I am not going to lie… I failed all though highschool… Well not every class I passed every class but 2 freshman and sophomore year. Did ok junior year… And due to things that happened junior year I dropped out… I was suppose to graduate may 2014. But I obviously didn’t. I recently started going back to school to get my diploma. And I’m TERRIFIED. No schools will accept me because I never did good in school. All I want to do is go to college and be what I have always wanted. I know I messed up REALLY BAD in highschool and I regret it 100%
Calm down. Do you have a community college near you? They are really good with helping students find their way. Go there, take classes, and do as well as you can. Ask for help, from tutors, teachers, etc., if you don’t understand something. Get enough credits there to be considered a transfer student, and no 4-year college will care about your high school record.
What is it that you have always wanted to be?
Deep breaths.
Your first stop is with your guidance counselor. Make an appointment; this is no conversation for catching him/her in the 10 minutes before your next class or his/her next appointment.
The (very) good news is this: while this is the first time you’ve ever been in these shoes, this is NOT the first time your guidance counselor has dealt with this. He or she or someone in the Guidance department knows exactly how to advise you.
You’re going to get your diploma, right?? This year or next?
If it’s this year, obviously you need to get going with applications. The previous poster was absolutely right in suggesting Community College as a starting place. Aside from being incredibly affordable, they’re also wonderful in terms of their admissions policies.
In addition, there are a number of schools all over the country that are well known for those kids who struggled in high school. Your guidance counselor can help you find some that meet your career aspirations.
Go to guidance ASAP and make the appointment.
The best of luck to you!
On the Left of this page, there is a tool called Supermatch. Put your SAT scores and GPA in and see what matches.
In any case, the classic path forward for you would be to do two years of CC and then transfer to a 4 year school (like your State U.) You get the diploma from the State U.
I agree with basically everyone. Meet with your guidance counselor to make sure that you’re graduating with general education requirements fulfilled (Ex. 4 years of English, 3 years of Math and so on). Most 4-year universities will require this for all applicants, transfers included. Some will allow you to make up for them at a CC, but you don’t want to wait until you apply to transfer to a 4-year to find out that you lack a requirement.
If your GPA is low and you haven’t taken the SAT/ACT yet, then you could attend a local CC. There are CCs that have transfer agreements with 4-year universities—like some UC campuses that guarantee transfer admissions from California CC.
I would pick a local CC that has a high transfer rate and lots of programs just so that you have more options in choosing an intended major. I would also research some 4-year universities around you, see if they offer a degree in your intended major, and find out what the pre-requisite courses and necessary placement exams are to gain admission to a major department.
As long as you plan ahead, you’re fine. Mistakes are mistakes and you will do better. Attending college will put you on a clean slate (new transcript, yay!). Just make sure you know about the admission requirements (both general admission and departmental admission) and have them ready by the time you transfer. Good luck!