Anyone have real stories they would like to share where they didn’t do so great in high school and their grades or GPA wasn’t great and low but ended up still being successful as a young adult and later on in life? It would really make me feel better to hear some… because I’m really going through tough times in high school right now. Whether you transferred from a cc to uni or just a uni and now you have a terrific career? Is it possible to still be successful? Please anyone? I keep getting anxiety and worried about the future. My grades aren’t super horrible, but they honestly could be way better but I’ve just been struggling. I also do sports like cheer and will be doing track. And I volunteer at my church if that makes it a little better. Anyone with success stories or know of anyone else with one?
^^bump
@soccerlover678 thanks, really hoping someone will share a story. 
Hey don’t get worried about anything. Theres nothing wrong with taking time to figure out your direction in life. I was a terrible high school student. I changed things around and have already been accepted to three schools including UC Berkley and not rejected at all. I am a community college student now but it took me graduating high school late, traveling Australia, and a few years after until I felt I wanted to learn. During that time I matured and figured out who I was and now know exactly what I want to do (unlike many people who go to school right away). I’m posting my common app essay response and it pretty much is my story. Im still waiting on NYU and Vanderbilt but the don’t respond for a month or so, so I’m not worried. here it is…
At ten years old I discovered a love for business. A couple times a month I would set up a snack stand in my mother’s company break room. My first attempt was not met with the success I had hoped for. Having not informed employees of my endeavors, many did not have cash on hand to make a purchase. Instead of giving up I began to think about what I could do in order for my snack stand to be successful. I developed a schedule where I would come in every other week and post the dates in advance so people would know what days to bring money in. My notifications proved to be successful because on my second attempt nearly every employee brought money to purchase something from my stand. That snack stand was the start of my love for business and taught me a very powerful message that has got me to where I am today; never give up on something your passionate about.
High school was a very challenging time for me as a student. As someone diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, I struggled to stay organized, often putting school second to my social life. I normally would do just enough to “get by” in classes, including the ones I took at the local community college. I managed to make it to my senior year, but my difficulty was reflected through my below 2.0 grade point average. Unfortunately my habit of barely getting by proved to be my demise when I was told I would not be able to walk at graduation or receive my high school diploma because I failed to complete the culminating project required for graduation in the Bellingham School District. As my friends eagerly awaited the end of summer so they could go off to college, I found myself unsure of what direction to take with my life.
Knowing I was not ready to go back to school, I began looking into other options. Having heard stories of friends who took a gap year to travel, I found myself boarding a flight to Australia in October of 2010 with a recently approved work and holiday visa. The six months I spent working and traveling Australia was a time I will cherish forever. I built incredible friendships with people from around the world and learned about other point of views and cultures. Many nights spent with friends in hostels involved long conversations discussing our cultural differences and world issues. I give credit to my time spent in Australia as being the single most influential times in my life. The discussions I had with people and exposure I had to other cultural backgrounds not only changed my views on those cultures, it changed my perspectives on life. I now frequently seek to better understand and learn from cultural differences instead of dismissing them.
Arriving home with a new outlook on life and increased maturity I decided to give school another shot and quickly finished my high school diploma before enrolling in Whatcom Community College in September of 2012. Though I had experienced significant growth since high school I had yet to address my diagnosis with Attention Deficit Disorder. As a result, the lack of organization and difficulty completing assignments I experienced in high school continued and I withdrew from classes after my first quarter back in school. I decided to work at my mother’s childcare until I felt I was more prepared to enroll in school again.
I continued working at the childcare for nearly three years until I realized in March of 2015 that I really wanted to go back to school and re-enrolled in Whatcom Community College, which I currently still attend. I started taking medication for my Attention Deficit Disorder prior to registering for classes and learned how to manage my time more efficiently and developed an organizational plan that worked for me as a student. Currently I have completed one year of school with a 3.9 cumulative GPA. I am actively involved in my schools community as a member of student senate, the honors program, and a member of Phi Theta Kappa honors society. Outside of school I am a regular volunteer for National Alliance on Mental Illness where I have helped with fundraising efforts as well as staffing various seasonal events, and still hold a part time job at my mothers childcare center.
A lot has happened since I first opening that snack stand at ten years old. I struggled to make it through high school, discovered a newfound love for traveling and learning about other cultures, and overcame old habits hindering my school experience. Even though much has changed, the love of business and refusal to give up on passions I found at ten has only continued to grow. I seek to further develop my love for business, culture, and travel by pursuing a degree in business administration with a focus on international business in hopes of one day achieving my dream of becoming an international marketing manager. Whatcom Community College has built my foundation for learning, but I find the courses are not challenging me as much as I would like. With a reputation of embracing diversity and an excellent business school, I know that attending New York University will challenge me to continue excelling academically while providing me a greater cultural experience, and effectively preparing me to succeed in my future career and personal endeavors.
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thanks for sharing your story @Thertz360 anyone with other stories please share?
anyone else have a success story?
Many people I know either started out at CC and then transferred to a regional college. Some never finished college. One is a well known radio personality, one is a very successful business owner, another is charter captain somewhere warm. What matters is that you find something you’re interested in, set a goal and work toward it.
I just found this thread so I hope OP still reads it, even though it’s a late response. The answer to your question is a resounding YES. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Sometimes being on this site can be depressing. You read about stellar students who get bummed out if their GPA is “only” 3.8. I often feel like I’m in an alternate universe. Many high school students out there are far more concerned about their social life than their history test, and that’s pretty normal. Now granted, they won’t go on to top-notch colleges, and they certainly need to mature, but all is not doomed if you don’t have your act together when you are 17 years old!
Speaking for myself, I was definitely one more concerned about my friends than my studies in high school. I remember very clearly, in the fall of my senior year of high school, having my “ah-ha” moment. I realized that I had been screwing around too long and now I wasn’t going to go to a top college. I don’t know what my GPA was, but my guess would be in the neighborhood of 2.3 or 2.4. My SAT score was atrocious. My high school was a small, rural one and there was zero prep for SATs, and the internet didn’t exist. I got accepted to a no-name state school, where the fail out rate was 50% after freshman year. I was happy that I got in somewhere.
I got my degree in four years, went on to get a master’s degree from another no-name state school, and launched a career. My husband, who I met in college, also got his degree as well as a master’s from yet another no-name state school. We worked very hard and became quite successful. We are in the upper 1% income bracket and want for nothing. We have three great children and have instilled in them the value of hard work. I don’t know where they will ultimately go to college, but it doesn’t matter. Anyone who works hard can achieve anything.
Do not beat yourself up. Anyone who tells you that all is doomed if you have not completely matured by the time you are 18 is wrong… You have your whole life ahead of you to go to school, work hard, and become successful. You can do anything you want, just apply yourself.
FYI, because I did go to a no name, no prestige school, I met many other slackers there. Many failed out. Many succeeded. I
Hope that helps.