Question: How do colleges perceive (near perfect score) GED recipients as opposed to traditional diploma recipients? If I were to apply with a GED to a four year college would my high school transcript still be required? If so, how could/should I approach discussing very poor grades with circumstances to match?
Context: I am 17 years old and one week ago I was supposed to graduate alongside my class. I was supposed to do a lot of things that never quite came to fruition. Throughout my first two and a half years of highschool I maintained a precipitous but passable 3.3 GPA. Then it dropped to a 2.3… then a 1.4… my GPA in my final semester would surmount to an abysmal 0.8. As a supposed “Gifted and Talented” student who initially thrived in 4 AP & two honors classes, who was barely satisfied with a 32 ACT, watching my grades slip so quickly and seamlessly through my hands was gut-wrenching to say the very least. Backstory: Over the past 6 years I’ve moved houses ELEVEN separate time between my two parents (yet remained in the same district). Over the past 8 years I’ve been subject to severe emotional and verbal abuse that Child Protective Services called “not physical enough to intervene” in. Over the past 5 I’ve developed severe major depression, over the past 3 years it’s been Bipolar type 2, over the past 2 I’ve added complex-PTSD to the cocktail of dysfunctionality. None of these detailings are meant to elicit sympathy but purely to provide context; I have never succumbed to calling myself a victim. However saying these circumstances haven’t affected my grades would be a blatant lie. I was able to (for the most part) escape that abusive environment just before my first semester finals of this year, but it seemed to be too little too late; the state of my mental health was critical. I was recommended by many teachers and counselors for a Home & Hospital plan but the parent I had escaped from, who still holds majority custody, vehemently denied any attempts to implement that plan; I was faced with a dire choice. Ultimately I chose health over grades. My real question is this: will detailings of my general experience throughout my highschool career supplement the shortcomings that inherently come with a GED potentially sway a four year college admististrative team towards accepting me or will I have to endure Junior College in the same environment of my abuser before transferring? Will they see my abysmal transcripts? What can I say to communicate that I care deeply about learning despite the strong evidence to the contrary throughout the past 4 years?
(extra: I was also -
• founder/president of a mental health club
• sec/tres of the debate team
• a member of a 2 year advanced drama program and awarded “outstanding playwright” out of everyone in my grade/class
• a pianist for 8 years
• a varsity swimmer for 2 years (though I unfortunately had to discontinue the latter 2 due to financial struggles))
If you can link your story to one of the “hooks” colleges look for like low income, first gen, URM, athlete etc, you will be in good shape. The key with college admissions is to give them something they perceive they need.
Honestly, I think getting your GED and proving yourself at a CC is going to be your most likely route to a 4 year college.
CC/JC doesn’t seem to be a realistic option. Staying in this general environment directly and indirectly effects me. It’s really important that I remove myself from my current situation ASAP, like, ‘not spending 2 years in a CC/JC’ ASAP. If you or anyone knows about the viability of going straight to a 4 year I would love to hear about it
Your own guidance counselors and mental health team are the ones who are mostlikely to be able to tell you whether students in your situation find admission and aid packages that make educations affordable. You need a solid plan for paying for college.
Since you didn’t graduate,you surely have the option of remaining in high school and repeating your senior year so that you can pull your grades up and get the letter of recommendation that you need and deserve. The GED exam is not easy, and the time needed to prepare for it could easily end up being essentially as long as the time needed to repeat the semester or year that could recover your grades.
Agree that you may have to prove yourself at a CC first. That being said, that doesn’t mean you have to stay in that environment to do so. Do you have extended family you can live with away from the abusive environment?
Do you have the GED already? You need a high school diploma, but other options might be a 5th year senior at your high school or a high school completion program at a CC. Sometimes a degree through coursework looks better. Depending on what you’ve passed and what you’re missing, you may be able to finish high school at the CC quickly, as a semester of CC usually gives a full year of high school credit.
Do you think you could handle a large school? There are many big state universities with high acceptance rates that might give you a chance to prove yourself and would offer a huge range of classes and opportunities. But, some kids find huge schools too impersonal and stressful. What state are you in?
How are you planning to pay for college? Is your custodial parent willing to pay and/or fill out financial aid forms?
I don’t have the GED already but my school doesn’t offer a 5th year senior option, I would have to go through summer school but I have no way of getting there (amongst other reasons) so attending is next to impossible. I could very easily handle a large school and would actually prefer it but because I live in California it’s pretty hard to get into state schools (though not impossible. CSUs are brutally impacted so though I could attend easily I would spend at least 5 years there. I don’t know how I’m paying honestly, I had a small fund through my grandparents that was emptied by a parent for family expense purposes and it’s possible those grandparents might match the number that was taken from me but as of now I’m assuming that I have nothing. The parent I’m estranged from at this point would never consent to filling out the FAFSA or the private school aide form (I forget the name) so that limits me. I’m willing to work/ participate in work study in addition to loans but it’s a difficult situation
Go to the financial aid forum, and ask for advice about money given your situation. Your situation is a difficult one.
Did you attend a public high school? In most states, students can remain in public schools until they fulfill high school graduation requirements or until the end of the school year in which they turn 21. If you have not aged out, a public high school might be legally obligated to allow you to return in the fall to finish up. Talk with your counselor there, and consider contacting legal aid.
Do you have two parents? Are they together or separated? If they aren’t together, can you move in with the other one? The parent who needs to file the FAFSA with you is the parent you have lived with the most in the past year.
One possibility is to start at one of the California community colleges with dorms. A GED is fine for admission to most community colleges. You can probably pay for it with a Direct student loan (unsubsidized if no cooperation from parents), some work earnings, and (hopefully) a smallish contribution from your grandparents.
You’re going to need more help than just an internet board can provide. If you can’t get to school, how do you get to a GED program or a community college? Or pay for that? Is there a bus system? Do you have a job?
High school completion programs at a community college is free for those under age 21 in my state, so that may be an option in California if you can get there. States also have vocational rehabilitation funds that pay for college or job training for kids with disabilities. You could see if PTSD and mental health issues qualify.
The days when a student could pay their own way at a four year school with work study are pretty much gone. Tuition plus room and board is too expensive. You can’t qualify for financial aid without the college looking into how much money your family has to contribute unless you are over age 24. That means your parent would have to file the FAFSA (and ideally pay their EFC - but even just filing helps if they show financial need). The exception would be for independent students, but you would have to prove you were homeless or married or a veteran etc. It’s not typically granted if you have contact with your parent,
What does your parent want for your future, if anything?
A possibility is to petition the court to be emancipated prior to your 18th birthday. You would be considered an independent student and the parental FAFSA requirements would not apply. That might make a residential CC possible and you could complete college at a 4 yr institution. If you are considering entering the armed services to pay for college on the GI bill, (which is an excellent option) you would be considered a Tier 2 (lower) candidate. Take 15 credits at the CC would bump you to Tier 1 status and you would not have much of an issue being accepted at that point.
I’m getting a lot of responses that relate to going to a CC/ surrounding financial aide. I have no interest in going to a CC; it’s not an option due to my situation. I do not need to know how I could function at a CC, or how I would handle financial aide. I need to know how to avoid a CC altogether and the likelihood that 4 year colleges would accept a GED student in my situation. If any further responses could focus solely (or at least primarily) on that it would be appreciated.
To clarify in more depth: I understand what would happen at a CC and what I would have to do there. I need to know how to avoid that scenario entirely. Entering armed services is also not something I’m considering.
@VivienneG you are in a very challenging situation and I feel for you. You have had to deal with so much in your young life and your parents are making it hard for you to move on to a better situation. I understand that you do not want to go to a CC and you have very valid reasons why not. I am sure I am not the only one who would love to see you get your GED and find a four year college where you could thrive away from your toxic home situation.
But…people keep bringing up CC’s for good reason, and not just for academic reasons - it is most likely the ONLY option you will be able to afford based on what you have told us about your situation. You don’t just need a college you can get into, you need one you can afford. Paying for college may very well be an even bigger problem for you than getting in. All financial aid from colleges relies on those financial aid forms. If, as you say, your custodial parent will not fill out the FAFSA or other financial aid forms required by 4 year schools, you will not be eligible for work study or any other federal aid, you will not be able to get the $5500 federal loan (which is the maximum amount you can take yourself without a qualified co-signer), and you would not get any need based aid from any college. Colleges expect parents to pay for their child’s college education to the extent they are able. Without those financial aid forms, your only option is paying in full from your own savings and earnings, and unfortunately, low CC tuition and fees would be the only realistic choice for a young person in that situation.
That’s why people keep talking about CCs, or the possibility of getting yourself emancipated before age 18 (post 11), etc.
How is your relationship with your noncustodial parent? Could you move in with that parent once you turn 18 and get your GED and maybe attend a CC or local college there or is that situation equally toxic? Would that parent be willing to fill out the FAFSA once you have lived there long enough for that parent to be the custodial parent for FAFSA purposes? Head over to the financial aid forum if you want to talk about options to make this work financially.
It is truly a difficult situation, and I am sorry you are in this position.
VivienneG - I do not know of any college or university that does not accept applicants who have GEDs. You would not be limited to applying to community colleges just because of that.
A fifth year to make up your senior grades, but living with someone else, would be best.
Can you live with your grandparents?
If you live with your other parent or are registered as homeless /at risk you can bypass your abusive parent 's unwillingness to fill forms out.
Basically yes college would admit you with a ged but then you’d be stuck…
Would that college be for fall 2017 or 2018?
Your issue is that unless you have personal funds to pay for college or are declared emancipated before age 18, colleges will go through your custodial parent. So your real challenge is finding ways to bypass that parent for college purpose.
You seem to have latched on to the idea of going to a four year school as a way of getting out from under your abusive parent, but unless you have a source of money you forgot to mention, you can’t go.
You can try googling your county name plus either high school dropout program or teen crisis.
Use the high school dropout info to actually finish a high school credential of some sort. That is a minimum for getting any sort of financial aid or student loan.
Use the teen crisis info to find another way to get out of your abusive household if you can.
I understand your reluctance but I think what you are getting is sound advice. With an “abysmal transcript” (your words) and parents who won’t help with financial aid, I’m not sure what other options you have.