<p>Unlike most of the people I have read about here, I am not a high school student with good grades looking and deciding what schools to go to....I wish I was though. </p>
<p>This is my situation: I graduated high school in 2006 and started going to a community college that same fall. That same year, I went through something personal that affected me very much and from then on I didn't do so well. It hasn't been till recently that I have overcome from this event in my life and I feel ready to pursue the dream of getting a college degree. Unfortunately along the way I really messed up my transcripts. I have a handful of F's, many withdraws, and received many letters of "probation" during that time. </p>
<p>Now I am looking to start fresh and re-take everything. I know the past semesters can affect me, but what I really want to know is what are my chances of getting into a good school? Does this take me out of the chances of going to, for example, an ivy league school? Should I dumb down my choice of schools? What would I need to do, if it is even possible, to get me "back in contention" for extremely good schools? I want to major in Business Administration, accounting or finances (or both). Also, my high school transcripts aren't the best, as I only met the minimum requirements to graduate.</p>
<p>Your SATs have expired so if you are applying to 4 years again you need to retest.
Going back to CC is probably the best option with flexibility of schedule and ability to carefully select your courses to ease yourself back into academics.
So go to your CC you attended years ago and get your records straightened out and get enrolled.
Start out by taking a math and economics class to see if that is your career path.</p>
<p>I very much doubt you’re going to be a realistic candidate for an Ivy League school.</p>
<p>But you know what? It doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>I have a story in some ways similar to yours, except that I was blessed with parents who sent me off as a fresh-faced 18-year-old to a good and pricey LAC. I wasn’t emotionally mature enough for that at 18; I proceeded to party for two years until I got thrown out; my last semester, I had 4 Fs and a D.</p>
<p>Eight years later, I decided I seriously wanted a college degree, and I didn’t much care in what or from where. The best alternative for me, a working adult, was a business administration program offered in an accelerated evening program by a very non-prestigious urban private university. I enrolled, busted my tail for two years, and graduated with a 4.0 GPA for my last 66 credit hours.</p>
<p>Many of the classes were extremely challenging. I learned a lot, and what I learned has served me very well during a nearly 40-year career in business. And the fact that I have a degree from a place that few people more than 100 miles from downtown Chicago have ever even heard of has never impeded me in any way whatsoever.</p>
<p>So I think you should concentrate on finding a school where you can excel, and not worry about it being a “good school” - almost any school can be a good school for you if you decide to make it so. The suggestion upthread to start at a community college and get yourself back on the right track is, IMO, a good one, and something you should seriously consider.</p>
<p>This reminds me of an amusing story that a professor I had in college used to tell. He’d say, “After high school, I went to Cal State Long Beach in 1968. At the end of my first semester in college, my grade point average was 0.000…but damn, could I surf! So, then, after I got out of the Army, I started all over…” He didn’t go to a very fancy college. But he did get his Ph.D. at Columbia.</p>
<p>Thank you for the responses. Yes I know I am not a candidate for an Ivy League school, I was just putting that out there to see if I even had a shot at one of these schools, or any prestigious school for that matter, given my circumstances. As much as I am a big dreamer, I am also realistic. I just want to know where I stand as far as my probable chances in actually pursuing my dreams of attending the schools that I like so far. Thank you for the encouraging words. Some of the schools that I am looking into are Saint Johns, USC, Pace, UC Berkley, Cal State Fullerton. USC has been one of my dream schools but I am preferring the East Coast, just because I want a different experience than here in California. While there are many great schools with great business programs here in california that I won’t overlook when the time comes, I am looking for a different experience. Out of the schools I mentioned above, I really want to go to Pace. Is there any more advice you guys could give me?</p>