Am I a complete failure?

Question

My A.A liberal arts gpa is 2.3

I failed a semester of classes at my university (14 credits)
and still have the F on my record. I have taken 2 of the classes
3 times but due to high anxiety I have failed.

My financial aid is revoked at that school.

I am under academic probation.

I am thinking of switching majors or schools but have
had trouble since my the F's dragged down my gpa.

I feel so bad, what can I do? SOMEONE PLEASE HELP
ME!!!!!

Answer 1

You are not a failure. This major simply wasn't working out for you. Talk to your adviser and if you can't transfer to a different department or school then maybe you should consider going to a 2 year community/junior college and work part-time until you bring your GPA up. If you get some of your core classes out of the way at a community college then it wont slow you down with your college career and the teachers (at least at the one i went to) are much better at working 1 on 1 with their students because of the smaller class size. I went to a community college for 2.5 years (I was also working allot) before transfering to a 4 year and I still got my degree in 5 years total (both colleges)
Even if you don't go to college, that doesn't mean that you are a failure. My husband didn't even finish highschool or get his GED and he makes twice the $$$ I make with my 4 year accounting degree.

Answer 2

A cumulative 2.3 shouldn't put you in probation, you can graduate most AA programs with a 2.0

Whatever those 2 classes are that you've failed 3 times - you need some remediation in that subject before you try that one again. Some people just suck at some things - no big deal.

Since your financial aid has been rescinded, switch your major out to "non-degree seeking student" (this will allow you to take almost any course you meet the prerequisites for regardless of your major) and then go through the course catalog and mark every single course that you're certain you can get an A in. The key here is certainty of an A.

Mark the 10 easiest of those with a star. For two semesters, only take classes that you're certain you can get an A in (whether you need them or not) for the sole purpose of kicking up your GPA (and raising your confidence).

The story to the academic adviser/counselor is "I'm not sure what I want to do, I'm not in a hurry so I'm just exploring different classes"; which he/she will almost certainly buy into.

Two semesters of As will knock that GPA back up to something you can be happy with and may be able to reestablish your financial aid. A 2.5 is sufficient to transfer into most state universities.

Blow off the Fs - stuff happens. Next time you think you're going to fail a class - drop it before WF day. Always know when the last day to drop with a W is.

Answer 3

I think you need to take some time off school, and try to get a full time job. I think you need to get your self together, and be ready to take an entirely different approach to school before you can re-enter. If you do so successfully, colleges will tend to be more forgiving of your past academic record than they will be if you simply apply to another school now.

I don't think you'll be able to make an easy transition to another college right now. Even if you can transfer, unless you have worked on the root cause of the problems you've had, it's likely that again you won't do well.

When you do go back to school, you may want to go to a small, private school. Such schools tend to be quite focused on the needs of each individual student, and you'll be less likely to get lost in the crowd. At schools like this, if you miss class or start to fail, they'll actually call you in. Such an environment may make it more likely that you'll be able to get through school, and obtain your degree.

So, what to do until you decide to go back to school? Again, working full time would look great to any university, so I highly suggest trying to find such a job. Ideally, you may even find an employer who offers tuition reimbursement - so you could go to school nights, and they'd pay for it! If working full time doesn't appeal, the military may be an option, if that's of interest.

Consider this a "gap year" or two. A year or two when you don't go to school. Focus on the rest of your life. Then reapply, being prepared to explain to any school why this time, with your gap year and work experience behind you, it will be different.

Are you a complete failure? Not at all. But you do need some time off, and you need to figure out what's going on, address those issues, then think about if college is right for you. If it is, fabulous. If not, college isn't the only path to a successful life. It's not even the only type of education out there.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I recommend the book "Reposition Yourself" by Bishop TD Jakes. Your asking if you have failed, but that depends on your plan. What is your plan? What is the ultimate goal?

"Write the vision, make it plain...". You have to take some time and write a detailed step-by-step plan to get from where you are to where you dream to be. Start at the goal--write it in detail. Allow yourself to smile thinking about the goal and all that your dream entails. Then, continually ask "What will lead me there?". This method will show you the way to your goal all the way back to where you are today.

Now, you have a plan. Now--execute the plan!

Also, losses are lessons that--if harnessed--will lead to your success. There's a quote "Success is the natural result of continually doing the right thing". Look at every outcome that is not great as "What could I change to do better?". You should look at what could have done better. Not to be mean, but 'stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results'...take the time necessary to learn from your losses.

Finally, always explore your options. What would happen if you transfered to another university? Attended college online? For your goal, is college necessary? Consider these questions as you evaluate your situation.

I'm not giving you a direct answer to this question, but something better--a thinking process that will help you in many problems to come in life.


Go get 'em!



Marty N
http://www.cashingincollege.com

Answer 5

Maybe college isn't right for you right now. There are other options. Is there something else you're interested in? There are vocational schools. There are jobs that don't require school for right now.

My daughter worked in the kitchen at a hospital, then took a Certified Nurse Aid class nights & now works at a nursing home. My son-in-law is the assistant to the head maintenance man at our school (no college for that). His brother is the head maintenance man at the health services complex (no college for that). Their mother does intake paperwork at the hospital. Their dad worked at a variety of jobs through the years, then in his forties went back to school and became a registered nurse! He makes a good living now doing contract work mostly on weekends at area hospitals, with most of the week free.

You can go back to school later if it isn't right for you now.

Answer 6

Stay for another semester or another year, fight out your academic probation, and, if that doesn't work, go to community college somewhere, finish your AA there, and transfer back to university.

BTW - The difference between a success and a failure is that the successful person kept trying after his or her first failure. Thomas Edison found 5,000 ways NOT to make a light bulb, but after those 5,000 "failures," he found ONE way TO make a light bulb, and that is why we remember him today.

Answer 7

Get out of that school as fast as you can!!!...Take time off, get a job to earn some money, then apply to another college in about a year...and I would suggest to change your major...and why did you fail everything in the first place?