So I am a new member here. I’ve always looked forward to going to college, but because of my poor performance, I’m limited in my options. I really don’t like the idea of going to a community college. That’s sort of my LAST option in my mind. I’ve always felt like I’m more capable than that.
Location: Southern Indiana, outside of Louisville, KY
Class: 2016
Weighted GPA: 2.1 (*)
Class Rank: 123/187
AP Courses: AP US History (2 on the AP test, but only one person in my school passed it in the last three years)
Honors Courses: English 12 (one semester) (?), College Algebra (A in one semester), Government (A in one semester), Economics (?)
Clubs: Technology Club, Theatre, Earthwise
ACT: 20 first time, 24 after a second attempt
Never have taken the SAT
(*) My first three years of high school, I had a bad home life. Missed 97.5 days in total the first three years, spent most of my junior year living on a friend’s couch. Came into senior year with a 1.87 GPA, got all A’s my senior year. GPA will most likely be up to a 2.5 by the time I graduate
I would really like to go to a university of some kind. I know it’s a far shot, my dream school is Ball State, but I’ve already applied there and submitted my letter of appeal, but, I’m just trying to find some schools that can be another option. I need something in Indiana because of our income based tuition assistance program that is offered to us, or a university that has some type of employer close that will pay my tuition. (Kinda like UPS does for UofL)
In a situation like yours, it’s often best to attend a community college for two years, then transfer to a 4-year university to complete your degree. With your GPA, you’re not likely to get into any colleges save for-profit schools that will take anyone with a pulse. At for-profits, graduation rates can sometimes be in the single digits - although that won’t stop the schools from charging as much as your state flagship, if not more.
Also, the fact that almost every AP test-taker has failed the US History exam suggests your high school hasn’t done a very good job of preparing students for college; you may face a rude awakening as a freshman.
If you spend two years at a community college - which should be reasonably affordable - and maintain a good GPA, you should be able to transfer to a decent university, with two years’ worth of preparation for the rigors of college-level work. That’s infinitely preferable to the options you’d have going directly from high school to a 4-year institution.
If you have a low income a Pell grant should cover tuition at a community college nicely. CC’s usually have pretty good resources such as writing labs and math tutoring. If you complete two years of CC with a high average you can go most anywhere you can afford. I’d do everything I could not to take out too many loans.
For four year colleges, try the Super Match feature on the first page of this site. Be honest about your test and GPA and what you think you can pay in cash. It might spit out a couple of schools for you. You seem really resilient. Good luck to you.
Why the bias against CC? Many people start at CC then transfer in. Those are perhaps the smartest kids of all, becuase they get general Ed out of the way, save a lot of REAL money, do well, and get into good colleges. Colleges like CC transfers because, if their grades are good, it demonstrates they can do college level work. I went to CC, so did many others. I worked hard, graduated in 6 years, have travelled the world, (and continue to do so), and live in a home worth 7 figures. Not trying to brag, but I get tired of people who feel they are above CC. You seem to think you are “more capable” than CC, but nothing in your stats indicates that. To be brutally honest, your grades and test scores are very unimpressive. Do not attend a for-profit college, the degree won’t be worth the paper it’s on. You can try applying to your in state universities, and I wish you luck, but I suggest you get used to the idea that you will need to go to CC and prove youself there. Then you can transfer into your dream school.
Having looked over the scattergrams for Ball State (my D applied there) it seems like the lower your grades, the higher they want your test score to be. I will tell you, they don’t seem to accept many with below a 2.5. But hopefully the appeal letter will help.
Can you take the ACT again? Can you bring your GPA up a bit?
I think there is a CC in Muncie or nearby, btw, and you could go there for two years and transfer…
Have you checked out Indiana State? My D stayed there for a band camp last summer, and it’s a very nice campus, and I think you have a good chance of being admitted. The area of downtown Terre Haute immediately surrounding the university is actually nice and has lots of shops, restaurants… and it’s close to Hw 41 for everything you need. The dorms at ISU are pretty nice, too. You could maybe transfer from ISU to Ball in a couple of years… or you never know, you may end up liking ISU.
You could also look into University of Southern Indiana, but that’s more of a commuter school, and honestly if it were me, I’d rather be at Indiana State, which is more residential and traditional college experience.
Indiana might have tuition reciprocity with some neighboring states - I know Eastern Illinois University in Charleston IL (not too far from Terre Haute) allows IN residents in-state tuition but you may need a certain gpa, you can check into that. I think at Southern Illinois U, you need a 3.0 for the in-state tuition rate, but check into it, just in case you don’t.
Because, otherwise, I think you may have a chance at those two schools.
Also, look into KY schools, like Western KY in Bowling Green KY.
As for the AP test, my school has roughly 700 people in it, about fifteen to twenty people take the AP test every year.
I understand my grades were low, but I’ve had personal contact with BSU’s admissions director a spoke to him about my situation in person. I have a good chance at BSU, if I can’t go there however, I will be looking into a local CC or IUS which is a satelite campus to IU.
My bias against CC’s are honestly instilled into me. I just kind of feel like I could do better than that. My counselors feel that there is a 4-year university out there that will take be because of my grade and attendance trends.
It is too late for me to retake the ACT I believe.
I’ll keep you guys updated on what I decide to do.
“You honestly feel you could do better than that.” SMH. You might be in for a rude awakening if you find yourself at CC. Whoever “instilled” in you your distaste for CC didn’t do you any favors. I suggest you take a walk around the campus of your local CC. Look at the course offerings, talk with a counselor, as someone else suggested, to see what transfers over. Many highly intelligent and wonderful people from all walks of life attend CCs for a variety of reasons, but lack of intelligence isn’t one of them. A lot of them are people like YOU, who didn’t have great grades, slacked off, had troubled home lives, decided to improve their grades but perhaps too late, or maybe they just can’t afford four year college right now.
Ross Perot the billionaire went to CC, and so did Clint Eastwood, Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, Terri Hatcher, Walt Disney, Eddie Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Arnold Schwarzneggar, and Steve Jobs (a rather successful and intelligent person, don’t you think?) There are many others. You need a big piece of humble pie, I think. Good luck to you.
I will also add that I deliberately CHOSE to attend CC over USC, (as a legacy of both parents.) I didn’t give a hoot for name recognition. I wanted to be with my friends. In California, at least back then, it was perfectly acceptable to go to CC, and many of my friends did. So I went to CC for a couple of years, I worked a lot, I took lots of time off to travel and see the world. I was put on academic probation while I attended CC, because I thought it was more fun to skip class and go to the beach. (Thank you, Cerritos Community College, for doing that.) There are standards, even at CC. My academic probation was a wake up call, and I finally shaped up, made the Dean’s list at CSULB, and have had a fulfilling life as an adult despite the “hardship” of attending CC. You too, can survive the degradation of attending community college.
I’m like you, although I slacked off for other reasons, and I’m at CC right now although I probably could have gone to a state university. My grades were average… however I’ve learned to dream big. CC is where you can do that. You can join tons of clubs, make great grades, even do some research in your freetime. It’s a great way to get yourself back on track and show colleges that you do have potential at their university. Not to even mention how cost effective it is. CC get a bad rep, and yes the academics generally are not as good as an average 4-year, however for the classes you really don’t care about it is the place to go. Hate biology and algebra? Why would you spent thousands of dollars when you can just take it at a CC? If you’re average or low income the Pell grant will usually cover all or most tuition, meaning little debt. You can graduate with a degree for about $20k if you transfer to your state university, and that’s even before finaid. If the private institution has a 2+2 agreement, you can get out of there for about $90k, which sounds like a lot, but imagine having to pay upwards of $200k if the finaid isnt very good. most of the time you won’t need to take the SAT.
Seriously, stop sticking your nose up at it. No, you’re not too good for it, your grades and scores are frankly mediocre. You’re not impressive. Get used to the fact that a CC may be the best place for you.
@arby423 Don’t listen to those arrogant people who are arguing, they seem like very against or for CC, as we all know the probable truth behind their lives. I don’t know what Lindagaf is talking about. The user also mentioned names that didn’t go to CC.
Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed, it’s a tuition-free 4 year university…Reed is very famous because of that.
Walt Disney went to an art institute, not a community college!
Let’s see if those users can go through the same things we did, I would love to see their reactions.
Anyway, my GPA (although much higher) was decreased because of my house life as well. There are some famous state universities that have guaranteed admission (no matter what), such as Weber State, Toledo, Akron, & UT El Paso. If you go anywhere to the West (besides California), I can almost guarantee you can get into a university such as New Mexico State, Wyoming, and Utah State. They are very good residential universities too. The only problem is the money, if your parents make a lot of money this shouldn’t be problem. If not, look for A LOT of scholarships. I would suggest to apply to those just in case you don’t get in. Sadly, most private universities who are financially worth it are hard to get into.
Don’t go to CC, because in some cases (sadly) it’s extended high school. If you stay home and go to CC, the same results will happen…no doubt about it. I like CC in some aspects, but it’s dangerous in others. I do know people who transferred to UCLA in my area (I live in SoCal) and others who have been saying they want to transfer even though they never did (for like 5 years). It’s scary.
I would research PUBLIC universities that offer guaranteed admission, there are plenty! Good luck! Don’t stop!
I’m sorry you’ve had such a difficult time. The school you can go to depends on your budget. I’m sure you can get accepted to some great schools, but it doesn’t help if you can’t pay for them. If you can get a degree at a community college, you have a better chance of getting a job that will allow you to support yourself while you finish your 4-year degree. It’s not as easy to do now as when I did it, but sometimes it’s necessary. Would your parents allow you to live at home so you can go to cc? Do you have a reliable way to get there?
Will your parents help you fill out the FAFSA so you can get access to the federal student loan ($5500/year)? Unless you’ve legally been made a ward of the court you’ll need your parents’ financial info. on the FAFSA, and likely to qualify for your state’s tuition assistance program too, whether they intend to help you with costs or not. Do you have any idea how much they earn? If they’re low income, you may qualify for a Pell grant of up to $5k/year. If your parents won’t help at all you’ll need your state’s tuition grant (~$7k/year) and the federal Pell grant (~$5k/year) plus the federal student loan (~$5500/year) and summer work earnings (~$3k) and/or tight budgeting to cover Indiana’s ~$18k/year cost of attendance. If they earn too much to qualify, your best option is to start at a cc then transfer.
Community College is a good place for someone like you to straighten out your grades. You got average scores, both GPA and test, so there’s no saving graces for you here. Get the grades in community college and transfer to your school of choice after a year. You won’t even get a diploma from the community college so it won’t go on any real ‘record’.
I’m speaking from experience, got terrible grades in high school, went overseas, manned up, went to Community College and then transferred to an Ivy League University.
Community College is one option. For some kids it’s the best option.
But do not let any stranger tell you “what’s best for you.” What worked for me, what was best for my siblings, what seemed to work for some or many of the thousands of kids I’ve taught over the decades— none of that is about you.
Some kids thrive in CC. I did. I was able to get my Associate’s Degree for a fraction of what those two years would have cost elsewhere. I was an honors kid who would have done well in any academic environment.
But that’s not all kids. And I’m confident that the vast majority of people on this site who advise “Community College” to anyone with a GPA lower than 3.8 have absolutely zero experience with Community College.
The problem I see with CC is that some kids— not “all” kids, not “most” kids, but “some kids”-- see CC as an extension of high school. They follow their own patterns, but with the added perk of having more freedom. They cut class, fail to remember the academic demands of the coursework, and end up on the 5 year plan. Some of them are the kids who are in CC because they never took high school seriously.
Our local CC is huge-- something like 25,000 students. The type of student who didn’t see success in high school will find it easy to get lost in the crowd here-- to blend into the background, and do the minimum or less. I don’t see it as the environment designed to prod those kids into success. Some of them mature into the right habits anyway, and find the success. But I’m still not confident that it’s the environment most likely to nurture those “at risk” kids into getting a college degree.
I would much rather see those kids in a small school, one where it’s harder to fall between the cracks.
Again, I’m one more stranger telling you what to do. Your scores are your past-- only you have any sort of inkling of your academic potential. Some kids simply don’t grow into that potential in time to have a strong high school GPA or high test scores.
It’s up to you to determine where you go from here. Dig deep, and determine what sort of academic environment you’re looking for. Then hit the internet and find it.