High School dropout wants to attend a good college

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm 17 and I recently dropped out of High School for various personal reasons...(not drug, crime, or academics related). I'm not stupid...I scored in the high 1300s on my SATs without any prep. I attended one of the most well known and prestigious high schools in my state. I probably would have done very well in school if my life wasn't such a mess. </p>

<p>So anyway...I'm trying to get my life together and move forward.</p>

<p>The only way I can get into a good college is by attending a state college for a year or two and transferring. My problem is...I did horribly during my years in high school due to "problems"...but the thing is, those grades don't reflect my true academic ability because I was going through a lot at the time. So my question is...will my high school grades hurt my chances of getting into a good college? </p>

<p>What else do I need to do (besides getting good grades) during my years in State college to make up for my horrible high school record? Should I retake my SATs? Take some SAT II's? Get involved in ECs? Get a job? What else should I be doing?</p>

<p>Assuming I maintain a high GPA, what are my chances for some of the top colleges? like...NYU, UMich, USC, UCSD, BC, U of Chicago, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Georgetown, Northwestern etc(basically the top 40 in the USNews list)....and what about the Ivies? I know they're way out of reach, but I just want to know if I have a shot.</p>

2

<p>Just apply as a transfer, and you'll have the same chance as other transfers</p>

3

<p>Consider that you will be competing against some of the most qualified students in the country. You are correct in realizing that the ivies are out of reach (do they even allow a GED?) but you may stand a decent shot at a college a bit further down the top40 list.</p>

4

<p>is that u brian? O_O</p>

5

<p>You could either go 1. test scores or 2. transfer.
1.Take multiple SAT II's (w,m,chem, bio, physics) and get good scores on them, self-study a couple of AP tests. apply to colleges as as freshman. you still need a ged though. (almost every college accept ged, inc. ivies, according to ceeb). get invovled in local gov/community stuff since you can't really be in h.s clubs.</p>

<ol>
<li>transfer.</li>
</ol>

6

<p>Some colleges don't require a high school diploma, so check. However, if you can't get into college, a GED would be something good to fall back on and get a job while you attend CC to transfer or something.</p>

7

<p>A good route would be a Cali community college for 2 years which gives you a great shot at a UC. Neither the cc or the UC will even look at high school record or SAT scores.</p>