<p>Hi,
I'm currently a freshman at GaTech and just finished my first semester. I have to say, I didn't do so well and I'm very ashamed of myself for not working harder. No excuses put out, I got a pretty low gpa and now it seems like I have to work my butt off next semester. Problem is, I really wanted to transfer out next Fall due to various reasons. Had a bit of a culture shock (I'm an international student) and overall just didn't seem like a place I'd be happy in for the next few years...</p>
<p>I know everyone else here makes chance threads with decent gpa's, but I'm pretty desperate here...I took only 3 gpa-worthy courses (other 3 were introductory classes that didn't count towards the gpa, just 1 credit each) and ended up with a lousy 2.16. There, I said it. </p>
<p>Should I give my life away next semester and try my best to raise my gpa and apply to somewhere by Fall, or should I wait it out (though I really don't want to)?</p>
<p>If you want to transfer anywhere in the USA other than a community college, you have to pull up your GPA. That means that you have to do all of your homework, go to all of your classes, and haunt the offices of your Professors/Teaching Assistants/Writing Tutors/Whatever so that you get whatever help it is that you need in order to get your act together academically.</p>
<p>If you hate your university, you have three choices:
Learn to like it enough so that you can finish there.
Raise your GPA so you can transfer out.
Find a university in your home country/another country that will admit you based on your performance in secondary school or on your national exams and that won’t hold a bad semester (or more) in the USA against you.</p>
<p>You are the only person who can decide which of those three options is best for you.</p>
<p>Any way you slice it, you need to “give away” as much of your life necessary to get good grades next semester and beyond. You seem to be a bit short-sighted and impatient with the entire college process. Transfering is a goal, but one that will be difficult if you don’t focus on the here-and-now of your current school. Also, after transfer, classes <em>will</em> be more difficult just on the basis that you’ll be taking upper division courses.</p>
<p>You asked for advice - I’d suggest spending the next few semesters getting comfortable with college. Throw yourself into classes. Stop thinking of study-time as giving your life away… college <em>is</em> your life right now. The things you learn go far beyond the course materials… self-discipline, delayed gratification, time-management, multi-tasking, excelling under time pressures, new study techniques, etc are in many ways far more important than whether or not you can remember some fact or figure from one of your classes ten years from now.</p>
<p>Submit yourself to the college process and see what there is to learn. Of course, get your GPA up in the process. Don’t be in such a hurry to get through your classes as fast as possible with as little effort as possible - that is throwing away all the experiences that will help you become your future best-self.</p>
<p>After a few semesters of operating under under a new attitude of immersion, the questions about transfer will be much more clear. You will also have many more options available!</p>
<p>I would have to say raise your gpa up next semester, then try to apply for spring of 2010. Because if you apply for fall 2009. there is no way you can get in anywhere. If your gpa is not high enough, then apply for fall 2010 is my only answer for you.</p>
<p>I would follow nyu44’s advice and wait until spring. You may also want to immerse yourself in a few ec’s if you haven’t so it may help relieve some stress off your gpa during admissions.</p>
<p>No one has really said this directly yet, but they’ve hinted at it. I just want to say it so you’re aware of it. Colleges are only going to see your first semester’s grades if you apply for Fall '09. Applications will be in by March usually, and decisions will come out around the time you get Spring grades back or right afterward. Also, it’s going to be very hard to get your GPA up to the ideal for transferring. Assuming you make a 4.0 next semester, which is going to be kind of unrealistic after this semester’s grades, you would only have like a 3.3, and you would still have trouble getting into schools on par or above your current school. I think dufflebagjesus’s suggestion of a community college is good, where you can work hard for a couple years and transfer up, or you’re really just going to have to learn to live with GA Tech. Don’t be discouraged–I’ve heard lots of stories about people who HATED their first semester of their freshman year and then fell in love with their school second semester. It just may take more getting used to it, especially for you as an international student (with the culture shock and all). Just try to make the best of your current situation.</p>