I was originally enrolled as an undergrad in a top50 university, but due to issues transitioning, burgeoning financial and domestic problems at home and young naivete, my GPA tanked and I subsequently lost my full ride. I spent more time helping out at home in NY than I did at college (in MA). My family could not afford to shovel out the 50k a year, so I withdrew; Since then I have not returned home, I’ve been living in the city where my University is, working retail and paying rent. I withdrew in May 2010 and it is now almost May 2011. Safe to say I’ve never felt so miserable in my life.
I’m completely lost. I’m sick of working retail, and I’m sick of being out of school. I was top 10 in HS, 1950 SAT, Intel STS applicant, tons of awards for Physics projects-- what options do I have? My GPA from college tanked so hard that I’m too ashamed to even post it :’(
I’m hopeful that I would be able to return home to NY and get stellar grades at a cc/state school and then transfer to a respectable private school. Is it likely that with hefty recommendations and amazing essay, that CUNY Hunter/Baruch are possible candidates?
Also: I was a Japanese lit & lang. major, so if anyone has any recommended schools that offer japanese/east asian, it would be much appreciated.
You are certainly going through a very difficult time. I can understand that you feel ashamed and want to “run and hide”, but your problems can be corrected. People are going to start posting pretty soon with advice as to how you go about getting back into school, it is a very good thing that you communicated all this because there are many here who can help you. Stop being so hard on yourself, everything is going to turn out fine. All of us have made many mistakes as we go through life. Try to look at your present situation as a learning experience which will make you stronger. Good luck to you.
It would be a great idea to go where you can enroll in an inexpensive CC or in-state U and boost your grades & confidence while you find your footing. These types of schools have countless students who are doing just what you’ll be doing–redeeming themselves while they get credits toward their eventual grad requirements, so they won’t have to take the courses after they transfer & cost a LOT more.
One school that I believe has a great Asian Department is University of Hawaii at Manoa; they have an East-West Center that hosts many international students as well. It is quite reasonably priced, including for out-of-state students.
I really appreciate the responses. I’ll look into Manoa, but it may be a bit too far for my tastes (although that could be a good thing, right?). Hoping to hear from some more people so I have an array of advice from a variety of people.
Another update/inquiry-- the university was a damn big one, so I felt pretty disconnected from everything (including academics). Is it possible that with stellar HS stats it may be possible to transfer into a decent, small, private university? Quite a few of my professors are willing to fight for me over this, so I’m sure I’d have some amazing recommendations and an explanation of where my grades went. I just want a chance to make things right… sort of feels like I through away a good chunk of the rest of my life. Thanks again for any help!
Are finances an issue? Merit funds? If so, you will be in a better position for additional funding if you do some CC courses to boost your grades in SMALL classes before transferring, “getting yourself back in the groove.” Not all CCs are the same–some are more intimate than others.
If you really feel ready & can afford it, you could see about transferring to any other U setting that you feel would work well for you & your finances. NY has a lot of options & I’ve heard great things about their SUNYs as well. Perhaps the profs you found supportive might have suggestions for you also.
I would be concerned about not racking up a ton of debt in this challenging economy, especially in fields that may not necessarily translate easily into a lucrative job in the near future. Many in the visitor industry in HI do speak Japanese, as they have always been a major tour market for our state.
