<p>Well, let's see... I graduated in 2007 from high school. I didn't have a good GPA since my parents were planning to move the family back to Mexico. I didn't see a point in stressing about school because of this. When I graduated however, they changed their plans so I got a job to pay for school since they couldn't afford to pay for it. </p>
<p>So anyways, I worked full time for three years and went to school close to full time or full time. (Didn't start school til fall 2008) I have math anxiety so I did fail Algebra 2 twice. One was a horrible teacher, the 2nd was a good professor but I ended up having problems at home near the end of the semester (Mom was laid off, I had to work extra hours and such), so I failed it again. I re-took it and passed and am in Pre-calc now. My overall GPA is 3.4 (60 credits + 8 in progress). I know, not the best. So anyways, I applied to schools this semester, three so far. I ended up getting rejected from my match school. =/ It makes me feel stupid now because they accept 60% of their applicants. Now I don't know if I'll even get accepted to my safety (which I don't really want to attend since I'd have to commute) or my reach. I feel so old (22) so waiting another year seems like a lifetime. I didn't expect to be waitlisted so I didn't have an alternate plan, really. I mean, I will probably apply to other schools in the state that have later deadlines but I'm so afraid now of not getting in. What do you guys recommend I do if I don't get accepted? (No GAA because of me being behind on math+foreign language.) How should I tell my parents? =/ I bet they're gonna think I'm an idiot. T___T</p>
<p>I’ve met transfer students who were 24, 28, 32, and older. It may seem strange to you right now, but 22 is not ancient in the scheme of things!</p>
<p>Your GPA is very solid and you should feel proud about it. Realize that even kids with 3.5+ get rejected from colleges, too. </p>
<p>The only advice about whether or not to attend your safety right away instead of waiting a year and trying again is to make certain that you feel that you could thrive and do well at the safety school. Because working an extra year is not the worst thing in the world, either. I honestly see the choice between the safety school and working a year as a toss-up–you can spin it to your advantage either way.</p>
<p>Is the safety school really all that awful? Does it have your major? Have you toured the campus? Can you find opportunities at the safety school that make it more than just a place of last resort? Are there some advantages to the safety school that you have underplayed (lower tuition, short commute, smaller classes or wider selection?). It is all how you frame things.</p>
<p>What is your career goal after college? Can this safety school be a stepping stone for you? There is always grad school at a later time to keep in mind.</p>
<p>I have a friend who did not finish his undergrad degree until age 25/26. He then got into a Master’s program at a top-10 university in his field. I know there are stories about people much older who have started out humbly and reached great heights.</p>
<p>I doubt your parents will think you are an idiot. Just be straight with them. And remind yourself and them that the admissions process is a bit fickle and ultimately admissions or denials are not a true measurement of your abilities or worth.</p>
<p>You make a point with the older transfer students. It’s just they usually start later and I only started one year late, so it feels like I’m not making any progress.</p>
<p>I understand the GPA thing. It’s just I had seen that the average GPA of the transfers was a bit lower than my GPA but I guess maybe they go harder on CC kids. Overall they accept I think almost 60% of students, so I thought I had a good chance. I worked really hard on my essay too. Ughh. I mean, I guess maybe not as hard as the essays for my reach. For my reach school I also submitted an art supplement, but I doubt that’ll help. The reach accepts 30% of students, so I’m pretty sure I’ll get rejected.</p>
<p>Well, the safety doesn’t offer study abroad in Spain or Italy, so that was one of the major reasons I didn’t want to go. Also commuting would be a pain since there is horrible traffic. It’d probably be around 45 minutes on a good day. Work would be fine except that means I’d get almost no financial aid when I applied next year, so I don’t know if I can afford to work more.</p>
<p>Overall, the safety is a decent school. Big state school, mostly commuters. A few of my friend’s go there and their main complaint is about the commute, lack of parking and not many school activities. They do offer my major. I haven’t seen the full campus. I mean, it’s a good school. I just wanted the full college experience. </p>
<p>My major is Computer Science. I think it might help with internships since it’s close to a big city. I don’t really wanna do grad school though since I’m old enough as it is. I just wanna get a 9-5 job, haha.</p>
<p>This whole situation just has me depressed. My parents have been pushing me to transfer but they don’t know how admissions function. They think it’s easy to get to the school you want to attend. (They didn’t get to go to college due to finances when they lived in Mexico) Thanks for the great reply though. Made me feel a bit better.</p>
<p>Well I’m 27 and waiting on replies from the schools I applied to for transfer…so now I kinda wish I hadn’t read this thread, lol. I also plan to go to grad school, and I’m working my butt off in school while raising kids…so just put things in perspective, dude. You’re not ancient. If you THINK you are now, LOL, wait till you’re forty+, then you’ll be kicking yourself for not doing whatever was really best for you when you really were young and could’ve pulled it off. I don’t know what IS best for you, but I have a feeling that deep down, you do. So don’t make any rash decisions based on this fear and desire to get going because you feel like you’re getting “old”. At least be grateful for the fact that you have the opportunity to knock all of this out before you start raising a family, etc. You’re not in a terrible position. Take a deep breath, envision your future, make a solid, healthy plan that will truly make you happy, and realize that you have the rest of your life to work a 9-5. Maybe going to grad school will put you in a better position, immediately upon exiting, than you would’ve been anyway had you just started working right after undergrad.
Again, I don’t know what’s best for you, I’m just saying you should really think about it. Don’t freak out. You have plenty of time. Go to your safety and shoot for grad school, or wait a couple months and apply again in the spring (you don’t have to wait a whole year, you know). But then STILL think about grad school…you get the idea. Just don’t be in such a hurry, really. Get what you really want out of life. It’s all about the journey, not the destination…</p>