<p>She is applying to Cal State San Bernardino and JUST realized that she got a D in Pre-AP English in 10th grade for the first semester. She didn't know that a C was required in all of the standard A-G courses in order to even be considered at a CSU, so she never made up that grade. Is there ANYTHING she cn do about this? The deadline for applying to CSU's in very soon.</p>
<p>Also, are there any cheap colleges in California that don't require A-Gs.</p>
<p>If she has good SAT and SATII scores, she could try applying “Entrance by Exam” at the UCs. As far as I know the Cal States do not have an equivalent program. </p>
<p>Check to make sure that she really is eliminated, since it was a first semester grade. Was it a year long course?</p>
<p>Cheap colleges? If she has an otherwise excellent transcript, she could try some of the private schools and hope for merit money and financial aid. Or there are community colleges.</p>
<p>She needs to pull up that grade for the semester. Or, she could enroll in an English class at a Juco. Just make sure that the course is transferable, ‘IGETC’.</p>
<p>This is from CSU:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.csufresno.edu/are/undergrad/documents/CSU-UC_a-g_SubjectRequirements2008-09.pdf[/url]”>http://www.csufresno.edu/are/undergrad/documents/CSU-UC_a-g_SubjectRequirements2008-09.pdf</a></p>
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<p>If it had been a math or foreign language a-g requirement and your friend got a higher grade second semester, it would have been okay.</p>
<p>Perhaps those SAT 1 or SAT II tests your friend has taken can solve this requirement. Tell her to check the CSU website</p>
<p>She got a D first semester and then brought it up to a C. What can she do about this while applying?</p>
<p>Did she take the SAT and SAT II? Do you know her scores? I can check and see what the cutoff is or where she can get the data to waive that first semester.</p>
<p>I think while applying she could put those grades down and then see if she gets in with a provisional acceptance.</p>
<p>I am not sure if this is the right page at the CSU website, but here is the information for waiving out of the English Level Placement test with SAT/ACT/SAT II. </p>
<p>[CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - EPT](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU)</p>
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<p>She’s gonna be taking the SAT for the first time on December 4th, and I don’t think her scores will be exceptionally good, and she only has a 2.9 gpa. She doesn’t really have much to show the school that she really deserves to get in despite the D in English, so I’m not sure if she will even get provisional acceptance. She also wasn’t in AP Lang and didn’t take the EAP, so there’s nothing they can use to see that she should be exempt from that D in English.</p>
<p>What if she went on independent study to make up the English grade? Will the college be fine with this?</p>
<p>Blondie,</p>
<p>Why did she wait so long to take the SAT? If she had a 3.0 in the a-g subjects, she wouldn’t even need to take the SAT or ACT for CSU, although for some majors that is a supplementary requirement.</p>
<p>Independent study might be a solution, not sure what her high school recommends. What has the guidance counselor suggested? </p>
<p>Usually the student self reports grades and transcripts aren’t even seen until admitted or provisionally admitted. If she has time to do this, it might help.</p>
<p>What is the backup plan? CSU Bernandino might just work with her, but she has to get proactive and fix that grade!</p>
<p>This was a pre-ap class, so she went on to take the AP exam? It looks like she might be ok, if she did well on that AP class, by what Samurai posted…</p>
<p>I know, I tried to get her to sign up to take it sooooo many times, but she was just too lazy to actually do it. And yeah, honestly a 3.0 isn’t THAT hard to get for most people [if she had tried more in certain classes she could have been up there]. I’m making sure she’s not applying to an impacted program because then she probably won’t have a chance at all.</p>
<p>She hasn’t talked to her guidance counselor about this yet [she waited to apply until the last few days that she could- even though I’ve been trying to get her to do it since the first day applications were open]. She’s gonna ask her counselor on Monday about independent study, but I don’t think he will let her do it because technically it is her own fault that she hasn’t made up the grade yet, regardless of whether he told her that she had to or not.
I told her she could go to the admissions office at San Bernardino and talk to someone, but her mom doesn’t even want her going to that school so she would never take her to go see an admissions counselor, and I don’t think she has another way of getting there, so that might be out of the question, unfortunately. She could always call them, but getting her to actually do that would be really hard.</p>
<p>I guess the only thing she can do now is apply to RCC (community college), hope she gets in, and just transfer to San Bernardino once she gets her general ed done. She doesn’t want to go to a community college, but she really has no other options since she can’t afford a private school</p>
<p>She WAS in a pre-AP class, but decided to not take AP English because she didn’t want to have to do all of the work required. If she had taken the class and passed the AP test, colleges would probably see that she is capable of college level English. But she didn’t, and didn’t even do THAT much better in English the next year, so I understand why they wouldn’t want to exempt her from that D.</p>
<p>To be honest, I think your a CC is the most appropriate course for your friend. She is just not sound that engaged with the educational process. Perhaps a couple of years of CC might help her to mature.</p>
<p>I was sort of like her. I went to CC, then I dropped out for a couple of years. I did some travelling, worked for a political organization, and when my money ran out, I got job. I found it so boring, I realized I was going to need that college education. I went back to school, did very well, got a good job upon graduation, got a masters going P/T. Maturity makes education so much easier!</p>
<p>Yeah, I definitely think Community College is the road she should take. I agree that she’s not technically “mature” enough to handle anything but a cc yet. She can start off slow there taking a few classes at a time, and then gradually take more and more once she gets used to it. If she started at a university, she might not be able to handle it, and just drop out without even thinking of going back. She wants to be a psychiatrist (which requires a LOT of school), so it might help her be able to take on all of that schooling if she starts off slow.</p>
<p>That’s really good that you ended up getting a masters while starting off at a community college! Most people say that you will just drop out and not go very far if you don’t start off at a four year university, but you really can.</p>
<p>Blondie,</p>
<p>It sounds like you are a supportive friend. Even if she is at a community college, using your enthusiasm and knowledge about the process could really encourage her to do what she needs to do to be ready for college.</p>
<p>If she goes that route, using Assist.org can really help to make sure she is taking the appropriate classes for transfer.</p>
<p>Lots of people take unconventional paths to a degree - or multiple degrees. I took a time out from a four year private after transferring from a 4 year public and even though it took a little longer, I got it done and continued on with another degree.</p>
<p>I’m going to try to help her as much as possible. I have an older sister going to Cal State Fullerton who knows all about the college process, so I have all the help I need. But she doesn’t have anyone in her family who has ever been to college, so I’m gonna try to help her as much as possible.</p>
<p>Okay I’ll tell her about that website, Thank you!</p>
<p>That’s good. It’s nice to know that there are other ways to get through college than the standard path most people take. Sometimes it just seems impossible, but there are ways.</p>