Please help me patch up my failed college career right now

Graduate School
1

<p>'m so stressed out right now with what I should be doing for school to give me the best opportunity to get into a good graduate school.</p>

<p>At the current moment, I am a CC/JC student. Last fall 2008, I was a University of Riverside student, but was academically disqualified, with an abysmal 5 Ws and 5 Fs. I was told that I could take 8 UC transferable courses at a CC to be readmitted back into UCR. I have done that, passed with all As, and I am ready to be readmitted into UCR. However, I would eventually like to transfer to a higher college for my major, biochemistry. I do not want to finish my bachelor's degree at UCR, preferably something like UCSD would make me happier. The thing with me is, I want to go to graduate school, a very good graduate school. </p>

<p>As I think of it now, I could go to UCR, make up 4/5 Fs(I will always have that 1 F there no matter what), ace the rest of and ace the rest of my college career at UCR. However, no matter what, the graduate schools will see all my extra baggage, even though 4/5 of those Fs will have been made up, there will still be that 1 there screwing my GPA, and those other 5 Ws will be there. </p>

<p>My second option is going to UCR, and trying ot transfer to a better school, perhaps sometihng like UCSD. Again, even if I do great in the rest of my college career(which I'm sure I can do, as I've really disciplined myself since the last time I was academically disqualified at UCR) I will still ahve that extra UCR baggage with the Ws and 1 F that cannot be made up.</p>

<p>My third option is, to simply go to CC and transfer to a higher school like UCSD. That is a clean slate, since I don't have any Ws or Fs at the community college I'm attending right now.</p>

<p>Money is NOT an issue. I am looking at long term. I want to get into a good graduate school, and I'm trying to figure out what my best options are at the moment. Will graduate school like to see the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd option? Or if anyone has any other ideas for me. I am currently 20 years old right now.</p>

2

<p>It sounds like somebody discovered pot and had a bad semester. Don’t worry, this isn’t going to haunt you for the rest of your life, nor will it prevent you from getting into a good grad school, if that is the route you choose. </p>

<p>Do the best you can in the rest of your classes and if you need to when it comes time, you can explain the failed semesters. More importantly for getting into a good graduate school, will be your research experience. This is what you will ultimately be evaluated on, not your grades. To this end, I would suggest you do whatever it takes to get into a good lab, be it at UCR, UCSD or wherever. If you can publish before you apply for grad school, you will be in a great position as compared to your peers, despite a deficiency in grades.</p>

3

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<p>Actually, they will see all F’s on the transcript. When you make up a class, it removes the old grade from the GPA calculation, but it will still show the grade on the transcript.</p>

4

<p>Thank you belevitt, no pot involved, but might as well have been. </p>

<p>G.P. Burdell, thanks. I know in regards to GPA, I can only make up a maximum of 4 Fs at UCR. Because I have 5, I will always still have that F that will bring down my overall GPA. The other 4 Fs can be made up but they will still show up in my transcript. </p>

<p>I want to end up at UCR or UCSD no matter what, but right now, it’s just a matter of figuring out whether I want to return to UCR, for graduate school sakes, as money is not an issue. A good lab as you suggested of course is important, but I would still like to maximize my dim chances right now, which is why I’m wondering if you would suggest that I just drop UCR out of the whole picture, don’t return, go to a CC, transfer to a 4 year or such, and try to achieve as flawless record as possible. That way my record will be <em>clean</em>. If I returned to UCR, either graduated from UCR or UCSD(through inter UC transfer), I will still have that extra baggage, and will have a lower GPA than if I were at CC and transferred to UCSD beacuse of that F I cannot make up at UCR. I’m trying to figure out which will look better.</p>

5

<p>Your record will never be “clean.” Graduate schools require transcripts from every college you’ve attended.</p>

<p>But a turnaround always makes a good impression. Go to UCR for a year, and get those As. Work with professors. If you still want to transfer after that good year, then apply.</p>

<p>Community colleges don’t impress graduate schools unless those stellar grades are accompanied by the same high level of achievement at a four-year college.</p>

6

<p>Good news: It can be done</p>

<p>Bad news: It is not going to be easy</p>

<p>I flunked out of Penn State a decade ago, spent 6 years out of school entirely, and then re-entered under a “rehab” program that reset my gpa. My transcript still shows several years of steadily descending grades.</p>

<p>The second time around I graduated with very high grades, and applied to grad schools in 2006 and 2009. I was accepted to all but 1 school, but it took some explaining at a few places - one school accepted me only after I went there in person to plead my case. Another denied me a fellowship on the basis of my “total” gpa. That last school calculated my gpa for me - and I wound up in the auto-reject pile. I start my PhD this fall at a very good school.</p>

<p>In short, your history is going to stay with you, and overcoming it is going to be hard. You will need to show them that (a) that guy who got those F’s and W’s is dead and buried somewhere, and that (b) this great shining guy before them is worth the risk that the other guy might show up. I would recommend the UCR to UCSD route, aim for an A in EVERYTHING, get into research as soon as possible, ace the gre’s, and get some good prof’s on your side for LOR’s.WHATEVER YOU DO understand that you have no more do-overs - if you mess up again at UCR or anywhere else, you are pretty much out of the game.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

7

<p>
[QUOTE=cosmicfish]

I would recommend the UCR to UCSD route, aim for an A in EVERYTHING, get into research as soon as possible, ace the gre’s, and get some good prof’s on your side for LOR’s.WHATEVER YOU DO understand that you have no more do-overs - if you mess up again at UCR or anywhere else, you are pretty much out of the game.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>This. If you have two or three great years with a 3.9+ GPA, research experience, etc., grad schools should understand that you’ve changed significantly. Be relentlessly excellent.</p>

8

<p>It may serve you well to work in a lab technician position after graduation, before you apply to grad school. Not only will this further distance you from the W’s and F’s, but it’ll also increase research experience and chances for publications.</p>

9

<p>When you apply to any school you are required to list all schools previously attended and forward transcripts. When you sign your application, you are affirming that you have been truthful. Being caught in a lie will get you kicked out of school. If you’ve graduated, your degree will be rescinded. You can’t escape your academic past, but if you’ve improved you can explain your inconsistent record, so just tell the truth.</p>

10

<p>it can be done, … there are some grad schools out there that are more concerned with your junior senior year… </p>

<p>I got out of the box bad as well, not like yours but, enough to scare me… Do really well your junior senior year… I am talking … ALL A’s and A-'s … 4.0 if you can, do well on the GRE… it can be done.</p>

<p>This can be done easier for some I have seen if they are out for awhile…then go back. I suppose it shows well that the person is a lot different at say 25 years old …than the grades they got when they were 18 and 19. Especially, I have seen this case on excellent students out of high school, who go to a very good school but then flunk out freshman year or something when they discover social life… to patch it back up later.</p>

<p>Now if you screw up again…then you are done.</p>

11

<p>“Graduate schools require transcripts from every college you’ve attended.”</p>

<p>Really though? Especially if you didn’t transfer those courses onto your official transcript? I mean if you don’t report it, how would they know? there are thousands of colleges in the US.</p>

<p>Can you be denied admission if they find out you attended other schools?</p>

12

<p>^
Yes. Yes. Yes. There’s a national clearinghouse that tracks enrollment in order to catch these types of things.</p>

13

<p>I agree with GCN2. Don’t stop fixing your record as an undergraduate. Get a paid lab tech position and volunteer as a researcher as well. </p>

<p>Regarding UCR vs. UCSD vs. Non-UC, I think UCR would be the best deal. Sounds like you have guarantee readmission, and it’s probably easier to boost up your GPA and getting a research position at UCR since you’re already familiar with the campus/department. If you know anyone with similar research interest at UCSD, ask them how difficult it is to attain a research position in specific labs… it’s kind of pointless for you to go through the trouble transferring to UCSD/non-UCs and not be able to do the research in your lab of interest.</p>

14

<p>nevermind. I found it.</p>

15

<p>I know this is an old thread, but I find myself in a similar position. I have a few D’s and F’s that all come from three quarters (I had two bad quarters in my third year that I thought were explainable and intended to repair, and then was informed that I was subject to dismissal because they were upper division classes, suffered from massive anxiety and depression and was not advised to withdraw and sort myself out, and flunked out that quarter. I worked towards repairing the classes at the UCR extension center (bad idea, can’t take out loans for the extension center) and all petitions to reenroll or do a retroactive withdrawal have been denied.</p>

<p>I met with someone in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Advising office who advised that I attempt to withdraw, and after the withdrawal failed I met with her again, and she sang quite a different tune. She berated me for my performance, told me I was hopeless in the view of the college, that engineering “won’t touch you with a ten-foot pole” and that I’ll likely never get accepted to any school to pursue a bachelors in any science, and she questioned why I didn’t follow her advice or meet with her again before going to the extension center, when the first time I met with her and got advice from her was after finishing the courses at the extension center.</p>

<p>Then I met with the Dean who told me the same thing, and said even in the hypothetical situation that I return as a humanities major and get all A’s from that point on, and in the unlikely situation (in his opinion) that my humanities advisor lets me attempt to see if I can do well in one of the courses I’d previously failed, and I show that I can get an A in a course I’d previously failed, that the school would still never consider me for science. </p>

<p>I’m hoping anyone that posted in this thread has some insight for me.</p>

16

<p>Stephen57, I can offer only a few comments.</p>

<p>First, most schools will remove an awarded grade only under the rarest of circumstances, usually those which indicate an intent but inability to take the correct option - if you wanted to withdraw but couldn’t because you were in a full-body cast, then you might have an argument. Otherwise, if you fail, you fail.</p>

<p>Second, no advisor will or can be responsible for what happens to you, and nearly everybody waits too long before going for help. In your case, it sounds like you went WAY too late for them to be able to help you.</p>

<p>Third, advisors are not omniscient, and the difference between your two meetings with your advisor may well be that in between she found out what position you were really in. Your advisor has a bunch of students to look out for, not to mention a bunch of other responsibilities as well - your academic career must first and foremost be your responsibility.</p>

<p>Realistically, you are done at UCR. They are not going to change your grades or retroactively withdraw you, and if they dismissed you it means your GPA is probably in the dumpster. I would recommend going someplace that will give you a clean start, but only after you have ensured that whatever caused you to fail has been thoroughly addressed.</p>