<p>I didn't consider college until quite a few years after high school. I doubt I had any better than a "C" average due entirely to not caring. I went to the Navy first. Now I'm in my twenties and have been taking community college classes for a while. I'm maintaining a solid GPA in 23 credit hours. My ACT which I don't even remember taking was an unimpressive 24. I want to go to a decent school in the northeast to study environmental science. I've applied to URI, UNH, UMaine, SUNY-ESF and DePaul (I'm from Chicago).</p>
<p>Any suggestions on a safety school? I know most people on here are overachievers, so this might be an unusual question.</p>
<p>I did horribly in high school due to non-academic reasons. After barely graduating I fought my way into the Navy's nuclear field and served 8 years as a submariner. I have been accepted as a transfer at Depaul for fall '09. Right now I am trying to decide between DePaul and UIC. I think taking classes at a community college to take care of gen eds while building a record upon which to get into a good school is a wise way to do things. Had I taken that route myself I would not have wasted time at a school that was a poor fit up to now.</p>
<p>I attended UNH while stationed at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire. It's a good public university, though an expensive one for out-of-staters (mid 20's). UIC has a high volume of applicants and is trying to become more selective in its admissions, on par with UIU-C. They have excellent programs (depending on what you choose to study) but also a formidable bureaucracy. If you enlisted from Illinois you will attend UIC for free.</p>
<p>My only other advice would be to review your current schedule to ensure you've selected courses that will meet the pre-req's of your college choices and transfer well. As transfer with more than a year's worth of credit your high school and ACT/SAT records are not considered, even if you apply to transfer to U. of Chicago.</p>