<p>Dear College Confidential members,
I don't really know how to start this (as it's all pretty embarrassing) but here goes..
I live in the rural midwest (north central Illinois) and I attended a small high school that maybe had about 350 students max. I never did anything during my stay at high school, and when I say anything I mean it. I graduated 67th out of 68 (how that 68th student did worse than me I'll never know). Though I wasn't the typical student you would expect in that situation, what I mean is: I never missed ANY school or skipped any classes, I never drank or smoked like my peers that probably ranked similarly to me (better than me actually). No, I did so tragically in school because during my entire stay in high school I don't think that I did more than a handful of all the homework that was assigned. I have no idea as to why I was so stupid, and I'm paying for what I did, and will continue to pay for it all of my life. But since dwelling on the past does me little good right now I guess I'll explain my current situation which has lead me here in the first place.
After graduating this poorly (I ended up skipping the ceremony and just picked up my worthless diploma) I was persuaded (or rather forced) by my parents to enroll at a local community college, I thought there was no point as I had already demonstrated in the past (pretty well too) that nothing was going to become of me. But I did go, and I took the placement tests and did very well on all of them aside from math (which is the most important subject). Anyway I think I got a perfect score on the reading (nothing to be proud of when you're 18) and near perfect on the english (just a test checking the basics, so this again is nothing phenomenal). I got placed into the same classes as people I recognize that got all A's in high school. Turns out, that apart from stupid people like me, there are a lot of people who could have gotten into good schools, but went to cc's because they couldn't afford those same schools. Anyhow, half way through my first semester it struck me like a bolt of lightning that what I do now will determine the rest of my life (took me long enough), also, for the first time in my life I've started to enjoy going to school. Anyhow, I decided to study prior to the exams and to do all of the assigned material, and ended up finishing with a 3.25 for my first semester. Which really isn't that good, but I'm glad that I could have brought it up to that. </p>
<p>Anyway all that leads me to my questions: If I were to get A's in all of my classes for the remainder of cc, do I stand any chance of transferring to a semi decent school? How are the four year's going to react when they see my high school record? Should I retake my act? </p>
<p>There are a few things that hope may help me stick out when I transfer which are: (I know these will sound corny but bare with me) I'm pretty good at photography, though I've never entered a contest as to date (I can pm you some photos if you have the time, or post them on here and you all can tell me whether or not I should even be wasting my time). I also grow rare palms here at home, and am experimenting with some I have planted in the ground with heavy protection (again, I don't know if anyone would care).</p>
<p>To those who had taken the time to read all of this, I'd like to thank you for taking the time out of your more meaningful day and to apologize for any grammatical errors that I had probably made.</p>
<p>Stop selling yourself short. I congratulate you on turning things around and now taking initiative with your education, but that’s only one half of pursuing success - confidence will take you farther than you can imagine.</p>
<p>Anyway, yes, if you continue your grade trend, most 4-year universities won’t consider your HS stats if you are applying for junior standing. Your CC grades and extracurriculars will be held of highest importance. You definitely want to aim for a 3.5+ GPA to be most competitive. I’m sorry that I can’t recommend a list of schools that may be a good fit for you since I live in California, but I’m sure that some of the people on here can give you some suggestions if you give us some criteria.</p>
<p>I graduated with a 2.2 HS GPA, went to a CC, busted ass, transferred to a top 30 university, and graduated cum laude. Keep your spirit up and BUST ASS when it comes time to study. </p>
<p>Keep focus on maintaining the highest GPA you can possibly can and chose your professors wisely (use ratemyprofessors) as choosing good professors will greatly improve your experience at your community college and better prepare you as you transition to a 4 yr university.</p>
<p>Try to take a leadership position in an honor society or club on campus as well as act on your passion of photography. This will make writing your personal statement a lot easier when you decide to transfer. If you have to submit high school records to perspective colleges, make sure you explain why you did so poorly in high school and what was the turning point in your life that changed things. </p>
<p>I think the personal statement is the most essential part of the application. Don’t slack off here. Spend time writing and rewriting over and over again. You don’t want to get sloppy during the final stretch of your transition to a solid university.</p>
<p>“…I’m paying for what I did, and will continue to pay for it all of my life…”
i honestly can’t recall a single time i’ve ever heard a story of an employer, a bank, a woman, or any other entity that can potentially cast judgement on anyone EVER ask for one’s high school transcripts. it’s totally understandable that you regret not performing as well as you could have, but bottom line: you’re only 18. </p>
<p>you’ve got your goal. focus and PLAN AHEAD. the resources to achieve it are wildly available, and it’s perfectly feasible to bring that 3.25 up to a 3.8 and land yourself at a top 30 four-year. </p>
<p>like grey said, confidence is key.
oh, and homework.
gotta handle that, too…
good luck.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the optimistic replys, as I wasn’t expecting them. I know that I may in the future be able to forget my high school record when I’m further down the line in my chosen carrier, but what I really mean by “…I’m paying for what I did, and will continue to pay for it all of my life…” is that had I started thinking the way I do now in junior high, I would have been able to have a shoot at the top 30 (hypothetically, if I had what it took to begin with, I still really want to give it a shoot). I very willing to fight the up hill battle from my current position, but realistically I’ve greatly lowered my odds. But really, there’s no point for me to dwell on the past anymore.</p>
<p>I do have a few more questions regarding my transfer from cc though. I’ve talked talked to two councilors, and though I really appreciate their time and help, they couldn’t answer a lot of my questions. I wanted to know if I’m am able to realistically have any chance with my applications outside of the state of Illinois. The councilors I asked said that they haven’t had anyone really do that. </p>
<p>I know that a lot of people knock econ (on here) for not being as tuff as, for example, physics or engineering (which I totally agree with) but it’s an area that I really enjoy (even though I don’t know that much about it yet). So that’s why I wanted to major in economics. But a problem arises with that: From what I’ve read econ doesn’t go insane in the math department on the undergraduate level, but due to my lack of math in the past I am only going to be able to complete calculus for business and social sciences prior to transferring. This isn’t a problem at some schools (I think (I hope)) but in order to even be considered at UIUC you have to complete Calculus II prior to transfer, which I wouldn’t be able to do. Should I change my major to something that will better fit the situation that I’m in?</p>
<p>I wanted to thank everyone for taking the time out of your busy days to respond to my problems, I’m really glad that I can get this kind of ‘counseling’.</p>
<p>Out-of-state transfer is definitely possible. There will a few major factors that will come into play when you pursue this.</p>
<p>1) Your GPA. As I said in my previous post, if you want to open your horizons, aim for a 3.5+ GPA. The higher the better.</p>
<p>2) Your major. I see that you’re interested in pursuing Economics. I’m guessing that many programs will, like UIUC, require completion of Calculus II. Although I can’t say this with 100% certainty. I looked up the Economics requirements for USC for example, and found that they only require Macro/Microeconomics and Calculus I.</p>
<p>Further, I’m sure you know that some majors are more competitive than others. Economics is one of those majors. If you can keep a high GPA though, the sky’s the limit, granted the next two criteria…</p>
<p>3) Extra-curriculars. You will want to show that you can be an active and productive member of society aside from getting good grades. You may have a job for instance - this counts as a good extra-curricular, especially as a cc student. If you don’t have a job, try and get involved in a club on your campus, maybe you guys have an Economics club. If you don’t, hell, why not start one?</p>
<p>4) Your personal statement. While many state- and lower-tier schools don’t scrutinize this portion as much as higher-tier schools, this can play a decisive role in your admission to a top 30 university, which I’m sure that you can realistically still aim for.</p>
<p>“but realistically I’ve greatly lowered my odds.”</p>
<p>actually, it’s quite the opposite.
if top 30s are your hopes, you’ve got a significantly better shot at reaching them from community school than if you had a 3.5 with a few extra curriculars, and maybe a few APs, in high school. don’t be so somber.</p>
<p>as for econ, i’m not sure if you’ve already taken an econ class, but, after a few more courses, or more math, you might find that you’re really not all that interested in econ… many people i know have changed majors at least once. </p>
<p>as for getting out of illinois, if you get the grades, it’ll definitely be possible. as in surely, without question. $ is a different story, which you’ll find out about when the time comes.</p>
<p>again, you’ve got your goal, man. just keep at it, and spend more time studying / on campus than you think is necessary. pretty good rule of thumb.
also, get out of your house if possible. independence goes a long way with providing incentive / confidence.</p>