Extremely low gpa in community college, but hoping to transfer. No point?

Question

The details: this is my 2nd year at community college, I've complete 19 out of 35 attempted units, received 4 Fs and 2 Ds up until now; my overall gpa is a 1.57.

I know I've dug the deepest hole for myself; however, now I've been working to get myself out of it. It's not that I don't understand my work, I've just had some personal issues these past two years. The first being, during my freshman year, I had no idea what I was even doing with my schedule; to add to that, with not applying myself due to lack of materials and poor time management, that's a sure-fire way towards failure.

I know I have the capacity to be a great student, this fall semester, I was on track to getting a B in my communications class; however, I didn't do one of the assignments which pushed me down to a D. Same with my poli-sci class; I was doing great on my essays, yet when it came to assignment due dates, I would have the wrong dates in mind, thus not having the assignments completed by the right time, which ultimately caused me to fail that class (It was an online class, I've learned that they aren't for me). And biology just killed me, ended up failing...

I now have the discipline and time management skills to complete my work on time and study to receive As in my winter classes. But, that would only raise my gpa to a 2.1. I plan on doing an academic renewal on two of my other failing classes so they aren't factored into my gpa, but that still would only help my gpa by a bit.

As a student that's wanting to be college bound in sports, and one that shows a definite positive trend in their grades from now on, with a personable personal essay to top it off; would it be hopeless to think that universities would look past my transgressions and admit me with such a sub par gpa?

The worst thing is, is that my parents have spent all this money on these classes since I'm not eligible for FA, and all I've down is basically throw it away... I'm just becoming stressed and depressed over this dilemma I've put myself in.

Answer 1

The answer depends in what state you are located.



Most community colleges have articulation agreements with state colleges and universities. If you enter into the community college transfer program and maintain a certain minimum GPA (which is determined by the four-year universities and colleges) then when you earn your associates degree you automatically transfer into one of the state colleges or universities, although you don't always get your first choice.



In some states, that minimum GPA is quite low (2.0) so if you can achieve that, you will be able to transfer automatically into a four-year college or university.



Other states have much higher minimum GPAs (I've seen up to a 3.5). Even in these states, all is not lost. You can still transfer to a less competitive university, just not automatically within the state program.



SO your first course of action is to visit the transfer office at your community college and determine what minimum GPA you need for an automatic transfer, and take it from there. If your parents are willing to shell out, you can just keep going to community college until you've raised your GPA sufficiently (community college tuition is pretty cheap).

Answer 2

You are in a similar situation that I was in. Here is my professional advice.



1.)Change your mindset. Rethink your goals. Take 2 years off if you must



2 ) once committed, retake all classes you failed or got less than 75%.Universities may average out the grade.



3.) If you failed English Composition 1 due to a lack of essay structure, visit your college's writing center.



4 ) if failed Intermediate algebra, visit your Math center. If you are planning for a major in the college of the arts, calculus us not necessary. Hence, don't worry if you failed it. Take a Math and Society course. If a science major, retake calculus if failed



5.) Limit number of units. Start with 1 class for the quarter. Add 2 classes next quarter. Go full time after 1 year.



6 ) choose classes wisely. Add acting or music classes to raise GPA



7.) Write a killer essay explaining to admissions how much you changed, explain your FOCUS. They love stories about changed people



8.) Love yourself!

Answer 3

It's extremely unlikely that you would be accepted with a 1.57: that's low enough to get you kicked out of a college. A 2.1 would put you in much better shape, but it's still very low. Obviously the more classes you do well in, especially if you're showing improvement, the better your chances will be, so it's definitely not impossible, but I don't think you'll be able to transfer very soon.



Since athletics are important, you may want to look into community colleges that have competitive sports teams. There are a few. It would reduce the period of your eligibility once you got to a 4-year school, but it would at least be a way for you to get a shot as a walk-on in the relatively near future.



You didn't ask for this advice, but I'll suggest it anyway: get a 2013 calendar (it doesn't need to be anything big and fancy; here's an example: http://www.amazon.com/Letts-London-Classic-Pocket-Calendar/dp/B003XJAUGE/ref=sr_1_8?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1355870410&sr=1-8&keywords=2013+pocket+daily+calendar ) that's small enough for you to carry around but big enough to have plenty of room to write things in for each day, and then when you get your syllabi, go through and carefully write down every due date and the date of every test for the whole term. Yes, there may be some assignments that you don't know about until they are given to you, but you can add those in. In a different color ink than you used for the due dates and the exams, write in partial deadlines, like "First draft of SOC 108 paper," that you set for yourself so you can stay on track. Then keep the calendar in whatever bag you carry around with you every day, and make a habit of checking it -- and the week ahead of you -- every morning. You can add appointments and things in later, in a 3rd color ink, if you like.



Good luck, and I hope you are able to come up with a plan that fits your goals.

Answer 4

I apologize beforehand, I'm going to be fairly blunt in my response.



Please don't speak as "[a student] that shows a definite positive trend in their grades from now on." For now, you don't. You only plan to improve during the winter, like you apparently wanted during this past semester and didn't. No offense, by your GPA is speaking for you more than your intentions right now.



The fact of the matter is that a university is not going to look past that GPA and your academic track record. Transfer acceptances are more limited than freshman, so not only will you not meet requirements in the first place, if you were to be considered you would be compared against students who DID do well in their courses at community college. Ultimately, you won't be accepted either way.



Get your GPA up, actually make improvements to get good grades, get your GPA at a 3.0, then consider transfer. Where you stand right now, it isn't an option.

Answer 5

Since each college has its own rules about community college transfers, it would be best if you spoke to an admissions officer at the college you are interested in applying to and find out from them if you even have a chance.



I'll be honest, even a 2.1gpa is going to make it very very tough. Not impossible mind you, just very tough. Universities are seeing a record number of applications, but due to budget cuts, have been accepting fewer and fewer students.



Some colleges do take the whole person into consideration. If you can show how you've figured out what you want to do and how you can apply yourself, that will reflect good on you. You will also need some really glowing letters of recommendation as well.



Again, I would talk to someone at the college you want to attend and find out what sorts of things you need to do. I would also talk to a local academic counselor at your community college to see if s/he has other ideas of how you can improve your chances at transferring.

Answer 6

Hey Buddy,



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Best Regards