A 1.6 GPA... Out of High School. Got serious and want to get a better job but can't because of GPA...Now what?

Question

When people say there are times in life when you need a little insight. Believe me... I NEED ALL OF IT AS I CAN GET!!!

I never liked school. I was good but never really put forth an effort to do well. Heck, I didn't even take the SAT's. But still I squeaked by in graduating with a standard diploma. Now, I'm really starting to crack down and get serious about my life but my academic past and my surprise pathetic 1.6 GPA (Repeat 1.6) is always coming back to haunt me. I'm young, seventeen years old and really need to get on the stick. Is it anyone else's fault I was a total slacker? Hell no. I just need to get it together and I'm feeling the sting from the dumb mistakes I've made. But how can I when my GPA won't even get me into a community college or even the military? I feel stuck and can't live w/ the folks forever.

So is there anyone here who was in the same boat as me and got out of it and is doing well for themselves. If anyone can give me adivice it would be swell

Answer 1

First of all, I admire you for admitting your mistakes and wanting to change your life. That's fantastic!

My best idea is to find the area that you really love and get into an entry level position (your 1.6 GPA likely won't hurt if they need another employee). Even if it's standard work and the most basic job you can find, you seem to have the will and attitude to have what it takes to rise up the ranks. Just work your butt off and prove all the naysayers wrong.

What area are you most interested in working in?

Good luck.

Answer 2

HEY welcome to the club lol. I had a 1.6 GPA too... Actually still do.

Unfortunately I don't have the answer, but I do have some ideas; ideas that may help you that you may not have thought of yet.

Your story is eerily similar to mine actually; intelligent, driven, but bored and slightly lazy. Let me guess; video games and movies? A lot? I graduated going on two years ago from the local high school. I blew a sweet deal at the local comm. college (2 FREE years with a C average graduating GPA) and decided, what the hell, I'll put my hard working skills to good use. Became an assistant manager at the local pizza place, and was going places until I realized it sucked and I didn't want to be there anymore, when the lazy guy working three days a week was making more than I was by being in welfare in addition to his paycheck.

Hard work just isn't quite enough to cut it anymore. So we need a boost.

My current plan, which I suggest to you, is the military.

You have two paths that way; one is by going enlisted, busting it for a while, making college work, and applying for Officers. No guarantees; they can deny you for any reason to enter a military academy, and some are well known to be very exclusive (cough naval academy cough cough). The other is your motivation and intelligence shines through and you're put in a special force of some kind. Not necessarily SEALs, however there are several other jobs with less grandeur that are special forces.

Worst comes to worst, you've put in 4 years of service with a handful of credits of college completed, you moved out of your parents house, made a ton of money (they pay E-1's more than I was paid working 40 hours a week; and there you have no real expenses), learned a lot about being a man, and were taught discipline and structure. Best to best, you get an associate's degree, followed by an education at a military academy which brings you a Masters, and became an officer, using 8 of your years up.

At your age, I'd suggest either that, or doing a community college for two years. Get a part time job to pay for it; the ones out here are only 2k a semester, unfortunately that was money I could never get together. That way you bust your a$$, got a higher GPA, probably with honors if you are serious enough, and can overcome it. College looks at your High School GPA. University looks at your College GPA. And so on.

My mistake was thinking working hard the old fashioned way would help me. Now I'm 20. I can't make it to officers unless God intervenes and pushes me into it (a year to deploy, two years to get a degree assuming my rating in military doesn't make education impossible, and a year to get approved puts me at about 24 years old; the MAXIMUM to join an Academy, and if it takes too long I'll miss the age deadline. But I'm not giving up).

You're 17, you got this!

Answer 3

When I graduated high school I too had a very low gpa.. probably about the same as yours... I cut class and school a lot. I dropped out without dropping out. I didn't take the SATs either.

I also graduated school at 17.

I went into community college (community college accepts anyone if you have your hs diploma you can get in). Did that for two years and maintained a 4.0 average from there I went to a 4 year college and got my B.A I graduated with a 3.4 gpa. It actually would have been higher, except for some stupid singing class I took and then didn't go to (long story).
Presently, I'm thinking about returning to school and getting my masters degree.

I tell this to you because if you WANT to go to college you can, and if you go to the right school you probably will find it far more rewarding and fulfilling then high school. If college is not what you want to do I would suggest going to a trade or technical school and pick up a solid skill.

The military actually would take you as long as you pass their test, and honestly it's not that hard to get in. There are also civil service jobs out there for which you can test for (many actually require a few college credits though).

High school is finished, but don't think that your options are limited. Your high school gpa means nothing when it is all said and done and in today’s economic climate your high school diploma doesn't carry much weight anyway.

You made mistakes in high school, but that is over now, I am sure you will take your education and your future more seriously. It's not the end, and you have many options; it's just up to you to take them.

Good Luck, prove everyone wrong, I'm sure you can if you want to.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Did you apply to a Community College? I didn't think they had GPA requirements. You can go there with a GED. If they say your GPA is too low ask if you could take the GED test and get in that way. In Florida you can go to a CC for two years and get an AA and then you are guaranteed to be able to transfer to UF, FSU, USF, or several other good schools. I don't know if it's like that everywhere. You probaly will have to take the SAT or ACT though. Take a prep class for it, or buy a study book. Your so young you have tons of time. Just find out whatever you need to do, even if you have to take HS classes over again, and just do it! Good luck.

Answer 6

Keep looking. Some community colleges don't require a high school GPA. How did you ever graduate? 1.6 is below a C average. You can also take high school courses in public places just to build up a good reference. What you should do is ask a counselor at a community college. Rules are different in various counties and states.

Answer 7

My HS GPA was 1.77. A few years post graduation, I went to the local community college and ended up with a 3.3. I then transferred to SUNY Buffalo and I'm holding down a 3.9.

I'm not sure where you live, but in New York State (where I live) there really is no minimum GPA for getting into a community college, just a placement test that most people could pass right out of 8th grade. I'm guessing it's not that different where you live. Ask the admissions folks. As for the military, as long as you've got a HS diploma, they don't care about your GPA. They administer their own test--the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), which again is a pretty easy test to "pass" (the different branches have different scores that they consider "passing", and then your score can determine what jobs you can hold in the military.

So, in short, don't sweat it. Sure, you're not going to get into Harvard this fall, but I bet the Community college will take you. There you'll have lots of oppurtunity to "redeem" yourself, academically speaking. You can then transfer to a "real" college.

Seventeen is way too young to despair... good luck!

Answer 8

Study hard using test prep guides, and take the ACT and the SAT. If you score high enough, they will counterbalance your GPA, and you can get in to a community college or even a state college on a provisional basis. Get a 2-year or 4-year degree in your chosen career field, use counselling services at the college when you feel those "not working" blues hit (and they will), and believe in yourself!

The key is having a clear idea of what career you want, and how you want the rest of your life to play out.

I never graduated high school, got my GED later, and now have a Master's Degree.

It is a much harder road to take than if things had been going ok for you in high school, but it CAN be done!

Answer 9

Go see a counselor at your Jr college...you can get in. You might need to take a few classes before enrolling. You can take individual classes before declaring a major..these will bring up your GPA...mine was pretty low in H.S. but in college it is a 4.0...and now I'm a teacher! Or you might want to try Vocational School or Adult Education classes, they prepare you for a career and most don't care about high school performance. The best ones are associated with your local school district...not a private one. Private career schools usually charge a large amount for tuition and you end up with big student loans. Most public adult schools charge about 25% of what a private school does. I work in a public adult school...we provide a great education, better than the local private schools..but with us when you are done you are generally debt free for your education.

Don't give up...you'd be surprised at how many really successful people screwed up in school. Stick to your goals and you'll get there and don't listen to the idiots who gave you bad answers, they may have had good grades, but that didn't make them good people apparently.

Answer 10

According to your question you are already out of high school. When i was in high school I never studied, never did home work, but got A's on all my tests because while the teachers droned on to the masses i kept reading ahead and learning all I could. I however took the A.C.T. test and scored a 29. well above the national average. My G.P.A.? 1.4 Somehow a kind hearted and curious Dean at the University of Illinois came across this info and wanted an explanation. I told him what i just told you. I went to school and did ok . My advice to you is go to community college. They will take you, they pretty much have to . And they want your money. Do the best you possibly can. Get all the credits And grades you need to get into the best school you can for your final year. You don't need to start at Harvard. No one looks at which "colleges" you went to, they look at what "college" your diploma is from.

Answer 11

Don't let the other fools who are showing off below get you down. I am 37 and very successful now, but I can tell you that grades are definitely not the most important thing in life.

What is most important is your ability to learn from mistakes. That means you are 10 times more mature than the others who posted below and are making good grades. You should be extremely proud of yourself that you're looking for an answer and that you understand such an adult concept.

Life will have lots of lessons for everyone - we all make mistakes! Mistakes give you wisdom.

Go to the community college admissions office and see what you can do to get in. Let them know that you are serious, and see if they can accept you on a probation basis. Tell them your story. Or find a vocational college ... or even a job.

You will do great things in your life!