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I have a low cumm GPA of 2.48, but I have been improving and probably will come out to have a little more than that. I have no honors/AP classes basically becuase I totally screwed up freshman year. I love computers and am president of many tech clubs at school. MY parents dont think im going to college because they say that my GPA isnt good enough and noone will want me, not even junior college. Is this true? The reason i have no honors/AP classes is becuase i am going up against the people who are at the top of the class with 4.7 and 4.9's. IM 274 out of 290. I want to major in computer science. My parents said that if I dont get straight A's this year, that i will have to go to trade school and work at Mcdonalds for a living. What are my options?
Jim

By Undecided086 (Undecided086) on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 09:38 pm: Edit

oh Jim that's very discouraging of your parents, but this is what should try and do: you're only a freshman so you're lucky you have plenty of time to improve your GPA and hopefully have high SAT scores. A 2.48 is not as bad as it sounds, there are many 4 year colleges that have 100% acceptance rate, and if you improve enough, you can get into a pretty decent school. What state are you from? Perhaps if you take a couple of honor classes and really apply yourself then you might be able to better chances at better schools. You need to tell your parents that from going from a GPA of 2.48 to getting straight As (4.0) is too much of a drastic change, and they need to see you steadily improving. You shouldn;t base the fact that you're not taking any AP classes because you're competing against smart people. Good luck!

By I_Love_Spam (I_Love_Spam) on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 09:47 pm: Edit

McDonald's? Trade school? No way. Do what you want to do. If you can't get in to the school of your dreams because of your past record then go to a community college. You can build up your GPA and show the next school that you'll be transferring to that you're serious about making a change and that you can be successful when you put your mind to it.

Don't listen to the nay-sayers. You're probably going to get tons of discouragement from all the wrong people. Listen to yourself and seek out others who can help you focus your efforts in a constructive way.

I didn't even finish high school (and my GPA was far worse than yours!) but I decided to go to college anyway. I became financially independent, got my GED, tried a trade school and hated it, then joined the military and got out as soon as possible. After that I decided to get serious and I went to community college, built up an awesome GPA and joined Phi Theta Kappa. This spring I applied to four UC campuses and I've already been accepted to my top two choices.

I've experienced so much discouragement along the way but I've learned to make school work for me none the less. So look, your past record might not be so wonderful but your improving and that improvement speaks volumes. And no matter how bad you think you've messed up, remember that there are countless others who have done worse and managed to become successful in the end. Good luck and remember: if you're going into computer science, UNIX/Linux will set you free.

By Selyodka (Selyodka) on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 10:10 pm: Edit

Jim, applying to colleges cannot hurt you. Do some research on colleges. Find out which ones have students with similar stats as you. (Did you take the SAT's?) You definitely have to apply to colleges. Also look at community colleges. If you prove that you can work hard at community college it can become your path to a four-year college.
And you still have one more year to go - you don't have to "get straight A's" - just try to improve you grades, try your best.
AP and Honors classes are not everything. People, who are not in classes like that also go to colleges ;)
It's very good that you participate in computer activities this shows your interest in this field.
Although usually it is a good idea to listen to your parents, in this situation do not allow them to discourage you.
I wish you good luck!
You can search for colleges at collegeboard web site. I cannot think of any other web sites at this moment, but I am sure other people will give you great advices.

By Guitarshredder (Guitarshredder) on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 10:31 pm: Edit

I'm not sure where you live, but you have many options for colleges. There are many state schools that you'd have an excellent shot of getting into, some private schoools, and of course jr./community college.

Remember, there are thousands and thousands of colleges in this country. You WILL be able to find one that suits your needs and would be more than happy to accept you.

Keep working as hard as you can and do what you love.

By Audreyhepburn (Audreyhepburn) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 01:54 am: Edit

ok, you need to hear a great story. my chemistry teacher had less than a 2.0 all throughout high school, and was failing so many classes that he was barely able to graduate. he decided to attend community college for a few years. he applied himself to his studies and ended up receiving very good grades. he then transfered to a state school where he got his bachelor of science. from there, he transfered to ucla, and there he received his masters AND two years ago, he received his doctorate degree in chemisty. i'd call that pretty darn respectable. keep in mind that this guy spent most of high school with a 1.8 gpa.

case in point, have some faith in yourself. not all hope is lost. it's not over until you allow it to be over!

good luck!

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 07:22 am: Edit

Uh, I went from a 2.6 freshmen year...2.8 for a semester sophomore year.....then got like a 3.5 second semester than jr year i got a 3.8...and everyting ended up averaging out to around a 3.3 and I ended up at San Diego state and got accepted to a few others, so just start working harder and you should be fine. The community college route is actually an excellent way to go...

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 09:37 am: Edit

This year there were several people here on College Confidential who had only slightly higher GPA's than you. They applied to some nice colleges and are all going to great schools next year. Do a search under "What are my chances" for
the screen name Weener...Another screen name to do a search for is Winterfresh. What both had going for them were that they were both good kids who were able to prove to colleges that they were willing to work hard if given a chance. It sounds to me like you may also be one of those people. Work hard over the next few years, keep up your extracurriculars, and try to do your best on the SATs (buy some prep books and study before them) and you should have plenty of options.
Good luck!

By Any1can (Any1can) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 12:42 pm: Edit

Great advice Carolyn. Along with that, many colleges recalculate GPA based on grades 10 thru 11 and sometimes want to know 1st semester grades of your senior year. There is much hope and it is not too late. Summer school to make up a poor grade is also and option since it is early in your HS career. Good luck!

By Jimmybondo87 (Jimmybondo87) on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 04:33 pm: Edit

I am actually a junior in HS, not a freshman, so my choices are growing slimmer. What are a few decent computer science schools that i could possible get into?
Jim

By Brian216 (Brian216) on Thursday, May 06, 2004 - 12:59 am: Edit

oh, then ur screwed, sorry


just kidding, u wont go to trade school though or something as bad as what ur parents said. youd be surprised at how low the standards for admission are at a lot of decent schools.

By Roh (Roh) on Thursday, May 06, 2004 - 01:11 am: Edit

go to community college and then transfer to a better school.
i'm afraid you won't be able to get into decent schools with your low gpa.

By Bevie (Bevie) on Thursday, May 06, 2004 - 08:53 am: Edit

I went to a college search site and typed in 2.4 gpa and it went to hundreds of colleges that have that as their average gpa. Most of these schools have minimum gpa of 2.0, but the good part is that there are some "decent" schools there. A college education is what you make it, and you can have a great education wherever you go if you work hard and have the right attitude, which it sounds like you do. Good Luck!

By Kjofkw (Kjofkw) on Thursday, May 06, 2004 - 09:11 am: Edit

FWIW, at a sleeping bag weekend at CMU (one of the best CS schools), they said they even admitted a few drop-outs in SCS (school of computer science) over some w/ perfect 1600 SAT's. My guess is that there's a lot more to that story (drop-outs that may have started their own tech company, drop-outs that had health issues, etc.). However, the point I believe they were trying to make is that their admissions process took more into account than grades and GPA.

By Joesmom (Joesmom) on Thursday, May 06, 2004 - 11:58 am: Edit

Jim, if you want to go to college, you will go. Showing significant improvement in your GPA, lots of EC, Volunteer, leadership etc will help get you into a good college. Study for your SAT's to get the best score possible for you. If you have higher aspirations get into the best college available to you and transfer at a later point- showing them great grades and you can do high caliber work. There is a college for everyone--if that's the path YOU choose.