<p>Help!! I really screwed up high school. I'm a rising 5th year senior (I failed over 6 classes therefore I need a 5th year for makeup.)
I'm a pretty bad student, but I really want to be a lawyer. </p>
<p>Here are my stats, going into This 5th year of HS:</p>
<p>White Female from NYC.
GPA: 1.471
ACT: 19
SAT: Not even going to say.</p>
<p>EC's:
- NONE!</p>
<p>The story behind all of this started when I was a freshman. I got really into the alcohol/druggs/partying, went to school usually once or twice a week, and got really messed up until the summer before junior year, when I attempted suicide. I had 43 detentions my sophomore year, and 7 more would have resulted in an expulsion. After that I got some therapy, and did a little better in 11th grade, but still not amazing.</p>
<p>I've been making up some classes, and getting "okay" grades in them. My Junior Year GPA was a 2.7... however freshman and sophomore were both under 1.0.</p>
<p>Are there ANY colleges that would accept me? I'd really like to get into law. And I really don't wanna go to Community College, because I know that I can be above that. I'm really aiming for UC-Santa Barbara (and be in the law and society program), but I know it's almost impossible for me.</p>
<p>While you state you are not interested in CC, I think that it would be your best bet at this point. Go to a CC for 2 years and prove to people that you have the skills and ambition to succeed. After that, you can apply to transfer to a better school. Not many schools are going to risk taking you at this point because you haven't demonstrated that you can do it. There is no shame in going to a CC to boost your academic and studing skills.</p>
<p>I agree with shennie. CC is your best bet. You can show your ability for great grades in your two years at CC and get involved as well. Even though you're capable, this is the best way to prove you're capable to other schools like UCSB. It will also sharpen academic skills.</p>
<p>I say apply to UCSB, maybe with an essay on why you didn't do well, and how you shaped up this year (seriously get way better grades this first quarter/semester). But apply to CC as well. Say, even if you actually get into UCSB, CC would be your best bet to sharpen skills for two years, and then go to UCSB.</p>
<p>I agree with all others. Don't think of CC as something lower than you, but as a place to prove yourself. Show UCSB that you can do college work and stay headstrong while at it. </p>
<p>Your high school GPA/ACT/SAT won't be as affecting then as if you applied to UCSB now.</p>
<p>Search for information on Santa Barbara City College. They offer a residential experience (dorms, football) and a program to transfer to UCSB in your junior year assuming you achieve a certain GPA in certain set courses. You are not from California, so I don't know if there would be issues with OOS fees or tuition or eligibility. Getting into UCSB when applying as OOS is tough under the best of circumstances, with high stats. Applying there for next year would not be a good use of your time or money. </p>
<p>And now for a bit of soapboxing: there are lots of students in CA who may be "above that", but still attend community colleges for the first two years to save lots of money or to have the best possible shot at transferring into schools like UCLA or Berkeley. I had lunch yesterday with a young woman interning at my company who transferred to Berkeley from a CC. She's bright, personable, and aiming at a PhD in the hard sciences. It doesn't make any difference if she was "above that" when she started in CC. All that matters is that she's going to go far. If you really are "above that", you can best show it by spending the next few years doing the hard work of showing what you're able to achieve.</p>
<p>Good for you for turning your life around! Very inspirational and I'm sure this will help you in years to come so don't get discouraged now. You didn't get the low gpa in one year's time and it won't go away that quickly either. You may not really be ready for college level work and a junior college will give you the opportunity to get your skills up to par without competing with kids who haven't faced the same challenges. This route could pay off big for you in the long run and there is absolutely nothing wrong with CC's - I know several well-respected attorneys, CPA's, and even a doctor who started out at CC's because they either didn't know what they wanted or didn't have the HS grades to initially start in a program they wanted. Good luck!</p>
<p>similar to slithey - one of my friends (though I'm in NY not CA) is a great student and did phenomenal science research. she got into awesome schools including Cornell & UNC Chapel Hill but b/c of financial reasons is going to CC for 2 years then transferring. so going to a CC really is an option for <em>anyone</em></p>
<p>I live in Central CA. Personally know of several students who are just finished with the two years at SBCC and now going on to UCLA and UC Berkeley.<br>
SBCC offers a great program.
BUT...I do not know what the out of state tuition is and once you transfer to one of the UCs that tuition is not cheap for an OOS.<br>
And many of the UCS are pretty impacted in terms of class size, etc.
You really should also look at schools in your area particularly if you have financial issues.</p>
<p>I echo what everybody else said, but also, take the opportunity to do something this year. Get involved in volunteer work, or some kind of extracurricular. Don't do too much, but do something that you enjoy and will stick with.</p>
<p>CC is not a bad idea. However, if you really wanted to go to a 4 year institution off the bat, there are some places that might accept you.</p>
<p>The only one that I personally know of is Northeastern Illinois University. If you have taken the appropriate courses and graduate, your 19 ACT will allow you to be considered for admission. 8 percent of students there had GPA's under 2.0 in HS. There may be a couple of other 4 year universities like that I'm not aware of. It's worth a shot.</p>
<p>Let me tell you something. As a child, I grew learning slower than the average in my age group. I didn't understand basic arithmetic and I developed late verbally. After a variety of factors such as scoring low on IQ tests and poor academic performance, I was placed into special education for some 10 years. Even in these easy special ed classes, my performance was less than desirable. Not surprisingly, my situation engendered a self-fulfilling prophecy which in turn resulted in low self esteem, which further fed bad grades. I even once failed the California HS exit exam(I did pass later) However after several events in my life, of which I will not expound on, I decided at age 16 that I wanted to make myself better. Living for the sole purpose of self actualization I slaved away working countless hours trying to catch up to the average student; yes not the best, just the average. I was able to place to normal classes, of which was a completely new world. It was hard, but I worked hard. Much to my surprise, I was able to top most of my classes. And despite being labeled as being mathematically illiterate, I was able to go from basic math to college level calculus in about one and a half years through the means of self study. However, the damage done to my record was irreparable. As a consequence, I was unable to enroll in a four year university. So I went to a community college. I excelled. I earned a 3.9 overall gpa , got admitted as a transfer to a highly regarded university, and somehow even tested about 2 standard deviations above the mean on IQ tests(much higher than my score as a child). Now I'm majoring in math; a subject I was so bad at that, just a few years ago, I would not have even considered doing anything involving numbers.</p>
<p>So yes, you will eventually succeed if you have the desire to do so. You just have to put ALOT of effort. At times it'll seem impossible. At times you'll be burned out. At times you'll want to give up. But if you don't let any of that get to you and continue to strive to reach your dreams, you be rewarded.
So, go to a community college because state universities won't take you as of now. Theres nothing wrong with that. You'll have to start somewhere. Get good grades at a JC, do ECs, get involved in the community etc and you'll be admitted to UCSB .</p>
<p>
[quote]
You might have a 1% chance at UCSB if you were an athlete, legacy admit, a URM, or a 2% chance if you're all three of those.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Actually, no. The minimum GPA for in-state students is 3.00 and that's just to apply. The only other path to admission that the OP would qualify for is by exception (ELC and test scores only are already out of the question), which is really, REALLY, REALLY difficult to obtain. Not only that, but the UC is not allowed to look at race for admissions purposes. </p>
<p>I agree with most of the people on this thread: CC and then one of the UC's. It's totally possible.</p>
<p>Students from UC Berkeley came in one day to talk to us, and one of them attended CC for two years before getting accepted at Berkeley. It's definitely possible to get into UCSB after two years of CC.</p>
<p>If you decide to go to community college, make sure that you research the programs just as you would for a regular college. Your main priority right now is making sure that they have academic support and a rapport with other colleges for transfer. If they have a lot of students continuing their education at a 4-year institution, then not only will they be very helpful for you when the time comes, but it also shows the quality of the institution. Preferably, your local CC has all of this, but don't discount the idea of going to one a bit further away.</p>
<p>Going back to your original question: do you even have a future? Yes! Of course you do!</p>
<p>First off: forget the past. It's in the past, keep it there.</p>
<p>Secondly: work in the present on the future. YOUR future. That's the important thing.</p>
<p>Third: plan, plan, plan. The devil's in the details. First, create the global goal -- for now, that seems to be UCSB, so make that the focus. It may change -- life is a series of adjustments.</p>
<p>Fourth: Sort out how to achieve that goal. Put it into steps. Little steps are good. Then check off each step as you complete that task.</p>
<p>Fifth: Go to the UCSB board here. There's a guy who writes up this wonderful blurb each year (I'm thinking around March or so) about what happens if you REALLY wanted to go to UCSB but didn't get accepted. He discusses SBCC. They live in dorms with or near UCSB students, just taking classes at different colleges, but still mingling.</p>
<p>Be proud of everything you do that moves you closer to your dream. And don't forget to smile and have a little fun!</p>