Hi there,
I’m wondering if someone here can help me. I’m not sure if this is even the right thread. If someone could help that would be amazing. 
In summer 2012 I graduated high school with a GPA 4.0 and lots of extra credits (possibly 2 sems worth?, I believe I was half way to an associates degree) and I was valedictorian of my graduating class. I also scored extremely well on my SAT, I can’t remember the exact number but I will post
I started college in fall of 2012 and did not have a good experience I was depressed, alone and didn’t perform well in classes but I passed everything.
In sem 2, in spring 2013, I failed my classes. Things got complicated from here, my mom threw me out for failing and I went to live with my dad in a different state. I’m not sure if I was un-enrolled(or if that’s required) from my college, I do know my mom stopped paying and my college fund is gone.
From there I moved state and for the last two years I have not been doing the best (working min wage jobs etc.)
Now I really want to get back to education and attain my Bachelors, I do not want to return to my former college and I have no way of paying for it.
I was wondering could any one here please point me towards where I need to be going, who I need to be talking to and the steps I could take to get back on track. Please ignore my financial situation if you like I’d just like to know what I need to do. But if you have advice or experienced a similar situation sharing would be great.
Thank you
A phone call or email should be able to clear this up; we’d just be guessing. I think you’ll find that if you call the people at your old college will be helpful in explaining your standing and what you should do to move forward; you aren’t the first person to hit a bump in the road thru college, and the people that work at colleges generally want to see kids succeed (whether its back at their school or elsewhere).
One tripping point may be “my mom stopped paying”. You need to find out if you owe your old college money. If so, they may refuse to release a transcript.
Most 4-year colleges require you to be in good standing at the last college you attended. And don’t think of “forgetting” to list this college since there is a national database that tracks enrollments. A common approach people use is to enroll at a CC to establish a record of success. What you’ve done academically recently carries more weight than what happened in the past and can show you’ve turned things around. Starting dates for CC’s are coming up soon, so if you want to go this route you should get right on it.
First ask yourself why your college education went south. If you were valedictorian, you probably had lots of choice when decisions came in; what went wrong? Why didn’t your college work for you? What major do you want to pursue now, and are you sure? What college would you ideally like to transfer to?
Then meet with a community college adviser. Bring transcripts from your university and old community college and see what units will transfer over. Hopefully you’ll have completed your general education requirements by now and can focus on the major you will transfer with.
While transferring, you can apply for private and merit scholarships. You can (and should) also find a paid internship in your field to supplement your studies. You’ll probably take out some loans, but that’s okay if you have a goal in mind. You’ll have already saved a lot by transferring.
First, find out if you owe your previous school and if they’ll release your transcript. If you owe anything, you have to pay them first unless your local community college will let you enroll without the transcript from the previous school (ask them). You do have to list all previous schools on your app.
What state are you in? You need to make sure you meet residency requirements so you get in-state rates. Could you live with your dad and commute to a community college?
Since you’re under 24, you have to list your parents’ financial info. on the FAFSA. If they’re divorced, you only have to list one, I think, but I’m not sure which. Filling out FAFSA let’s you get the ~$5500/year student loan, so fill it out even if you don’t think you’ll qualify for a Pell grant.
Do you owe student loans now? I don’t think you have to pay those if you’re enrolled in college full-time (I don’t know about part-time), but interest will still accumulate on unsubsidized loans.
Friend who just barely graduated from high school went to work for several years, then realized that he was ready to go back to school. He took one class at community college and liked it. Decided to enroll in CC full-time. He did well and subsequently transferred to a top state U. He’s now getting a Phd at Stanford and hopes to end up in academia. Typical? No. But he’s walking proof that there are second chances for some.
As others have said, you need to clear up your status at your former college, pay any money owed and get hold of your transcripts, then head off to a reputable CC. You don’t have to go full-time right away if you need to earn money - but make sure you put in the time needed to do well so you build up a track record for the purpose of transferring. Hopefully you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish this time around and the maturity to pull it off.
And let your mom know what you are doing, if you haven’t already. Hopefully, she’ll be rooting for you to succeed and the breach in your relationship will be something you both can put behind you. Good luck!