Thats fine OP, but if you are looking to transfer to top tier schools getting some ECs are something you might want to consider doing!
The reason your advisor is telling you to take required classes first is because those classes are definitely going to weigh more in the decision making! And since you had health issues in your 1st semester that lead you to the bad grades you can definitely explain this in your personal statements. Admission officers are humans too, they will definitely understand and put that into consideration in the admission process.
That being said, you must not let something like this (bad grades) happen repeatedly, as you become less and less credible in your explanation.
You may need to choose between completing the full associates degree, and applying to college without that degree. If you want to apply without the AA/AS, well then retake the classes so that you can bring up your GPA.
However, in almost every case it is easier to be admitted if you have the full AA/AS, and in many, many cases completing that degree means a student does not need to take any gen eds at all at the new institution, and can focus entirely on the major. Talk with your advisor about transfer agreements and articulation agreements between your CC and the universities on your target list. You might find that it makes best sense to finish the full AA/AS degree.
@iamthetopgun I am definitely more focused on my school work then i was my first semester of college. I actually just got my midterm grades back and i have all a’s except one C, which I hope to raise within whats left of this semester. Honestly, do I even have a chance of getting into a top tier school? I feel like they would take one look at my first semester grades and just instantly reject me. As far as EC goes, what would look good on an application? The only thing i can think of Is volunteering at a local hospital.
@happymomof1 my cc does not offer any transfer agreements with the universities that i am interested in because they are all out of state. If i wanted to transfer to a university in my state then i would get instant admission if were to complete the AS. Also, I really do not want to stay another semester here just to finish 7 credits.
What about re-taking just the F course?
Since these bad grades were related to illness, is there any chance of getting the grades converted to W for medical reasons?
I decided to retake the F course. I believe it would help boost my gpa. I know there is a deadline to withdraw from a class usually 3 weeks before the semester ends, but i’m not sure if they would allow conversion of grades after the deadline.
@AvPsychologyGirl I can answer you with confidence that top tier schools make an effort to analyse the full transcript of an applicant. So what this means is they will see what semester a student is haven’t bad grades, what subject are they having trouble with and if they have a good explanation to why.
But you first semester GPA is not what I think is the problem here. So lets just say your first semester GPA is not considered in the admission process. Your application is still really dull. There isn’t much personality to it, admission officers want to know more about you, your passions, your goals. Can you offer something most of everyone else cannot offer? Find what this “thing” and make it tangible in the application process. Prove that you have this attribute through tangible events/products (e.g. extra curricular activities, building you own website).
I am not saying you should not focus on school work, but don’t try to rely on your school work to get you over the hump. The truth is, if we just look at grades (not counting your first semester) there are MANY MANY people that have better grades than you. But that’s okay, studying is not your forte, find something that is and show the admission officers that you are really good at this “thing”.
^^ guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Just focus on improving your trash GPA.
Small GPA Update… Finished this semester with 3.46… Is that bad?
Thank you. I tried to get as close to a 4.0 as possible but i ended up getting a C in philosophy and a B+ in spanish 