reposting as non-traditional student subsection seems dead
making it short, bored to oblivion in highschool, had a pretty **** gpa (think its in the 2’s region), dropped out in 2014 as a senior…
got my ged right after, honors ged diploma. just got my sat and act results back.
30 composite act with 10 on writing and 1800 on sat.
And that was going in blind, so I’m testing again this month but actually studying.
I’ve talked to my old high school guidance counselor and she told me its a waste going to a CC, especially as money is not an issue with me (I’m a freelance programmer), and that my SAT and ACT will more than make up for the bad gpa.
I’m planning to apply for a couple of schools for cs, mainly ones in arizona as it’ll be instate. Maybe if I actually get perfect on sat/act, I might apply to some of the more competitive schools like ut Austin, as my guidance counselor said it wasn’t out of reach with a good essay.
However I don’t know anyone with a ged who actually went to a 4 year, even though admissions in most state schools accept them. I just want ask did anyone else go through he path I did, and did you have any issues? Do I even need to send in my highschool transcript? Even the people I called at admissions were confused. Really interested in hearing your stories and experiences.
I know someone who went to a 4 year and on to grad school after a GED. Don’t discount CC–you can knock a lot of gen ed classes out there and it will give you a GPA better than your high school GPA. You should definitely apply to a safety, a match, and a reach (or 2 of each), and a CC, just like everyone else! It’s pretty hard to get “perfect” on the SAT/ACT, especially if you didn’t go through the advanced math classes. The GED is pretty basic in what it tests. Your 30 should be good enough for your state schools and the 10 on writing is really good! Good luck!
I spent about a month in CC before I got out. (didn’t get any credits)
too many morons, I was in a calc 1 course and they were teaching how to do basic multiplication because apparently people didn’t know how to. Just wasn’t a good fit for me.
I want to go to a 4 year more for the experience than simply the degree.
the admissions offices of your target schools will be very up front with you — and are glad you’re considering them. It seems you have the outlook and potential to succeed. I’m sure they’ll have lots of good info for you. Best of luck!
How old are you? 24-25 to be a non-traditional student? UT might accept you with great SATs but it would still cost you $50K+/year to attend. I certainly wouldn’t recommend that. Look in-state first to keep the costs low.
Pick up the phone, call the in-state public Us on your list, and talk with the admissions officer in charge of GED applicants. Chances are that that person can put you in touch with students who enrolled with only a GED. Those are the people who are best situated to answer your questions.
I’m assuming the OP is 18-19 (see: “dropped out in 2014 as a senior”)
Your life experiences, intellect, and interest in earning an education are impressive. I’m not sure if your H.S. GPA will hurt you for freshman admissions; however, I’m certain that, should you be willing to transfer in the future, Cornell or Illinois might be well within reach.
I got accepted into every school I applied for so far , still waiting on my reaches. (u t austin and purdue cs)
Really I just called in admissions and they told me in the case of ged students they value test scores/ged score over gpa. (In my case they didn’t even consider it)
so if there are any ged students in the same situation i am in, just call in and ask admissions for how they evaluate ged students and what you need to send. For one school I booked a 1 on 1 appointment with one of the guys at admissions, now a month later I got a scholarship and entrance to the honors college. ( u of a)
I dropped out of high school in my sophomore year because I felt like I had better things to do. I spent a few years traveling and then about 6 years running a tree service with my brother. After 6 years of working my ass off, I got tired of it and decided to stop working and go back to school at age 25. I finished my GED when I was 17, so I’d had it for quite a while. Now I’m 28 and I’m in my last semester of my third year at community college. CCs vary quite a bit. Some of them are less than stellar academically…but I’m fortunate to be at a good one. I’m majoring in physics, and my physics and math professors have all been amazing. I’m transferring to UIUC in the fall, which is one of the top schools in the country for my major. Having a GED doesn’t have to hold one back.
most of the better schools require you to have a “honors ged diploma”, which means each section of your ged you had to have a minimum score. It was 170/200 minimum for my schools, which is I think somewhere around 93% percentile.
Interesting, I’ve never heard of that. That might be something new, because the scores on my GED were close to perfect, and I never knew anything about an honors GED. I can’t imagine that there is a whole lot of meaning attached to having an honors GED in any real sense though.
congrats zhonyas: Purdue Computer Engineering is one of my daughter’s choices – if she attends and you get into their CompSci, you’ll likely be in a class or two together. Your story of perseverance is great. What you experienced in that class where they were teaching multiplication is an indictment.