<p>You CAN still do this. I graduated high school with a 2.8 and a 23 on the ACT, I went to community college and got a 2.7 my first semester. I left community college after two years with a 3.7 to come to Michigan (and I retook the ACT having taken 4 or 5 practice tests and got a 29-- which is pretty good considering they refuse me disability accomodations). The average gpa of the LSA transfer is a 3.6, so I was shooting for that at least and I made it. I joined a few clubs (rotoract, newspaper staff, phi theta kappa, etc), wrote some good essays, and I got in. You can still turn it around. You just have to remind yourself now every time something gets in your way, be it something out of your control or something as simple as the urge to procrastinate, that THIS is your chance to go to Michigan, and it will slip away if you don’t do whatever it takes to take it. I remember when I was in CC I kept a certain quote in mind, I can’t remember who it’s by, but it goes something like, "There is no such thing as CAN’T. It’s just a matter of whether or not you are willing to do what is necessary." That really motivated me to get myself in gear. What was necessary was losing all of my bad study habits overnight, working harder than I’d ever work before, working NONSTOP until I got the job done. I had to overcome a learning disability to do that, but I did it. That was what was necessary for me to get into Michigan, I did it, and I am here. If I can pull it off, so can you. There were more than a few times when I wanted to skip class or blow off studying (because I was tired, or I *deserve *it after all I did yesterday, blahblahblah), but I would come back at myself with, “ah, well, I guess you aren’t WILLING to do what is needed to get into Michigan. I guess you don’t REALLY want to go.” It was a good remedy for me. :P</p>
<p>The great thing about the way that this country’s educational system works is that, for most situations, it is really difficult to permanently screw yourself. Mess up in high school? No big deal! Go to community college and you can redeem yourself. If you’re successful there, even with your past history, you can get 4 year universities to give you another look. That was a FANTASTIC opportunity for me to prove that I can do well despite what happened to me before, and it can be for you, too.</p>
<p>ETA:</p>
<p>Res ipsa is correct in that they don’t really care about your ACT scores anymore once you start college. There is nothing discouraging you from taking them (and you still have to submit your scores), but it isn’t necessary. I chose to take it because I wanted to see how much better I could do if I had actually prepared. I hadn’t taken a subject in any of the courses tested in a good two years, but I didn’t prepare at all for the ACT in high school and had been diagnosed with learning and physical disabilities since then that SHOULD have qualified me for accommodation even though it didn’t, so I thought I stood a chance of doing better and wanted to do that for myself. I guess it was a confidence thing to me, I was trying to prove to myself that I really was smarter than I’d been given credit for. Whether or not you want to take it is up to you, but it shouldn’t be the end of the world if you cant, little to no weight is put on ACT score for transfers. However your pre-college record will be asked for-- but they forgave mine so I don’t know that I’d worry about that if I were you.</p>