<p>After a year of doing badly at his home university (GPA: 1.4) my college student took a year off to attend community college in order to transfer back. </p>
<p>After a year at CC he got a 2.63 GPA. His needs a 2.5 to be considered for transfer.
He changed his major from BIO something he hates,to Communications (something he loves). They also suggested he changes major.
There is a section on the application where he needs to get his advisers endorsement, basically saying if they support him coming back to his college. He met with his adviser and they endorsed him coming back, and sighed the recommendation. </p>
<p>The only thing is the college board who reviews applications said it would be hard for him to get in if he has "F"s. He got one F fall semester when he wanted to be a bio major still, but spring semester he got 3As and 1C. </p>
<p>He also wrote them a essay (required) identifying his faults and listed 7 steps he intends to use from now on to achieve success. He used this plan the past semester and got the higher grades as apposed to the "F" previous semester. </p>
<p>Do you think he has a chance? Any good chance? A bad chance?</p>
<p>How would he feel about finishing at the CC? It sounds like things are on the upswing there, and with that kind of success (versus squeaking by) and an associate’s degree in hand, he could maybe thrive even more at the state university. The support at CC’s, in our experience, is phenomenal. It would give him one more year to grow up and consolidate.</p>
<p>I asked him what you said and he said no. The thing is–and the reason why I support him–is friends have always been really important to him. He went to a small high school in the middle of no where, we live 2 hours from his university and all his friends are there. He really has no kids his age around here (we live in an area where we dont even have cell phone service) and though he knows his “Desire” to be popular was one of the downfalls of his first year he thinks he has matured enough to handle it.</p>
<p>He’s already changing his major, which, to his depression, means he won’t be able to graduate with his friends and stay another year which makes him upset enough. He saved money this summer and to our surprise, plus his savings; he has enough money to pay for about 80% of the university by himself.</p>
<p>I just, as a parent, want to know his chances of getting back in. Of course we have talked about it and if he doesn’t get back in he’ll do cc for another year, but what do you think his chances are based on the above information? Remember, he is above the 2.5 cut off, has an adviser endorsing him and has listed, in his letters they requested admission of fault, plans to change and step by step ideas.</p>
<p>EDIT: Plus, it would take him another 1.5 years to get an associates. I know my son. If we stick him at CC until he is 21, and then expect him to go to college for another 3 years (his major is pretty specific and he can’t take that many pre reqs at his cc, so even with the two years worth of school he’d need to stay 3 years, that’s if he gets every class every semester he needs), a boy who should have graduated AT 21, wouldn’t be graduating till 24-25. He wont go back to college. He’ll give up on himself (again). Which is what I’m worried about.</p>
<p>I agree but that is how he is going to see it like we are sticking him here and dont think his improvement is good. I’m not saying it was a perfect improvement and he could have done better but he DID do better and after recalculating his previous state GPA it as a 1.33. </p>
<p>So does nobody think he’ll be re-accepted since no one has answered my question?</p>
<p>I doubt they would accept him back with an F in the CC. I think they will ask for at least another semester of good grades before considering him.</p>
<p>We can’t tell you his chances. It is up to the school and the variables are too great and school dependent. However, he can increase his odds with a great essay about what he has learned about himself and studying, his desire to succeed, and demonstrating a plan about studying and using the resources available to him. A supporting letter from a CC instructor or counselor may help too.</p>
<p>Thanks guys and girls! He has all that, letters from himself, a teacher this year said if he continues holding his As for this summer class then she will write him a recommendation and he has a letter from hi psychologist informing that he has depression. </p>
<p>Thank you all for giving your honest opinions!</p>
<p>@swimcatsmom: That’s what I thought too. The reason I mainly asked was because he sent an email to the adviser who would be reviewing his application and told her of his progress and usually she is very stoic and “cold” but she aid and i quote:</p>
<p>“It is very nice to hear of your development and good standing since suspension”</p>
<p>So we got mixed signals and simply wanted to know.</p>
<p>Plus they said improvement as the best thing to show and he went from Fs to Cs to As in 3 semesters.</p>
<p>I think they will probably let him come back and give it another shot. 1. they want the money. 2. schools that offer programs like this do so because they have seen it work.<br>
3. they want the money. 4. they can include him in their graduates in 6yrs statistic, which they want to keep as high as possible.</p>
<p>But, let’s say he doesn’t get back in? will he stay at the CC? Does he have any other options? What’s the plan B?</p>
<p>Try it! The worst that could happen is a rejection. More than likely, that won’t happen. I kinda guess they’ll tell him he has to have a full year of no Fs, but you never know unless you try. Certainly his upward swing and his desire to continue to improve is very compelling.</p>
<p>Also, curious… what is his “7-step plan?” Has he worked with a tutor or a counselor to help him achieve success? If so, they might also be able to write a recommendation, which would help.</p>
<p>@Poetgirl: He’ll most likely stay at CC for one more semester. There are a few rolling admissions schools we are considering that will take him with a 2.5. We did some recalculation of grades and with his summer grades if he gets all As he’ll have a 2.8</p>
<p>@Limabeans: Good advice. The only good thing is that he failed the science based course, a pattern he has had before, but has passed every other course he has taken since gone. He has a 7 step plan including going to the library on party nights, coming home every other weekend, meeting with an adviser and taking a learning preparedness class that the school offers. Those are only some points, I don’t remember all of them. Secondly, he has an adviser from the college in question has written him a good recommendation which is a requirement of the application, of course non of us are happy about the F but its been a year since that class. He explained in his letter why he failed physics, admitted to the guilt and listed in a page how he has and will change. </p>
<p>ALSO strangely the CC doesn’t really have good advisers, they simply advise for the classes you should take. His current teacher and his previous semester teacher will and have wrote him a recommendation though. </p>
<p>Physics is a hard course and many students, particularly those not attuned to the quantitative sciences, have serious difficulties with it. An F in Physics might be somewhat more forgiveable than one in other less demanding courses. I do not mean to be overly critical but a student having serious academic problems, particularly in the sciences, and trying to rehabilitate himself scholastically should not have been taking a course like Physics in the first place.</p>
<p>I completely agree with you, Lemaitre1. That’s the only class he got an F in. Honestly, he knows and I know looking back on it there was no reason for him to take it. He was foolishly trying to prove something to himself and others, but all he proved was what everyone knew…and he just didn’t want to admit; life sciences isn’t for him. Consequently he changed his major to something he likes and loves and has been doing well, as mentioned before so far.</p>
<p>I think he has a chance to get back in, but reapplying with a 2.63 GPA isn’t exactly showing the admissions board he really wants to be back. I think he needs to be concentrating a little more on his schoolwork especially if he does get back in because the dedication put forth to get a 2.63 in CC won’t cut it at a University.</p>
<p>I can’t predict these things, but I would vote yes to let him give it another go, given that he is having issues with courses in a difficult, competitive discipline. I hope it works out for him.</p>
<p>The “one” F he got is going to stay with him through this summer.</p>
<p>He’s taking about 11 credits this summer. </p>
<p>He’ll end up with a 2.88 instead of a 2.63. All As across the board.</p>
<p>Any comments on that? with a straight 4.0 that semester, and an overall 2.88 (around .25 points higher than before anticipated) how do you think his chances are? Any different? Still shaky?</p>
<p>First and foremost, congratulations to your son on his excellent progress in stepping up and making the changes he needed to make! It sounds like he’s been doing a good job and getting on track for success.</p>
<p>Now, the question you’re asking is, “If he jumps through the following hoops, will he get the reward he wants at the end?” Might as well shake a magic 8-ball… “Reply hazy, ask again later.” Here are some questions I would focus on instead:
[ul]
[<em>]Do the courses he’s acing in CC reflect the rigor of the courses he’ll be taking when he returns to his old school?
[</em>]Has he gained study skills that will see him through a more rigorous upper-division courseload?
[<em>]Has he formed good study habits that will see him through the freedom and responsibility of scheduling his own time 24/7?
[</em>]If some of the classes in his new major turn out to be less easy and fun than the ones he’s taken so far, will he have the determination to get through them?
[<em>]Are his reasons for wishing to return to his old school conducive to academic success once he’s there?
[</em>]Has he matured emotionally enough that he will make the right choices when he’s back among his old friends?
[/ul]
You know your son. If your answer to each of those questions is an emphatic, unhesitating YES, then he’s probably ready to re-apply. If you waver and wonder, then I’d be cautious about supporting his bid to return; sending him back as early as possible might set him up for another failure.</p>
<p>From what you’ve described, he’s made great strides and really positive changes. Will the changes hold? These things would concern me; they indicate that his problems weren’t just the result of a few courses that were too hard.
How about success in college? Is that important to him? More important than getting back into his old routine with “all his friends?”
Do you?
Friends again – and “depression” and “upset” over having to spend a year at school without them in order to graduate. Why did he go to college again? Will he also be depressed and upset when he finds that his friends and the social setting have changed during his absence and are no longer exactly as he left them?</p>
<p>It sounds like your son wants very much (and is quite motivated) to return to the circumstances that landed him in trouble in the first place, and like you want very much for him to get what he wants because you want him to be happy. Will the same thing that makes him happy now, also equip him to manage his life well and increase his chances of lifelong happiness? As his parent, you’d have a better handle on that than any of us would.</p>
<p>Gotta get that 4.0 which is no cinch. I got a “B” is a basic Management course I took after college when I was getting a business certificate and taking such courses to learn some fundamentals for my job. I did not deserve that “B” and tracked down that dog of a prof who gave it to me, who said he didn’t give any "A’s. He did end up changing my grade, but only because I was really nasty about the situation and did not let it rest, also getting soe mutual acquaintances involved who did not agree with his grading philosophy. But I got the only A in his class. They do have dogs like still, you know. You can’t predict.</p>
<p>My son who is more than capable did not get an A at some course that should have been a cinch one summer. I didn’t even bother to listen to the reason as I was not interested, but do understand that straight A’s is not something you can count on getting.</p>