Fixing my past...can I do it?

Question

I did 2 terrible terms of college at our community college and I did very badly in high school.
I recently moved out on my own and realize that I am never going to get anywhere in the future if I don't focus on my present.
That is why I want to go back to school. I want to fix things at the community college and finish what I started. I even want to go onto university!
I have big plans, I just wish I knew I could do it with the track record I've had. Any suggesstions, words of encouragement? Any help is appreciated!

Answer 1

Most CC's allow you to do something called "academic renewal".

This is a method for people who have bad grades in the past that don't show their true ability, to have them taken off their transcript. It will always be there, but when you go on to university they won't count it or even look at it.

There are requirements for them to grant you academic renewal. At my school it is something like "at least two years have to have passed, the old GPA has to be 2.0 or less" and things of that nature.

If academic renewel is granted, all grades from that semester will be wiped out. If you got an A and two F's...the A will be gone too.

Contact your local school and speak to a counselor to find out more.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You can't change the past, but you can always improve upon it. Why did you do badly in your first two years of college and high school? If it was because you had trouble in school, the next time you go take the extra time to ask the professor for help, find a tutor, or study with classmates who seem to know their stuff.

If it's because you didn't do the work, then that's another story. But if that's the case, make sure you keep up this drive you have going right now. Tell a friend or a family member your goals and make them press you to achieve those goals, if you're not yet the kind of person who's totally self-motivated.

Actually, I think your poor past records could be an advantage. If you do well at university your next time around, any future employer will see that you don't give up in rough situations but that you push yourself to improve. Strength and good work ethic are important character traits, and they're going to help you compete with those people who coasted through school on intelligence alone, but who might not work as hard.

Answer 3

I have been there too. I was an OK student in high school and didn't do all that great when I first started college.
I am 6 hours (2 classes) shy of finishing college and getting my Bachelor of Science degree.
You are probably going to have to reapply and the college will take a look at your transcript. They will more than likely put you on academic probation. This simply means that if you have so many hours than you must make a certain grade point . For example where I am going if you have 0-32 hours you have to have a 1.65 ( High D average) each school is different. The best thing to do is talk to an academic counselor and get their help.
I would start out very slowly at first taking just one class. It is really hard to get back into the habit of studying. Just concentrate on that one class and start getting your grade point up that way. This is the way I did it so as not to be overwhelmed. I hope this is of some help.
Congratulations on wanting to start back to school. Just start slow and hang in there!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

The first thing to do is to go back to each of those prefessors you had during those terrible terms. You need to tell them that you're trying to transfer to a well known private university ( Georgetown, Stanford, etc. ) and that they won't accept you with the grade you got in that specific subject. Make them feel like your future is in their hands and that you really depend on their decision to change it to a better grade.
Believe me, if you play it right, they're not gonna want to carry the weight on their shoulders for breaking your future.
It worked for me : at one point my GPA was 0.89 and I was dismissed from this college, but I came back and spoke to all of my previous professors after 2 years of absence. I guess I played the role pretty good cause my GPA went up to 2.93, which is not so bad.
Best of luck

Answer 5

you can retake the courses you got a D or F on and when you transfer the university takes the highest grade