 gpa and went to work at meaningless jobs. After bouncing around, I ended up working as a car salesman for 4 years until the recession hit us hard and I got laid off. I decided to go back to school and enrolled in a cc. I was a beast at selling cars and was extremely competitive so that naturally carried over when I started school again. Two years later and I’m transferring with a 3.9 gpa to Berkeley this Fall. In those two years I managed to get an Academic Excellence Award in Economics and three different scholarships from my cc. A big difference than when I dropped out. It’s all about determination.</p>
<p>I was accepted to UCSC my junior year. I was smoking copious amounts of crystal meth.</p>
<p>Senior year, I stopped coming to class. If I did come, I was wasted, and would just f around the whole time. I failed everything except AP history and AP bio, which I got Ds in (those teachers loved me, were distraught that I was basically killing myself, after them having seen me do well in previous years).</p>
<p>I actually did graduate, but only because I had enough of the credits or whatever they were called, from my first 3 years, to do so. Needless to say, UCSC rescinded my admission. The next 2 years were spend addicted to meth, and then I switched to heroin for the last 4. I was homeless, a street urchin dopefiend. </p>
<p>Then I got arrested for burglary about 3.5 years ago, had a spiritual experience while serving my 3 month sentence (first offense, misdemeanor only), went into rehab for the 3rd time, and stayed clean. Went back to CC (I had tried after HS, but I was too addicted and withdrew) and managed almost straight As, with only 3 B’s these last 2 years. </p>
<p>I start at Berkeley in the fall.</p>
<p>If I can do this, any of you can do absolutely anything.</p>
<p>I had a sub-1.0 GPA in first year of high school and barely graduated near the bottom of my class with a 1. something. I did three years at a city college, where I was on academic probation my first semester for poor performance and worked my way up from there and got accepted to UC Irvine this fall.</p>
<p>sounds like we all had “something” wake us up and realize our potential</p>
<p>Nothing woke me up, I’ve always been a good student .
High school just sucked , my school was literally 10% college bound , 60% dropout, 30% graduating with straight D’s .</p>
<p>The last 2 years of high school I didn’t care about high school at all, but I still took a few classes at my local CC for fun, and to top it off I needed those 2 classes to have enough units to transfer now .</p>
<p>I think high school should be optional( or at least not be a jail like it is for many in CA). Some students just don’t want to attend , but when you can pick your classes, and drop classes your failing its a different ball game .</p>
<p>Ohh yea, my story .</p>
<p>Got kicked out at 16 , graduated with a 1.5 at 18. Then found some of the best gigs on earth and i’m transferring to UCR this fall . I got a little screwed over, since 12 of my units are CSU only, but it is what it is</p>
<p>Dropped out at 16, screwed around for 5 years making easy money selling **** I shouldn’t have been selling. </p>
<p>Friend got set on fire over a debt while still alive handcuffed to an SUV.</p>
<p>Opened a business; ran it successfully for 10 years. Went to CC for 1 or 2 classes a semester. Clean and sober.</p>
<p>Accepted to UCLA film school, a very prestigious and exclusive program.</p>
<p>Left school at 13 (Long story!) and became an autodidact.
Took a GED in NYC in 2008
Started at Pasadena City College in 2009
Graduating as Valedictorian on Friday
Accepted as Regents Scholar at UCLA, and admitted into the Global Studies program (thank Jeebus!)</p>
<p>Been a bit of a bumpy ride, let me tell you! ;)</p>
<p>so cool to see all the people who took the CHSPE. I did too, had a 4.0 in high school but was cracking under the stress from AP classes, leadership, sports, etc. and ended up getting some pretty miserable AP test scores. CHSPE pretty much saved my ass, and now I’m off to UCLA next year as a junior transfer while my graduating class from SH will be heading in as freshmen.</p>
<p>Wait, you can be a regent’s scholar as a transfer??? How… tell me!!!</p>
<p>For UCLA, I recieved an invitation to apply from the Regents Scholarship office after I submitted my application. I had to write an essay and get two letters of rec. I believe they send out invitations to 4.0’s. There are two other Regents Scholars transfering from PCC with me this year.</p>
<p>For Irvine I did not have to apply for Regents, they just sent me a letter when I was accepted stating that I was a Regent and was enrolled in their honors program.</p>
<p>For Riverside… I didn’t get Regents. Go figure!</p>
<p>I’m not a success story… yet.</p>
<p>I dropped out of high school at 16, mom kicked me out, I drifted around SoCal for a few years, tried my hand at community college, screwed up, went back a couple years later, kicking butt now… I don’t have a GED or HS diploma though.</p>
<p>I have a friend who dropped out at 15, got her GED, went to community college, transferred to USC, got a bachelors, went to law school, and is now a high paid attorney…</p>
<p>I have other friends who dropped out, went on to CC, got a bachelors, and off to pursue a PhD. :)</p>