Guidance For A Misguided Lad?

So I done messed up my high school GPA. I’m a senior high school and I’ve received acceptances to some CUNYs and NYIT. My GPA is a 2.3 and my SAT is 2060. I’m planning on transferring in two years, and I have some questions. How generous are univerities with financial aid for transfer students. Also, how likely are they to accept my credits. If I attend NYIT I can receive education in technical, math, and science classes related with my major, computer engineering. I doubt I can afford two years at a university and four more years at another university. Also, how can I build my extracurriculars. I really want to find internships related with my interests but I can never find any. The internships offered at my high school I can’t do because my GPA is to damn low :(. Google doesn’t help either. I was thinking about getting a license in electrical or plumbing but that would also cost money. I’ve spent time looking for a part time job too! NO ONE IS HIRING DAMMIT! I feel like I’ve dug myself into a stump. There are almost no opportunities out there for me to climb myself out. HELP?!

Transfers hardly get any institutional aid and if they do, it is for very specific students (e.g. music majors, native Spanish speakers, etc.). You can possible qualify for financial aid.

I think it may be in your best interest to go to a community college, get a high GPA, and then transfer after one or two years. Community colleges offer general education core courses that will transfer almost anywhere since they are so generic. Community colleges are also very cheap.

If you are going to attend a 4 year university, look up the colleges you want to transfer to and look at their transfer equivalency courses. Don’t attend a school where your courses won’t transfer, or else you are just wasting money. Make sure the CUNYs or NYIT have courses that transfer to your desired college.

Did you have that kind of GPA every year? One or two really bad years and the rest pretty good years? Or are there classes that you consistengly do very poorly in and others that you do well in? Have you always done pretty well on standardized exams relative to your classroom grades?

Think through the answers to those questions, and consider walking into your guidance office and asking about testing for LDs. A C average in class and a very good SAT score can be a big bright waving red flag for LDs in the ADD/Executive Function range. If that is part of your issue, then you want help dealing with that before you spend any money on college.

All that said, your best bet may well be to begin at a community college that has formal transfer agreements with a 4-year institution that you would be happy to attend. Ask your guidance counselor to help you identify some of those as well.

Well it’s difficult for me to find a working environment. My father would get really mad at me for sitting down for extended periods of time which is necessary for a good grade in courses that I’m taking. In college I’m planning on camping the library until nightfall before coming home.