Failing out of college?

Question

I have just completed my first quarter of college, and my GPA is a 1.0, down from a 3.8 in high school.

I only earned 6 credit hours out of the 15 I was carrying.

I have two quarters left.

How can I bring my GPA back up? What grades do I need to get in the next two quarters?

Should I just drop out of college?

If it helps, I go to the University of Cincinnati.

Please, any advice?

First of all thanks to *most* of you for your comments.

I feel like the reason I did so poorly is because of:
1. being depressed. severly. It's hard to get help for this when everyone just calls you "emo", and also because I don't have enough time:

2. Work. I am working a full time job to pay for all the tuition and books, etc. I just got a promotion at work, which means more hours. I know it hurts my school work but I can't just quit.

Answer 1

well, is there a reason for this? do you try hard? do you find difficulty in the subjects? what are you majoring in? the answer will depend on those questions.

Answer 2

This is not a good indicator, 1.0 is sufficient to have you placed on academic probation/suspension.

Some basics for you - to bring your GPA up higher than 1.0, all you need is a semester GPA that is higher than 1.0. The higher it is, the more you will increase.

If you did 15 hours next semester and got a 4.0 on that semester, your new GPA would be a 2.5; if you got a 3.0 then your new GPA become a 2.0

The question though isn't what you need to get to bring it up but instead the question is why did you get a 1.0 this semester. There are any number of reasons for this sort of performance and only a couple are indicators that you can't do the work.

If you can't come up with the answer to why you didn't do well then you need to visit with an academic counselor (not your advisor, the real counselor) for some assessment and help in determining where the problem is.

If you don't fix this very quickly, you won't have to drop out. When your GPA is significantly under a 2.0 you face a risk of being suspended by the university. You also become ineligible for much financial aid. If you can't fix this in the next quarter, the university will make that decision for you.

So, for next quarter: easy classes only (even if you don't need them), pay close attention to the class syllabus so you know what you're being graded on. Don't miss any class. Get help early if you're having a problem. See the academic counseling office now for some diagnostics and suggestions on what you need to do.

Don't give up yet...

Add: since you added some: For the depression, see a professional. That's the only solution. Real depression is a real problem. 'nuf on that one.

for the work interference - you can not go to college full time and work full time and expect that one or the other (probably both) won't suffer. You have to make a choice here - either work part-time (10-15 hours) or go to school part time (under 12 hours). It's really that way. You hear stories about people who "worked their way through college" but reality is that there are only so many hours in a day.

A 15 semester hour load should require 30-45 hours per week devotion to academics. A full time job requires 30-40 hours per week devotion to the job. Both combined is about 80 hours per week. When would you eat? You have to make a choice or the college will pick for you.

Answer 3

The first thing you have to ask yourself is: How much effort did I put into the classes I was taking? Did I party too much? Did I spend enough time studying? What are the changes I need to make to ensure this doesn't happen again?

According to some reports, you have to spend an additional 1-2hrs each week for every class that you're taking in order to get a decent grade. Some people need more. Some need less depending on what the class is and the individual's academic strengths.

Now, in your case, I will not point fingers as you did not specify what went wrong. If you have special circumstances that prevented your being able to perform well, you may be able to seek a withdrawal for the semester and re-take all your classes. Of course, this will put you a semester behind but it all depends on how badly you want to keep up your 3.8GPA from high school. In order to have a withdrawal approved due to special circumstances (which could be anything from medical issues to a death, accident, etc), you must have appropriate documentation. Find out who your academic advisor is and discuss what your options are.

If you're unable to have an academic withdrawal for the semester, another option is to switch schools and transfer out. I'm not sure if you'd planned on graduating from college with honors, but getting a 1.0 from the beginning means that you have to get all A's for the next few semesters if you'd like to graduate from that college with honors.

If you want to transfer schools, look into a community college. Most people think of community schools as negatives (personally I never went to one and I wish I did!!) and think less of them. However, all you have to do is spend your first two years there, then transfer out to a more prestigious school for your Bachelor's degree. Most community colleges are cheaper and sometimes even easier academically, depending on the program/degree of your choice.

I should also mention that most freshmen do not do well in their first semester at college. You have all the freedom and independence in the world and unfortunately we all make bad choices. You should not use your performance this semester to determine whether or not you should stay in college. There aren't a lot of opportunities out there for people without a college degree. Some people DO succeed without one but most people DON'T. Times are changing and the US economy demands the best people for the top opportunities.

Also keep in mind that today's acceptable degree is a Master's, NOT a Bachelor's.

So although it's hard, girl keep your head up and just do it! After all, your 3.8 speaks volumes! Don't let this get you down!

Answer 4

You have three more full years and three terms left in this year to get a degree. There is more than enough time to get adjusted and comfortable. The first term can be hard for students coming into a university from highschool, it is very different. And although 15 credits is only four classes, the work load is much different than the eight classes in highschool.

In order to fulfill the financial aid/academic probation requirements, next term you will need to get a C average on all your class final grades - you need to pass every class.

I would suggest taking only three classes - 12 credits next term. You are already behind credit wise, so it is much better to slow it down a bit next term so you can get better grades.

Try to take a blend of classes- math or science, a literature or history class, and maybe an art class or a language. That way you have a couple harder classes and one that is just more reading intensive.

I always made sure that I had one "easy" class per term that didn't require as much of my time as the other two.

Also, another way to lighten the load, is to consider going during the summer term as well. Then you can take 12 credits per term and even out in the summer.

Answer 5

Don't give up! Just try your best, you might want to look into attending a community college for a little while and then go back to a university. Retaking classes would really help your GPA because it will replace the previous scores you received.

Answer 6

i nearly shot a double 00 my first semester of college. way to much fun. i took some time and went into the marines to grow up. finished when i got out. you now have to decide what you really want and whether your really ready to put the time and effort into making the grades. obviously you have the ability! you should not waste your time and money if you are not ready. but personally i think that you are wasting your god given abilities if you drop out completely. really u are the only one who can answer the question though. if u have the ability and finances...stick with it. you can bring your gpa up. i would be interested to know why u did so poorly first semester. good luck

Answer 7

Whatever you do don't drop out of college. Don't let one drawback bring you down. Learn from your mistakes and make better decisions next time. For next semester concentrate on your studies and retake the classes that you failed. You can also take classes during the break and that will bring you gpa up.

Answer 8

I know this doesn't help, but about 50% of people end up dropping out of college.

If you're struggling in your courses you should see if your school has a tutor program, or if your teachers can help you out.

If they don't, then just try studying more/applying yourself more.

If you're failing because you don't do the work, I can't really help you out there, but dropping out should be your last alternative after you try to up your grades.

Answer 9

Sounds like you dont try hard enough.

Talk to your professors, and guidence counclers. They will help you better than any of us could.