You’ve had some AMAZING advice here from people who 100% know what they are talking about, so please act on these suggestions.
You appear to not have any official diagnosis of ADHD. Please ask your parents to have you tested for it. Or, talk to your GC at school and ask how you can get the ball rolling on getting tested. Getting tested will also give you an idea of your IQ. If nothing else, you will find out if you do have ADHD. Then you can find ways to address the issues.
I also suggest you talk to a mental health professional about your feelings. It seems you need someone who won’t judge you and who can help you work on organizing your time and picking up good study habits.
I think a school with good programs in your area of interest is Oregon State, but a GPA of 3.0 is recommended for admission. However, Oregon State has a degree partnership program with Linn-Benton Community College. The campuses are very close to each other and you can enjoy the experience, resources, and occasional class at OSU prior to transfer:
There are a couple other 4-year colleges that might interest you:
Valparaiso doesn’t seem to have any accepted students with a GPA lower than 2.5, but it’s a smaller school (about 2700 students) that offers majors in astronomy and atmospheric science. There’s no forestry major, but there is environmental science. Especially nice is the 11:1 student/faculty ratio.
U. of Wyoming is that state’s flagship but only has around 8700 students and a student/faculty ratio of 14:1. It offers majors in atmospheric science, astronomy, ecology, natural resource conservation, and range management.
U. of Montana offers majors in astronomy and forestry and various other related fields. It also has just under 7,000 undergrads.
U. of Alaska-Fairbanks: Has an amazing 7:1 student/faculty ratio and offers majors in atmospheric science, astrophysics, and various fields like fishing and fisheries management, sustainability studies, and wildlife, fish and wildlands management. There’s just over 4,000 undergrads here.
Lots of good college suggestions so far, and I agree you need to address your ADHD.
You are fortunate that Cali has such a good CC system, but if that’s not appealing I would also add Kansas and Kansas State to your list. I don’t know how strong each is in the subjects you are interested in, but you can do that research. Good luck.
Great advice but just want to say, again, there is no test for ADHD. Professionals like psychiatrists use a questionnaire. A neuropsych. can certainly test focus, but two of our providers cautioned that the test was in a highly artificial environment and they could not diagnose ADHD.
Neuropsych. testing is still a good idea to eliminate other possible challenges that might explain symptoms. But a PCP or psychiatrist can diagnose ADHD with the questionnaire.
Since the OP does not have support for this possible diagnosis, and is instead left with “low self-esteem,” I hope that they can talk with a guidance counselor or school psychologist for affirmation and encouragement in pursuing a diagnosis that may prove very helpful.
Just wanted to add to the number of people telling you to be evaluated for ADHD. Getting a diagnosis and treatment can not only help you improve your school performance and get you more ready for college, but it can significantly improve your self esteem and so many other parts of life. Not sure if in your message you mean that someone is pressuring you NOT to be evaluated, or if that is just your own thoughts, but some places to start would be your parents and your school counselor.
Hello,
You live in California, so one nice path for you would be to attend the local CCC (California Community College). If you attend a CCC and become disciplined in your academics, you will have a very good chance of transferring to any UC (including UCLA and Berkeley). Additionally, I would say to focus really hard on improving your grades, as any upward trajectory is positive. Also, try your best do well on the SAT/ACT, and this could help you obtain some alternatives if you decide against a local CCC.
Many schools are test-optional so it may not be necessary to take the SAT/ACT. If the OP has ADHD or other learning challenges, it might not be a good idea to test without accommodations, which require a diagnosis and documentation.
Except, as already mentioned, UC/CSU system is test blind, so there is not much reason for,this person to take those tests unless they want to go out of CA.
Don’t rush, start off at community college. IQ tests are notoriously pointless, so don’t label yourself based on that. You know, it could be dyslexia. It might be worth your time to get tested for that, or something else like ADHD.
Community college is a great option for so many reasons. You could also work hard to bring your grades up and achieve great SAT and/or ACT scores, then write a great easy explaining why this did not happen sooner (but I am guessing even if you could achieve the grades and the SAT and the essay, your options would be limited). There are so many people with off the chart grades, scores, and ECs that are having a challenge, community college might be the best route because it will save you money and if you kill it there possibly open a lot of doors. I saw at least one Ivy that featured the story of a community college transfer
I started in community College for a year due to my not so impressive high school grades then went to medical school.
Also have adhd. If your not doing well now it will only be worse in college even community College. Just a faster pace and more material. If your not organized now again it will just get worse. Talk to your school now for help regardless if you were tested or not already. Make a plan for next year. One doesn’t always need medication but strategies
This book has the same strategies and more then lots of Adhd books suggest. Don’t worry about becoming an A student… Just use the strategies that work for you. It’s a great book on time management.
Also have a sit down with your advisors, learning specialist at school. They can still talk with you even if your not tested and maybe can help guide you.
Again, you don’t need to be tested to have a diagnosis of ADHD. Meet with a psychiatrist and do the questionnaire.
For accommodations for college you need a diagnosis documented by a provider. Accommodations are really helpful. Extensions on papers and projects, for instance, and extra advising.
I would go see a doctor about that before starting college, otherwise, you’ll end up with the same problems in college. The medicine can help a lot. Start slow, no more than 2-3 classes at a time, and work up to more.
@coolguy brings up one strategy for success while you get to the bottom of your challenges: try taking just two classes at community college, to start, and maybe work part-time. One of mine did that and graduates in June. It took longer to get a BA but with ADHD, this strategy helped a lot. Eventually a CSU or UC could even grant reduced course load as an accommodation.
I attended CC in California and then transferred to a CSU for my degree. I did it over six years, most of which was part time. If a student is a commuter, part time is very common. I agree that part time can be a great way to start.
CSU has a major that should open doors for you, Forestry, Fire Science. There is a great need for Wildland Fire Management personnel (not fire fighters). They are the folks who direct Wildland Fire Management programs which requires a degree plus experience in Wildland Fire fighting. Forest ecologists with fire science backgrounds are in demand also.
Hi! If you want to go to college, there are a lot of schools out there for you. Many great suggestions above.
I’m linking to a thread about my son’s path. While these schools may not be in location you want, what I hope you get from it is that there are a LOT of options out there.
Is a degree from a forestry accredited program pretty much a requirement for forestry professionals, the way ABET accreditation is for engineers or NAAB accreditation for architects? Or is it a nice-to-have?
Northern Arizona & U. of Montana, two schools I previously mentioned, are accredited, as are Cal Poly, Humboldt, and UC-Berkeley. U. of Idaho, West Virginia U, and Mississippi State were also recommended upthread and are also accredited for forestry.