Went to college when I was 18 and tried to pursue CS. I earned 100 credits with a cumulative gpa of 3.1. The school I attended was quarterly so just about every class was worth 5 credits. I withdrew since my gpa wasn’t competitive enough to let me do much with it. Enlisted in the airforce. I’ll soon be out, and I want to pursue a career in chemical engineering.
Will my past credits still be on my record when I apply colleges? If they are still on my record, what can I do about it? Would halfway decent colleges even consider me if I retook all classes necessary at a junior college? If I were to perform well at a JC, what is the likelihood of a “good” university accepting me?
I’m CA resident, I’ve been looking at various colleges but most don’t provide information on policy regarding repeated classes at other schools.
Your previous transcirpts will have to be sent to any new colleges you apply to. I am not familiar with any of it, but isn’t there a system to help former military navigate the college process? Yellow something? @MYOS1634 , do you have info?
In your shoes, I would look at the transfer pages on the websites of colleges you are considering. Some of your credits might be transferable. Contact their admissions offices and speak to someone. They can probably put you in touch with an advisor at the college who can help you. Your previous college attendance will definitely have to be disclosed, and you are consdered a transfer student. Good luck.
A 3.1 GPA is not bad. It depends on what you consider a “good” college. Stanford vs. Loyola Marymount vs. SF State.
Ivy Coach has a pro bono program to assist veterans seeking admission to colleges. Maybe they can help you.
You’re registered in a national clearinghouse indicating you’ve been enrolled in college so you’ll need to send transcripts to any four year college. Community colleges won’t need your transcripts and you can retake any class there where you got a C+ or lower. Then, each college you want to transfer to will decide whether they consider the 'new’grade only, an average of both, or not at all.
Yellow ribbon is separate from the evaluation proces, but checking out whether a college is on the list is a good idea (especially 4-year schools later on).
Don’t register at a for-profit though - the problem is right there on the name, they are not in it for your education, they’re in it to make a profit off of you, and they love veterans with benefits because they take all their benefits without providing any degree, IE., maximum profit (they get a lot for nothing). (Most employers consider a for profit college diploma isn’t solid enough academically to be considered ‘a degree’).
I’ll echo the advice given above. Many colleges have an office for veteran advising and you can usually talk to them before being enrolled. One example is http://success.ucdavis.edu/trv/veteran/ and I think you’ll find similar offices at other UC and CSU campuses. They probably also have them at community colleges, but since your end goal is a 4-year degree I’d start by talking to those advisors (even if their advice might be to start off at a CC)