Community College Success Stories

<p>Nice work shannon.</p>

<p>this thread needs a BUMP!</p>

<p>In my two years at community college I got to take some cool classes for my major that were not offered at my university. By junior year I had already done two major internships. I went to community college pretty much for free, saved about $25,000 by doing so, and got a transfer scholarship to my new school.</p>

<p>Iā€™ll go ahead and throw my story in the pot.
I graduated a year late from high school with an anemic 2.0 (the min required GPA for the county). I worked temp and retail for a year. Applied to CC full time while still working full time in 2006. My first semester I got a ā€œBā€ in one class (theatre), withdrew from another, and failed two; ending up with a 1.9 GPA Cum. Financial aid was pulled and I gave it up and decided to stick with just work, none of which was very fulfilling save for a few acting gigs I did on the side.</p>

<p>Eventually I ended up at a job where I struck a friendship with a staff cook. Oddly enough he was no slacker, with a triple major Bachelorā€™s from UofMaryland. He changed my perspective in a big way and convinced me to go back to school. So I did, out of pocket, one class at a time. </p>

<p>I had been out for more than a year and had to retake the placement test. I placed on par for English but was told to take Beginning Algebra. When I first started in 2006, I placed one level higher into Intermediate Alg (which was one of the classes failed) I took the risk and went against my placement results. Over 3 semesters, while still working, I got my GE math requirements out of the way. While retaking that Intermediate Algebra my professor saw the trouble I was having and suggested I be tested for dyscalculia, as it turned out I had a mild form that had gone unnoticed in MS and HS, even though I retook basic math, algebra I, II, and Geometry numerous times) I got tutoring for the learning disability and can now deal with it very easily. I was advised at that point to simply take Liberal Arts Math since I had chosen to be a Dramatic Arts major, ā€œI didnā€™t need more challenging maths.ā€ My renewed sense of claiming an education for myself told me to push and take the harder classes regardless. I ended up taking College Algebra and Pre-Calculus Algebra with Trig. Passing with and ā€œAā€ and ā€œCā€ respectively. </p>

<p>My GPA was up to a 2.5, I decided it was time to up the ante, and with my financial aid restored, I started taking two classes at a time, starting with the other I had failed and the one I had withdrawn from. I aced both and my cum GPA had reached the 3.3 mark required to enter the Honors Institute. I applied and was accepted. I continued part time for one semester including my first Honors class, Honors English Comp II which I admittedly earned a ā€œBā€ in. I knocked out my computer proficiency class the same semester with an ā€œAā€ and my GPA kept growing.</p>

<p>Iā€™m now have a cum 3.69GPA and still climbing. Iā€™m doing 13 credits this semester with 16 planned for spring (my final one!) I hold leadership positions in the Honors Institute social club, Arete and campus Thespians Society. In the past year, I co-founded Get Haiti Running Tampa, an (hopefully) annual 5k benefiting the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund; and an online beaded jewelry and art store with my grandmother. I finally found a part-time job I love at a local entertainment venue in the box office, whose education conservatory I volunteer for from time to time. Iā€™m currently a member of PTK, will be receiving my induction to NSCS, later this year, and plan on participating in Harvardā€™s National Model United Nations. Iā€™ve also been keeping a blog about my little journey called Community to Ivy (thanks to the president of my honors institute, Iā€™m a prospect for Columbiaā€™s School of General Studies <ā€“dream school for obvious Drama related reasons :)</p>

<p>It has been an amazing ride and Iā€™m so far from where I was just a couple years ago.</p>

<p>nice work afazchas</p>

<p>Afazchas:
I agree with previous reply. It was great reading your inspiring story. Keep it up.</p>

<p>Thanks. :)</p>

<p>Mine is a little personal, but I figure itā€™s internetā€¦ I can share. </p>

<p>Had it rough in high school, I had to take care of my sister and brother because my parents were absent/incarcerated/drunk/high. I started waitressing full time to support the family, left school (2001) because I couldnā€™t keep up. In high school I really enjoyed math & sciences and wanted to do something that involved space, rockets or airplanes. </p>

<p>So I ended up working a bunch of retail/customer service jobs. Then one day I motivated myself and decided to enroll in a CC to finish my HS diploma (in lieu of a GED). I started in Math 94 (2 under college level at my school) even though I loved math. It took me 3 years to get my AS and High School diploma because I had to take a lot of physical education requirements and was working full time. Then I discovered I was really good in math, and went through the high level stuff (Calculus, Advanced Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Diff EQ 1&2). Joined PTK, became Treasurer of the Engineering Club, and became a Math and Physics Tutor. </p>

<p>I applied to the University of Washington (my dream school) and the Aeronautics & Astronautics Engineering department (my dream career). Was accepted to both, and I start end of September. I received almost 100% financial aid, even. </p>

<p>I remember in the beginning, I didnā€™t think anyone would want a HS dropout. Itā€™s amazing to want something, set a goal and accomplish it.</p>

<p>Thatā€™s wonderful meesh. You should be proud of what you have accomplished given the circumstances you were in. Good job and good luck in washington!</p>

<p>AGE: 16
YEAR: Senior
YEAR OF GRAD: 2012
Current HS GPA: 3.1 weighted
SAT & ACT: Never took them.</p>

<p>Iā€™m a future Community College studentā€¦</p>

<p>I will keep updating how Iā€™m doing once I enroll next year. This thread will be like my journal, I hope i can make a success story.</p>

<p>I to know students who have transferred to my school form institutions like CCBC, LADO, NOVA, and many more in the DC area. They all said that the schools web sit has to be very informative and guide you through all the steps. Here is and example of what my university has done to aid me and my friend [Transferring</a> to VIU is easy! | Admission](<a href=ā€œhttp://www.viu.edu/admission/transfer-student.html]Transferringā€>http://www.viu.edu/admission/transfer-student.html).</p>

<p>Hmmm, I like this a lot, but itā€™s a shame that Iā€™m not hearing enough success stories from the Northeast. I canā€™t consider myself a success story, but itā€™s quite possible that I COULD be. The first two years of high school, I did fairly well, not amazing, though. I didnā€™t understand the importance of GPA, since my parents hadnā€™t gone to collegeā€¦they just wanted me to do well. I figured eventually Iā€™d go to my crappy state university, just because. </p>

<p>Junior and senior yearā€¦Iā€™d like to not remember it. During the first half of my junior year, my father was sexually abusing me. The second half of the year, it was appointment after appointment of psych or police appointmentsā€¦I was miserable. My brothers didnā€™t believe me, and one of them got fairly aggressive. In fact, I ended up even having to go to summer school. In summer school, the teacher remarked on how well I wrote, and knew I wasnā€™t meant to be among the other failuresā€¦well, other than the one that failed AP English their senior year, and had to miss graduationā€¦how awful it must have been for him! </p>

<p>Anyway, after that, I aimed to do betterā€¦but somehow, I missed it. I was depressed. My ex breaking up with me killed me, as he was my first love and I felt betrayed, given up on (as he had been with me while this all happened). Also, another friend betrayed my trust, by telling others when it was meant to be a secret, so these affected the first half of my year. My mom was All the while, I kind of gave up. As long as I got into colleges, I could make something of myself. And I did. I got into my state uni, and two other mediocre colleges, which were the only ones I applied to. I was going to the better mediocre college, but we didnā€™t really have the money, after all my mother spent on lawyers, and the amount of work she missed. Plus she hadnā€™t done her taxes, so even if I could have taken out loans. (with her now-ruined credit), I couldnā€™t have done it.</p>

<p>Now Iā€™m at community college, which was the last thing I wanted to do, other than going to my state university (since I decided that I can do better than that). I believe that I will surpass most, if not all, of the fools of friends that are going to it, and living on campus. Itā€™s not cheap, might I add-10 grand in state, plus the price of dormsā€¦and their financial aid is pretty shoddy. Yes, Iā€™d love to live on campus, and away from my negative, nasty grandma and my mother, who isnā€™t really supportive, but I get most of my stuff done at the CC, where there isnā€™t yelling in the house. Iā€™m taking the max 18 credits, and Iā€™m aiming for a 4.0 (or close), and to hopefully transfer eventually to Connecticut College(the one Iā€™m most looking into), Smith, Wesleyan (a stretch, probably), Trinity, or Hampshire College (which I see as pretty realistic to me). You know, all the top liberal art colleges in CT and some of the ones in Amherst. Iā€™m not in any ECs, as itā€™s difficult to find out anything from the clubs, but Iā€™ll be sure to do them. Anyway, thatā€™s my story, sorry if itā€™s long.</p>

<p>Hoping to add to this thread in 2 months ^^</p>

<p>Entry 1:</p>

<p>Made a TAG submission for UCSB Fall of 2014 the year Iā€™m planning to transfer.
UCSB is my 2nd choice none of the other UCs are in my interest.
My 1st choice is Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Starting 1st internship at my CC this spring.</p>

<p>Age 19: </p>

<p>2006-2010: Was able to pull a 3.8 and decent SAT in high school. I put together a pretty well rounded application hoping I would get into a mid-tier UC. </p>

<p>2010-2011: I attended UC Irvine my freshman year of college and due to a combination of circumstances and my own poor decision making I essentially failed out of the college. I regret not working harder this past year but am still optimistic about my future. </p>

<p>2011- Who Knows: I started my first semester at a JC in my hometown and so far Iā€™ve enjoyed it. I have some concerns about where exactly I will be eligible to transfer but am meeting with my counselor soon. Hopefully one day Iā€™ll be able to transfer to one of my dream schools. </p>

<p>I am really thankful for this forum it gives me hope for my academic future. For what some of you guys have been through and to still make it to where you want to be is just astonishing. Just keep up the hard work, youā€™re inspirations to us all.</p>

<p>Got accepted to rutgers university from a local community college just two days after they received all my documents. Was ranked 219/294 in high school with 1010/1600 SAT scores.</p>

<p>HS career and SAT scores mean arenā€™t the sole predictors of how youā€™d do in college.</p>

<p>2.0 GPA in high school.</p>

<p>Somehow I got into a state school on probation (still donā€™t understand how)ā€¦</p>

<p>In college I took a couple of classes and got a couple of C+ grades - I wasnā€™t motivated. Not much changed between HS and college, so I joined the military.</p>

<p>I went to a very challenging military school that grants associate degrees, and graduated with a 3.1 average. I still wasnā€™t very motivated.</p>

<p>Almost 3 years later, I have since taken many classes online and have never gotten below an A- in them. The online school is a state flagship, not Univ of Phoenix or something.</p>

<p>Now Iā€™m in a CC because the school I want to transfer to (top engineering school) has some math prereqs that I havenā€™t taken, so Iā€™m getting those out of the way and expect to be admitted to my dream school.</p>

<p>Perhaps the best thing about this all is that I havenā€™t paid a dime for college (and wonā€™t) except for the couple of classes I took before joining the military.</p>

<p>I averaged a 2.6 in high school went to 4 different high schools, my senior year I had so many truancies they told me I could not graduate and had to go somewhere else. I graduated went to a CC, didnā€™t really care the first semester, went through an extremely dramatic break up with my high school girlfriend of 4 years after she cheated on me. Got a 2.5 the next semester. Then I realized I wanted to be a medical researcher or a doctor so I had to get my stuff together. The next semester 3.6 got some hard teachers, spring of 2011 got a 3.8 over the summer got a 4.0, planning on keeping above a 3.8 for the rest of college.</p>

<p>This week I was excepted to Rutgers University New Brunswick as an OOS(Southern California if anyones wondering) transfer student with a 3.37 and majoring in microbiology. Also considering minoring in astrophysics or physics.</p>

<p>Very excited for more challenging material. Canā€™t wait to start this spring.</p>

<p>So Iā€™m guessing this would be a good place to come for advice. Right now Iā€™m studying for my ACT to possibly get into the University of Arizona or University of Kansas. (I have a parent in each state so I can get instate in either of them) But my problem is I like both collegeā€™s, but they arenā€™t my dream collegeā€¦I unfortunately had a terrible time in high school. Suffered from ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and had extensive bullying problemā€™s. This all led to a 2.2 GPA in high school. Currently I live with my mother in Kansas and she makeā€™s around 59,000 a year, so apparently financial aid is out of the question from what my FAFSA says. Soo, is it really possibly to go to community college, work my butt off and make it into University of Washington (Dream School) with financial aid help? It would be impossible for me to afford it because of OOS costā€™sā€¦</p>

<p>Any advice is appreciatedā€¦</p>

<p>Andy - Anything is possible, but you need to be honest with yourself about what you are capable of. Maybe right now you want to get Aā€™s but ADHD makes it hard to keep your mind on the goal for a two straight years. I have ADHD too. You might need to do some growing up before youā€™re capable of being an A student. I am an A student now (2.0 in high school), and I owe a lot of that to simply growing up, learning to deal with ADHD, and learning to organize my time. Donā€™t expect to walk into a CC and be a 4.0 student the semester after you graduate high school with a 2.2. A CC is more challenging than high school, moves at a faster pace, and requires more organization. Had I gone to college right after high school, I would have done very poorly - because I didnā€™t grow up overnight. It took 4 years in the military. </p>

<p>This is a really unfortunate part about ADHD kids in our education system. A lot of kids screw up early before they grow up, and it follows them for life. There are no third chances with the good schools. If you donā€™t have a good college GPA, itā€™s going to be rough. Your high school GPA, on the other hand, is no problem. You can do really well for 2 years at a CC and show them that youā€™ve turned around, and you can get in.</p>

<p>Make sure you are ready to start, and when youā€™re there - be committed. If you arenā€™t, it will follow you forever. Good luck my friend.</p>