<p>Hi ~ I'm new to this and am looking for advice. My son is in Community College and things are not going as well as we hoped. His goal was to transfer to a 4 yr college after 2-3 yrs but by now his GPA is 2.64 which is below his capability. With this kind of a GPA can he still get into a 4 yr college? I think he needs to reboot in a 4 yr school and give up trying to work (graveyard hours) while renting an apt so he can live on his own & go to school at the same time. It's not working. Any ideas are appreciated!</p>
<p>How many semesters of CC has he done so far?</p>
<p>It depends on the 4-year schools. Some schools require 3.0 GPA, some require only 2.0</p>
<p>Elaine,</p>
<p>Welcome to the Parents forum on CC.</p>
<p>As long as he completes an associate degree almost every single community college has articulation agreements with the local 4 -year schools, where he will be able to cleanly transfer all of the credits from the associates degree. While having a 2.64 gpa, he may not be able to transfer easily into the state flagship or a particular major, but he will be able to transfer into a 4 year school</p>
<p>It depends on the school. At my flagship, as well as other less selective ones, almost all programs require only a 2.5 GPA. I believe the directionals are even less selective. In a state like California, there aren’t that many publics which will accept him as a transfer even if he’s completed all of the transfer requirements.</p>
<p>I guess I would ask whether he really wants to be in school right now. Maybe he is trying to say that he just wants to work and live on his own, at least for now.</p>
<p>I don’t think rebooting at a 4 year school will resolve his lackluster GPA. Unless he is being forced right now to pay his own way, it seems that his behavior is indicating what his priorities are for now.</p>
<p>I agree with crizello. If he has only done one or two semesters, he can bring his GPA up before applying to transfer to a 4 yr. college. The question is whether he is willing to apply himself to do this. You may want to have a serious discussion about whether or not he really wants to spend his time and (assuming your) money if he’s not going to put forth 100% effort. Maybe he wants to take time off and work or maybe he wants to stay in school; however, it’s probably worth sitting down to reassess priorities. Best of luck to him.</p>
<p>Rebooting isn’t usually possible. I think time off or working harder is in order.</p>
<p>Look at less selective 4 yr universities, they will likely take him. I don’t know what state you are in and if instate tuition is needed. CC students’ opportunities can be hindered by the grade distribution of that particular CC ~ it may not be, entirely, tied to how hard he is working or his understanding of the material. I disagree with most posters above, and do think getting him into a 4 yr school as soon as possible is the ideal. But most important, you and he need to look at each online Undergraduate Catalog to find a good fit, and where he is likely to be successful. These catalogs are lengthy but very worth studying. You will learn what is required to be admitted to each major. Do no assume that just-any-univeristy-if-he-gets-in is ok. Sometimes a university is not too hard get in to, but hard to get out.</p>
<p>Less selective four year schools may take transfers with 2.00 GPAs. For example if he is California resident applying to a non-impacted major at a non-impacted CSU campus, he just needs a 2.00 GPA as well as the necessary prerequisite course work (however, many CSU campuses have some degree of impaction, and some popular majors like nursing are impacted everywhere or at many CSU campuses which are not otherwise impacted).</p>
<p>[CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - Transfer Students - Upper-Division Grade Requirements](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU)</p>
<p>Here is an example of the transfer GPA minimums for various majors, most of which are impacted, at a CSU campus:</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://info.sjsu.edu/static/admission/impaction.html]Info.sjsu.edu[/url”>http://info.sjsu.edu/static/admission/impaction.html]Info.sjsu.edu[/url</a>] (click on the transfer impaction links)</p>
<p>For example, for SJSU fall 2013, transfers to the creative art major were admitted at a 2.00 GPA, while a 3.85 GPA was needed for art - animation/illustration.</p>
<p>Is he working full time? Working full time on the graveyard shift and going to school sounds pretty difficult to me. I understand that sometimes financial need requires work. Can he still live at home, work part time, and concentrate on school?</p>
<p>On the other hand, if he isn’t “into” school right now, he could leave and work for a year or even several years. There are many ways to do college these days (programs for adult learners, online programs, low residency programs, continuing education). He could take one class at a time for awhile.</p>
<p>I firmly believe that college isn’t the way to go for many. I have kids in top colleges and a kid taking a certificate program at community college, and her life has become pretty darn focused and happy since she left a 4 year college and is on a different path.</p>
<p>Does he like his work? Maybe he should look at the variety of certificate programs at the community college and do some training that way, rather than the 4 year college right now.</p>
<p>What are his interests? Does he have academic interests or specific career goals? If not, then why is he in college? He must wonder that himself, which would affect his GPA as much as the stressful work hours, perhaps.</p>
<p>I think he needs to reboot in a 4 yr school and give up trying to work (graveyard hours) while renting an apt so he can live on his own & go to school at the same time.</p>
<p>Can you clarify? He can’t just start over as if he never went to college. His new school will know that he went to the CC (all schools use a clearinghouse that reveals that info).</p>
<p>Also…Are you saying that he’s working to pay for his apt while attending his CC? Well, if he quit working, then WHAT would pay for his living expenses and college costs while in college? Most schools don’t have enough aid, and many do not give much to transfers. Also, his GPA would likely keep him out of the schools that give the best aid.</p>
<p>How much can you pay each year towards college? Do you know what his FAFSA EFC is?</p>
<p>Is there a univ that he can commute to from your home?</p>
<p>I agree with everything compmom says in #11. </p>
<p>One thing I wonder is why he went the CC route in the first place: money, grades/stats, or something else? If a traditional academic degree is his goal, could you and he afford to send him to a 4-year college where he could live in a dorm or a shared apartment, with perhaps a 10-15 hr per week job and reasonable debt (ie, no more than the annual federally-subsidized max)?</p>
<p>I know that there is a tradition of CC-to-university in CA, but in many places students find it difficult to maintain focus in the CC atmosphere. IMHO, if a 4-year degree is really his goal now, he would be better off at a 4-yr school, <em>if</em> you can afford it. If it isn’t really his goal, that’s fine too, and there are other good alternatives. I agree with compmom that 4-yr college isn’t for everyone.</p>
<p>ElaineRenee -
I agree with Sybbie - if you search on the Community College’s web site for “articulation,” you will find information about the 4-year schools your son can automatically attend once he finishes an Associate’s Degree at his current CC.
I think that generally speaking, it is easier to focus on school when you are in a dorm at a 4-year school where everyone is focused on school. At CC, more people have jobs and families to worry about, so classwork may not be student’s #1 priority.</p>
<p>If your son has the desire and funds to go to a four-year college, as others have noted, there will certainly be 4-year colleges that will accept him. If you are sure he has the desire and money to go, post what you are looking for in a four-year college and folks here will suggest possibilities you can look at. Good luck!</p>
<p>Difficult to give input when we know so little about the individual. I would just say that sometimes a year off can be very helpful, but other times the student never goes back because “life” takes over.</p>
<p>I would encourage him to spend some time at the career center of his community college, and some time chatting with the transfer advisor. He may prefer living on his own, and working to studying. In that case, dropping out of college for a while or switching to a career-focused program would make sense.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if he does determine that he wants a four year degree, he will need to decide what sacrifices are worth making in order to achieve that goal. For instance, in order to have time to study, he may need to change jobs, which would probably mean there won’t be enough money to pay for an apartment of his own.</p>