<p>I went to community college and with my new found freedom at age 18, I didn't focus on school as much as I should've. I very rarely studied and my grades showed that. The past 2 years, I've been a stay-at-home mom, and I'm more mature and disciplined than I used to be. My cumulative GPA is a 2.157. How long would it take to get my GPA up to a 3.0 (I'm aiming for higher, but want to at least get it there)? Should I re-take all of my previous classes? I'm planning to get my transfer degree from my community college and then transfer to a university to study biology.</p>
<p>Definitely retake classes with low grades that are for your future major. A bad grade in a gen ed class that doesn’t relate to your major can be overlooked, but the grades for your field of study should be A’s and B’s (mostly A’s).</p>
<p>How many units did you take already at a community college? If you only took a few classes, it will take only a few classes to pull up the average gpa. If you took a lot of classes, you would have to take even more to pull up the average.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>If you took 30 units and had a 2.0 average, and took ANOTHER 30 units and had a 4.0 average, the two mixed together is an overall 3.0</p>
<p>However, if you took 60 units and had a 2.0 average and then took 30 further units with a 4.0, the overall average only rises to 2.67</p>
<p>You need to read the fine print about retaking classes and how your CC recalculates classes that are retaken. Some only allow for retakes (in terms of recalculating your gpa) for classes you got a D or F in. Some will average out the two grades (F in first class, A in second class, for a total of a “C” on average), but others will simply swap the F or D for the new higher grade.</p>
<p>Also, note that how the CC calculates your gpa and retakes can be DIFFERENT than how your transfer college decides to calculate your gpa and retakes. So you need to research the fine print of both the CC and transfer college.</p>
<p>Finally, look into “Academic Renewal” at your CC. They may allow you to petition to have your old grades thrown out. They will still appear on your transcript but not be calculated into the gpa. (Again, check the transfer college to see if they will accept a AR from the CC or not.)</p>
<p>It is a bit of footwork on your part, but worth it in terms of making a plan that isn’t a waste of your time. Trust things that are IN PRINT more than word of mouth or even what some random transfer counselor tells you–they are notoriously bad. Always verify the specific rule by finding it in the actual course catalog/college bulletin/college academic regulations manual! These are almost always online for each college these days but you have to look.</p>
<p>I have a total of 51 credits :-\ Unfortunately, academic renewal is only available to students who have been out of school for 5 years. It will be 3 for me in January. I heard that sometimes your GPA basically resets when you go to a new college. Is this true if you go to another community college? What about when I apply to a university…will they look at my previous college’s grades as a negative?</p>
<p>I have a total of 51 credits :-\ Unfortunately, academic renewal is only available to students who have been out of school for 5 years. It will be 3 for me in January.</p>
<p>Find out if when you retake classes if they replace the grade (an F plus an A = A) or if they average it (an F plus an A = C). That will make a big difference in how long it will take to get up to a 3.0. Also note that some transfer colleges will look at your most recent set of grades and note that there was a gap, a regrouping, and a new trend in the gpa. You don’t necessarily have to get an overall gpa of 3.0 if the college does holistic reviews.</p>
<p>I heard that sometimes your GPA basically resets when you go to a new college. Is this true if you go to another community college? </p>
<p>When you transfer to a 4-year college many will just reset your prior gpa (treat all of them as P/NP credits). However, there are many variations to this. For example, some colleges will count ALL attempted coursework at all college for the gpa in terms of graduation honors, though the 4-year gpa is just what you earned at the 4-year. Other colleges will not include any prior coursework for graduation honors. Etc. You are stuck once again having to read the fine print college by college.</p>
<p>However, if you go to another community college, whether or not they “reset” your gpa doesn’t matter because when you transfer to a 4-year college, you have to report ALL prior colleges. Don’t try to fudge this because these days there are clearing houses that house this info that colleges can do a quick looksee to see if you have been honest or not.</p>
<p>What about when I apply to a university…will they look at my previous college’s grades as a negative?</p>
<p>Depends on the college. Some colleges are mandated to look strictly at total gpa rank, such as the CSUs. Many privates have the ability to look at the overall application: grade trends, life experiences, LORs, etc. The more holistic the college, the better your chances.</p>