Doing a 180 in college. From worst to first. I need some inspiration

[AZwildcats]

I had a 2.3 through my first two years. I will have a 2.8 by the end of this semester and a 3.0 at the end of my junior year if all goes well. It will take me an extra semester to graduate but IMO it's worth it. I decided it was time for a change when I was denied the chance to work in a cancer lab because of my low gpa. Here is how i am doing and hopefully it will help you out. Its actually pretty simple

-to boost your gpa your gonna have to get rid of any D's and F's you might have gotten in the past. I got D's in both my general chem classes and I retook them over the summer and got B's in both. That alone does wonders for your gpa. This semester I retook a bio class and got an A in it. You can retake most classes in the summer or during the semester.

-you have to make school your #1 priority. I put girls, socializing, working among other things above school my first 2 years and it reflected in my grades. You can still do whatever it is you do, just make sure school comes first. My grades have drastically improved because of that.

-last thing, everybody is capable of doing well in whatever field they want. It all depends on how much work you are willing to put in. And with this economy the way it is, its really a do or die situation out there. if you want a good job, you gotta separate yourself from everybody else. your gpa is one way to do that. it opens doors for internships, research, scholarships etc..

 

[odog24]

good thread op

also struggling in my first year and with finals this coming week i need to step up my game.
My gpa this semester is horrible maybe a 2.0 if i get lucky
reality hits you hard word to the video below.


aint no where to go but up from here.

btw OP whats ur major?
im in the middle of deciding majors now but im thinking i might do economics

 

[HEATHEN]

What??? You need inspiration? How about avoiding poverty or working at McDonalds for the next 20 years? Inspiration enough? Do work man, college ain't a sprint, it's a marathon, pace yourself and apply yourself to the best of your abilities. If you do that your GPA will work itself out (I can't imagine that you're currently truly applying yourself).

 

[ayodun]

In the same situation. Going to take the semester off too but I'm preparing to take the firemen test and hoping to get that and then work on more difficult future plans after. Honestly school just isn't for everyone most people say no but there are definitely great options out there for people without a degree you just have to be patient and do some research. You blame it on the school but if you truly wanted something the setting in which you had to work on attaining said dream wouldn't matter. The only motivation you should need is your desire for your career, if that isn't there then I think it is best to take a break and truly find yourself. Only then can you move forward and be a happy motivated person. I wish you the best <3

 

[dragon]

Sucks that you have to pay for your tuition. I''m fortunate that my parents was able to pay for my tuition, one less thing to worry about.  I hated my school when i started out for superficial reason ( wack girls, wack parties, wack campus), however this turn out to be a blessing in the disguise because it help me  focus on my academics.

I'm not sure why you don't like your school, if it was similar reason to mine then its really not important. College depicted in movies are highly exaggerated in general, not saying that some school are not like that. If money is an issue, I would think about attending a jc and work your but off to transfer to a college that fits your overall career goals.  Working and school can be tough but there are many like yourself in similar position who have done it. I like to think whenever things may seem impossible that out of all the people in the world, there has to be one person who have succeeded in similar circumstances. If there isn't, you will be the first one to do it.

 

[ayejreeun]

You should do a 360 and say @#%! it

 

[loveofthegame916]

Long read, but bear with me OP

I've been in community college for about four years now ( I know

) I wasn't the greatest student in high school. I graduated with a 1.9 GPA. I didn't have any motivation, didn't care about school, and I damn sure didn't care about going to college. All I cared about was playing the drums( I was in band), chasing girls, collecting kicks, and kicking it with my friends. Because of that attitude, I BLEW a full ride scholarship to Grambling State University for music.  Once I graduated high school, I enrolled at the local community college because my dad made me. It was either that or pack my grip and hit the bricks. So I signed up for four classes Fall 07'. By November of that semester, I dropped two of those classes. I didn't give a rats +#%. I passed the other two classes with C's. Spring 08' I only passed one class and ended up on academic probation. After that semester, I made up in my mind that I wasn't going to school Fall 08'. So I kicked it that whole summer. Drank every weekend, partied with my boys, lived life. First day of the semester, I get a call from Pops asking me why I didn't go to class. I told him I wasn't going back to school and he let me have it. Needless to say, I went up to school the first day and got into two BS classes. Both of them were non-transferable, and one of them I got a D in.

In December 2008, I got a letter from the school telling me that if I didn't get atleast a 2.0 gpa next semester, I would be kicked out of school.When I got that letter, the light switch came on. I did some serious soul searching because I was about to be 20 years old, with no progress in school, still living at home, and I had just gotten laid off from my job. I had to get something going at that point because all of my friends were leaving me behind. I was going to be 20 years old, and nothing to show for it. I didn't even tell my dad I got that letter because he would've flipped

. But anyway, I made a decision right then and there that I wanted to turn it around. I wanted to graduate from college with a Journalism degree. So I went into Spring 09' with a different approach. I got serious about school. I showed up to class, read my assigned readings, turned in the work, and studied for tests. I managed to get a 3.0 and stay academically eligible. Summer 09, I took two more classes and got another 3.0. Fall 09, I took 5 classes, managed to get a 2.5 because I started working full time at a new job, but I was grinding. 40 Work weeks and 40 hour school weeks. Spring 10', took another full load, got another 2.5. Fall 10' took another full load, got a 2.7. Spring 11', took another full load, got a 3.0. This past summer, I took a six week statistics class and passed.

As of today, I've been accepted to CSU Northridge for Spring 2012. I'm not going because of personal issues,*cue girl problem thread

* but I applied to CSU East bay for Fall 2012. The point is, I went from worst to first. I went from a 1.6gpa in college, worse than my high school gpa, to a 2.6 (still only decent but, its more than good enough to get into a good California school). I'm going to a university next year. And I'm not stopping until I get my gpa over a 3.0 average, so I can go to Grad School.

You have it in you OP, I promise you do. If I can make it, I know you can. It's NEVER too late to turn it around...


Now, I must go finish my paper that is due tomorrow

 

[elcatfisho]

^ good story to read, it def. is never too late. Never look behind too much, look ahead to what you have left to finish.

in order to get good things, it requires discipline and some understanding that something must be done in order to achieve them. You seem to understand what you need to do in your situation. I slacked off a little in my gen chem class this first quarter and I'm getting a C for it because I didn't put in the time for practice problems or taking better notes and using the tutors. Honestly speaking, I smoked way too much pot instead of hauling my !*% to lecture, or spending time in the library grinding through practice problems with a tutor. Next quarter I'm going back into the grind and setting stricter priorities and holding higher goals. 

what you put in is what you will get in college.

 

[dmvbatman]

just have to get back into reading, last book I read was the miseducation of the negro and that was before the summer time....after that I can sart back on the studying tip but first if you find yourself constantly on the internet 24/7, you have to pull yourself away from that and take time out to read something, a book, newspaper, etc...even a dictionary to get your mind back on track.

 

[noskey]

Originally Posted by LoveOfTheGame916

Are we the same person? 

I've also been in CC for 4 years (took a couple terms off, had to spend a couple others making up for $@++*$$ around), also was about to be kicked out of college, also realized at that point that I've been wasting my life, also lost my job at 20 around the same time, AND also finishing my degree this term/about to transfer into a university next term

Also not going to accept anything less than a 3.0 overall, hopefully I can push it into 3.5+ range by the time I graduate. Only difference being location.

Originally Posted by gregzzy23

IMO nothing good can come from taking a semester off...

In my experience, sometimes a term off can be just what you need to get your life together, or sort out what you need to get sorted to figure out a way to succeed. I've taken 2 terms off outside of summer, one time to just take a break, the other to figure out what the hell I wanted from life. Since then I've improved my GPA by over a point (math classes stay $@++*$$ me up or it'd be higher), and I've just got a job a few months ago which isn't affecting my school work, unlike my last job.

OP, if you need to make 6K before going back to school, dont worry about it. Take a term off, find yourself a fairly easy job (you dont want to be stressed while you're supposed to be getting !*@! off your mind), and come back to school knowing what you want and how to get there. Talk with advisers, family, NT, whoever, if you need help figuring something out. Advisers at my college helped A TON when I had to figure out what I needed to do in order to meet transfer requirements. And I can say I've met at least 2 of the universities requirements that I applied to (one isnt certain... again, math stay $@++*$$ me up).

One last piece of advice: GO AT YOUR OWN PACE. If you need to slow down and take less than a full workload, do it. It can be the difference between getting a 3.0 every term or a 2.0. Trust me. Hope this all helps in some way.

 

[speakup23]

Originally Posted by LoveOfTheGame916

Dude, I really appreciate this man

I know you're gunna turn things around and get to that 3.0 goal

And thanks everyone for the input, its much appreciated. I think that once I get this semester over with, I can just focus on fixing me and then I should be fine.

I have:
3 Bs
1 C
and 2 Ds

And after this semester Im most likely looking at
an A
hopefully a B
and probably a D or an F

I mean, I think I can really pull this off. Its just a matter of getting my mind right at this point. Thats kind of more important to me.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

What are you majoring in?

 

[speakup23]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRedStorm

What are you majoring in?

Psychology

But after about 5 or 6 years (since junior year in HS) of being set on Psychology being my major, now I find myself second guessing what it is that I REALLY want to do. I just don't have the passion for psych as I thought I would and the only other major I could see myself in is engineering only because I want to try and become a race car driver or at the very least do something with cars. IDK, I'm all over the place as of late.

 

[jordanpp30]

Man..

My experience from college has had its ups and downs. Academically I have been in the best and worst spots you can imagine, from Dean's List to almost being dismissed.

We always hear about "Its all about who you know, not what you know."

That statement is turning out to be so correct, as I enter my last few weeks of college. I have networked like crazy over the past few months and not one employer has talked about grades, but instead just making sure you graduate and have that degree under your belt.

I encourage you to strive for good grades and all but more importantly attend career fairs and meet people, and exploit your talents to the job market.

 

[spartankid03]

My situation was VERY similar to yours, and for me, it ultimately came down to being older and putting everything into perspective.

I transferred colleges after two years, did horribly for the first 2 quarters at my new school, and eventually graduated with a 2.02 (minimum GPA to graduate was 2.0)

After finishing, I worked for a couple of years at a dead-end "professional" job, and hated every minute of it. I was provisionally accepted into a graduate level program based on several letters of recommendation, and after 3 semesters in the program, I have a 3.85 GPA. Being older and knowing that I have a family to provide for is my major motivation now, where before I took school as a joke, and did the minimum to get by.

It is completely possible to turn things around, just have the right mindset, and stick with it. Good luck!

 

[memphissfinest]

AFTER MY FIRST SEMESTER IN COLLEGE, I HAD A 0.95 GPA. LITTERALY DID NOTHING THAT SEMESTER BUT PARTY.

GRADUATED WITH A 3.2 AFTER BASICALLY TURNING COLLEGE INTO MY CAREER. DID A CO-OP MY SENIOR YEAR AND GOT HIRED AS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER SOON AFTER.

IT DEF IS DOABLE. JUST TAKES A LOT OF HARD WORK AND DISCIPLINE.

I TOO ALSO HAD TO PAY FOR MY OWN SCHOOLING AFTER MY FIRST SEMESTER.

 

[wildershoe]

Originally Posted by SpeakUp23

Originally Posted by JohnnyRedStorm

What are you majoring in?

Psychology

But after about 5 or 6 years (since junior year in HS) of being set on Psychology being my major, now I find myself second guessing what it is that I REALLY want to do. I just don't have the passion for psych as I thought I would and the only other major I could see myself in is engineering only because I want to try and become a race car driver or at the very least do something with cars. IDK, I'm all over the place as of late.

This was my problem, thought I was all set on engineering since I was freshman in HS. Got to college, drank, played video games, and slept all semester, 1.119 GPA first semester and academic probation shortly after.  Tried to get it together but I hated it. Decided one day to switch it up, dropped every class in the middle of the semester except history of rock and roll. The next semester I switched to a Fine Arts Degree and got straight A's with a few B's.  Graduated in August, it took me a long time but it was worth it to get it together and get a degree that I enjoyed.

 

[lildisciple111]

MANNN F QC. . .i went there my frosh year. i did bad though mainly cause i was sick as hell but i also wasn't that focused so they gave me the boot lol. i took a year off and just worked but i felt i needed to be back in school so im at NCC and I have done great this semester. planning on transferring after this upcoming spring but idk to where. You'll be alright though bruh. QC is a really good school to study at, its just wack as hell lol, just be focused man

 

[peja4prez]

I'm going to be real with you. I'm hoping your not planning on pursing a career in Psychology. For one, that would mean grad school. Since you don't go to a top college, a bad GPA is going to hurt you even worse then someone with a bad GPA from a school Fordham, St. Johns,etc. Either step it up 100% and have a good story, or don't plan on going to grad school.  I have friends that had 3.7 GPA's from decent schools and still got rejected from grad programs.

 

[jhova718]

I got kicked out of hunter college wit a GPA of 1.5

my stupidity knew no bounds. I ended up doing a semester at kingsborough before finally getting my associates degree at LaGuardia. Now I'm at City college a semester away from my bachelor's degree. I'm 25 but it's never too late. Like the poster above said don't give up. It's hard and cuny does you no favors. Just put your head down and aim high.

 

[speakup23]

Originally Posted by Peja4Prez

I'm going to be real with you. I'm hoping your not planning on pursing a career in Psychology. For one, that would mean grad school. Since you don't go to a top college, a bad GPA is going to hurt you even worse then someone with a bad GPA from a school Fordham, St. Johns,etc. Either step it up 100% and have a good story, or don't plan on going to grad school.  I have friends that had 3.7 GPA's from decent schools and still got rejected from grad programs.

Well I guess there goes that


I'm about to just say @%%% it and become a street walker

 

[uncalled4boy]

Work Hard. Priorities Things, Join Study Groups, Hang With The 'A' Students, And Build A Better Relationship With Your Professors.
Rather Than Playing COD, Partying, Wasting Time On NT Hit The Library And Hit The Books.  Start Looking For Internships To Work On Your Resume'

Try To Get A Part-Time Job In Your Majors Department. It Is Not Impossible To Get Out Of This Situation I Did, You Just Gotta Focus And Separate Yourself From Distractions.

Pay Attention To Your Friends Association Breeds Similarity, So 9/10 If They Aint Doing Well In School/Life Welp...

Most Importantly Manage Your Time Well....You Shouldnt Waste Any Time In The Day

 

[peja4prez]

A great thing to do would be to get good relationship's with professors, than try and do some independent studies. Not only does it look good for grad schools, you get a letter or recommendation and school credit for a project your passionate about. Do that, and KILL the GRE and you can do it. Just need to WANT it.

 

[loveofthegame916]

Originally Posted by SpeakUp23

Originally Posted by LoveOfTheGame916

Dude, I really appreciate this man

I know you're gunna turn things around and get to that 3.0 goal

And thanks everyone for the input, its much appreciated. I think that once I get this semester over with, I can just focus on fixing me and then I should be fine.

I have:
3 Bs
1 C
and 2 Ds

And after this semester Im most likely looking at
an A
hopefully a B
and probably a D or an F

I mean, I think I can really pull this off. Its just a matter of getting my mind right at this point. Thats kind of more important to me.

No problem man. If you ever need advice or an encouraging word, shoot me a pm...

@Noskey

We might be the same guy lol. Thats wild how we have similar stories

 

[6 Rings G.O.A.T.]

Treat college like a career..