Should I just go to community college?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I am a sophomore in high school.

Freshman year GPA
1st semester: 3.5
2nd semester 3.0

Sophomore
1st semester: 3.28

I haven’t taken the ACT yet. What are my chances into getting into a somewhat decent college? Or should I just go to community college?

2

There are many schools out there that you have a good chance for an acceptance. What is your Home State and what can your parents afford? This is where you need to start. Check out these 2 links to give you an idea of the possibilities:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/553940-the-b-student-parents-thread-p84.html

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/a-plus

3

You’re only a sophomore, if you take AP classes and get As, you can increase your GPA significantly.

4

Yea my suggestion would be to not give up. If you get a 4.0 for the next 3 semesters, then your gpa could be 3.63. Drop freshman year and that’s a 3.82. The past is the past, and you still have a chance for good schools if you kick yourself into high gear.

5

Nothing wrong with attending a junior or community college. In fact, if you can’t receive full scholarship at a university, I would recommend it. You’ll save yourself at least 10-15,000 in debt. Community colleges are not for people who are “less than.” The intent of them is to give students the opportunity to attend a college close to home, hence the term “community.” I know plenty of bright, successful people, including some of my own professors, who started out at community colleges. Obama wants to make community college free. So like I said, if you are unable to receive full (if any) scholarship to a university, then I recommend saving yourself the debt and attending a CC. You may find that you enjoy a small school setting.

6

^hwilson, you can’t generalize based on your situation/State. Some states have excellent CCs that prepare students to transfer to their flagships, whereas other states use CCs mostly for remedial and vocational education as well as technical retraining, while flagship transfer prep is left to basically open-enrollment “branches”.

With a GPA above 3.0 OF COURSE you’re qualified for a 4-year university. However, it’s still early. What qualifies you will be your SAT/ACT score and your GPA, but the strength of your curriculum (make sure to have 1 unit each of English, Math, Social Science, Science, and Foreign Language every year, and as many honors/APs as you can handle, up to 5 per year, in any subject) and your letters of recommendation (make sure to develop a good relation with faculty at your school) and/or essays (become a strong writer, take AP English Language if you can), and/or activites that you love and where you’re excellent.

Go and visit a large public university and a LAC near where you live. Register or email admissions so they organize a good tour: tour the campus but also attend a couple classes. Then, Hang out at the cafeteria, taste the food, listen to what students are talking about, read the campus paper, go see clubs, etc.
Get a Princeton Review’s Best Colleges, or Insider’s Guide to the Colleges, or Fiske Guide, and start reading about the colleges in your state. Which ones do you like? Why?
Then post your observations on a thread (or this one) and many adults will give you suggestions based on what you like and what your academics look like.