So right now, I am 18, I got a GED earlier this year, and I would like to attend a university but I have no idea on what I want to major in or if I would even be accepted into any. I dropped out of school (officially) during my junior year, so I never took my ACT or anything and my grades were horrible throughout high school. It’s not like I’m unintelligent (quite the opposite if I am being honest), I just didn’t care about doing any work or showing up. My mom died when I was 13 and ever since then I’ve been incredibly depressed and just lacked the motivation to do anything so I figured “Why not drop out?” I know now this was a dumb idea but I can’t go back in time so I have to try to make the best of my current situation. I did well enough on the GED test, I passed the ELA section with honors actually. I live in Michigan but I would prefer to not attend college here as I don’t want to live here forever. The only major I come back to often is English, but I feel like it would be incredibly hard to find a job with an English major as most of the related fields (journalism, law, novel writing, etc.) seem to be in pretty bad shape as far as job outlook goes. I’ve noticed there are a few colleges (specifically University of California campuses) that allow “Admission by Exception” although I feel like that is very rare. Sorry for this long post with no real point. This is what I am trying to ask: Is it possible to get into a university with a GED? How do I decide on what a good major would be? Am I dumb for wanting to attend college out of state and wanting to go straight to a university instead of a community college?
Many colleges and universities accept students with a GED. You will probably need to take the SAT or ACT if you want to apply to a 4 year school. The more important issue is paying for college. If your SAT or ACT score is very high, you may possibly be accepted to and receive good financial aid from one of the “meets need” schools, though these schools usually have high school course requirements which you may not meet due to dropping out of school. Otherwise, it may be better to look at public universities in your state, as out of state tuition is usually much more expensive. Community college may be a good option depending on course offerings and whether there are good arrangements with 4 year schools for seamless transfer of credits. Can your family (or extended family) help at all with college costs?
I urge you to go to your local community college. Make an appointment with a counselor. Find out what courses they offer that will transfer over to local four year collegs and universities.
Don’t worry about your career just yet. When you take general education clases, you may find that your areas of interest change, expand, develop. The counselor at the college should also be able to direct you to career aptitude tests online. I know that Naviance has an excellent one. I am not sure how you access Naviance without a school, but maybe you can just create an account, so do have a look. Or a counselor at community college might help you set up an account.
As the other poster said, you will need ACt or SAT test scores probably,if you want to go to four year college. I think without support, it will be difficult, but not impossible, to get a decent score. Firstly, I advise against taking the SAT for this year, as it is new and unknown. Get ACT study guides from the library. You can also find free ACT tests online. The key to doing well is to practice MANY times. It isn’t difficult to get the right answers, but it is difficult to do it well in the allocated time. Go on ACTs website to find out when the tests will be in your area. Be aware that you have to register within a certain time frame. It coast money, but not too much. It is worth doing if you can get a good score. I know two boys, both slacked off and had low grades, but high ACT scores. Colleges offered them tens of thousands off tuition.
Of course, by going into comm college, you will bypass the need to take the tests, and save a lot of money. Go to CC, take general Ed classes, and transfer in to a college that will accept your credits from comm college. Get good grades, as you might be given more aid, and a better shot at being accepted.
The other option is to get CLEP credits. CLEP means credit by exam. You take a CLEP test in
English, for example, and do well enough that you have shown proficiency in that subject and not need to take it in college. Saves you time and money. I believe CLEP is run by College Board. Google it. The catch is…you have to use CLEP credits at colleges that accpet them. Some colleges accept dozens of differnt CLEP credits, others, only a few. You will have to find out where CLEP exams are held in your area. I know of a guy who graduated with a BA from college after 2.5 years because he did nearly 1.5 years worth of CLEP credits. He saved tens of thousands, got his degree much sooner, and started working in his chosen profession.
The decision to get a GED doesn’t have to shape your entire future. I wen to CC for about three years before fianlly transferring to a state university for another three years. I screwed up in CC and dropped classes, got put on academic probation, and fianlly got my act together. I made the Deans list at university. I worked a bunch of jobs, took time off to travel, and had a lot of fun. My parents did pay my tuition, which helped, but it was peanuts back then. I paid for all my books and transport expenses. Good luck to you. It isn’t easy, but it is worth it in the end.
There are options for you.
I’m sorry about your mom. That must have been very difficult.
If I were you, I’d try a practice SAT and ACT to see which you like best, then study for it and take it this fall. If you can score well, you may qualify for grant money. However, the best aid comes from schools and goes to freshmen, and many college will classify you as a transfer if you take any classes before applying. Once you have scores, run the Net Price Calculators on college websites to get an idea of how much they’d cost. You’ll have to use your dad’s financial info. until you’re 24, so whether or not you qualify for need based grants like Pell will depend on his income. You can get the federal student loan ($5500 as a freshman, $6500 as a soph, and $7500/year as a junior and senior).
Once you have your test results, come back and post them. We’ll be better able to advise you then.
I concur with Post #2. Your grades in HS were not good. A good/middling SAT/ACT score will not make up for that. Start at CC and show you are interested and can do the work. Proceed from there.
I’d also recommend community college first.
California Community Colleges would accept your GED. It’s been awhile, but I took a few classes at Yuba College in California when I was in the military and thought they were as good as the classes I took at 4-year schools. There were fewer students in each class, so there was more individualized attention. Plus, it was a more relaxed environment than existed in the 4-year schools.
The problem with California community colleges for the OP is that moving to CA for community college would not establish residency. OP, while this isn’t what you want to hear, CC is a good starting point for you. Even if you end up at a four year college in Michigan, you csn move after graduation. I grew up and went to college in MI, and have lived in Minnesota and Washington state. I have friends who did the same at various MI colleges, and they now live in California, Florida, Oregon, Connecticut, North Carolina, Georgia, France, Alaska, DC, Illinois, Argentina, Ohio, Louisiana, and Colorado. You can leave the mitten, but be patient and complete your education with less debt by staying in-state.