Some people may support me on here, others may say im out of my mind but here it goes from the top. I was never a naturally great student in high school, I always got by and passed but at an average level. I always did very well in middle school, Made eagle scout at 14 but than High school came and my life just took a detour. I also was labeled learning disabled as a child. So Math and subjects like that were always tougher for me than others. In the end I got out of High School with a 2.5 GPA which is good enough to pass, as its a B but for college that is terrible I know. My 18 year old self at the time was just happy I was graduating with a B none the less. I failed my SAT’s miserably as also I was never a great test taker. With no college plans and also assuming no one would accept me I enrolled at Monroe Community College in my hometown of Rochester NY. Took five classes my first semester and only passed one with a B the rest I withdrew. I failed a couple.I think honestly I just had a panic attack and the one math course I did was nuts as I was out of math for awhile before going in. Anyway I dropped out and withdrew from one semester. I was depressed, and had some mental health issues and 6 years went by until I attempted college again. Unfortunately I was lured into a for profit school called Bryan university a college in los angeles. I was into fitness at the time and enrolled in a exercise science program in the interest in personal training, I could get a degree in 15 months and fly out west for a trip to graduate so all seemed well. However I didn’t realize they were not regionally accredited as I didn’t even know about that than until ive gone through the whole college process. I did it on my own with no parental help and guidance. I graduated the program with a decent gpa and odd enough the program had a articulation agreement with California university of Pennsylvania which is part of the PASSHE system which i basically the SUNY of Pennsylvania. So I transfered to Cal U for a bachelors and got that. Its not a great school such as a cornell or yale but at least its a legitimate college.I got my bachelors degree and than I applied for an MBA here. I did it here because I had guaranteed acceptance whereas anywhere else Id have to apply and go through hoops. I graduated decent with a 3.4 gpa Long story short Im having regrets. MCC the school I left is actually one of the top community colleges in the US where a handful of kids transfer to great schools, even IVYS such as cornell, columbia and yale. I know that if I applied myself and busted my ass at MCC that I could have gotten in to a GREAT school because of all the agreements they have. Ironically cal u is a school they have an agreement with and I have thought of going back to MCC for another program. Fortunately I have around 30 credits they are accepting along with another 12 I have there from years back. I also have been accepted to an honors program at MCC which many alumni have transferred to top schools including the ivy league. I have thought of redoing my bachelors but I know its a complicated process and aid is limited. Overall I want to get into business and law programs in the next few years. Drives me nuts thinking about this but I know im not alone with these feelings as there are others out there like me. I didnt get the “college experience” that I know I would have had if all my lifes problems didn’t get int the way.Id like to attend cornell to start as its close only an hour and change from me and they have really great agreements with community colleges in my area. What do you guys think? what route should I take. Anyone out there have a similiar situation. Its only money at this point that im worried about because the drive is all there and than some.
There is so much going on in your post, I need to ask you… What is your goal of going to an “ivy league” institution? For the “prestige”? For the sake of feeling proud of yourself? Your story is very convoluted and you had a lot going on . What do you work as now and why do you feel such a strong urge to go to cornell?
To begin, you have a very misinformed understanding of what an MBA entails and how the transfer agreement process works. One, the articulation agreement only applies to undergraduates in the statutory colleges at Cornell (CALS, CHE, ILR). It does not apply to master programs, meaning certain community colleges do not have agreements with grad schools to admit students. Second, in order to get into the Cornell MBA program, you need to have accumulated work experience, which is the most important part of your application. High ranking MBA programs such as Johnson want students who have good work experience such as at fortune 500 companies. Cornell’s law school is very competitive, meaning they want students with 3.8+ gpas and a high LSAT. You stated that you want to go to law or business. I’m not trying to put down your hopes and dreams, but the grad school admissions office willl examine ALL the institutions you attended when calculating your gpa, even at the institutions where you failed out… Meaning, your withdrawal from Monroe Community College will affect your chances of getting in, especially through such cutthroat and difficult admissions.
Not to mention, even if you decide to go back to Community college (which I don’t think makes sense just to get another bachelors???), Cornell is very rigorous. For Community College transfers, the average gpa they accept is a 3.7+ (they will i repeat, look again at your past GPA at your failed community college and university) along with students with strong demonstrated ECs and leadership. I know someone who transferred into Cornell with a 4.0 gpa and is having a 2.9 now… It is that difficult in comparison to community college. Do you truly think you can handle the cuthroat environment at Cornell? Cornell is not for ordinary people. Being here, there are a lot of students who are very driven and the workload is going to be much harder than community college coursework. How would you react if you ended up failing all your courses your first semester at Cornell. What would you do? Not to mention, the hour long commute would also be very taxing… You may not think of it but it will catch up to you, especially if you have a job. And the debt which is another big concern but that’s another monster to deal with.
I’m not trying to scare you, but I’m trying to be realistic. There’s very little chance you can get into these schools and even then, it will be tough here. You do NOT need to go to an ivy league school to be successful and this is someone who is going to Cornell. Cornell is not the ticket to success, similar to how yale or any other ivy league school is not. You can achieve success through many other different outlets such as trade school or starting a business (if you’re apt enough for it and understand how it works) and etc. Even though getting into these universities will be “impressive” to your family and friends, it’s all meaningless in the long run. You can be amazing in so many different ways. Don’t let Cornell or Yale or whatever be the defining point in your life. Focus on your career now if you can. If you REALLY want to get a bachelors program (even though I don’t advise), don’t get too upset/obsessed with Cornell and choose a less well known university if its necessary. As a student here, there is so much more than just the ivy league. I just want to stress this…
What is your ultimate goal?
OK for some reason, my really long post I worked got deleted le sigh. But basically, you don’t need to go to Cornell to gain success.
I appreciate your input. Thanks. Mainly the reason for going back there is to get that blemish off my record and fortunately it wouldn’t take much. I was a very different person at 18 than now at 31. The reason for going, I mean why do any of us want to get into a good school? Why are you at Cornell? There’s the answer. Theres more out there I know and pretty much the decks are stacked against anyone in the ivy league. I’ve even heard of perfect candidates down the middle not getting in and than a hs dropout convicted felon than getting in. its a crazy world. Whats your story were you admitted out of hs or did u transfer? What do you study? Its nothing that will happen overnight but ive seen scenarios tougher than mine make it.
Also to get more involved and be involved with an honors program. Something I never did and should have.
Am I understanding correctly that you already have an MBA, and you are considering going back to school for a 2nd undergraduate degree at Cornell? Or are you saying you applied and were accepted to the MBA program at Cal U, but did not attend and are considering going back for a second undergraduate degree at Cornell? I had a hard time following your initial post.
You can’t go back and relive the college experience at 31 even if you had never attended one class. You need to move from dwelling on the past to looking to your future. If you aren’t careful, the blemish will not be college but your age entering the work force. You are letting your past define you rather than adapting and overcoming.
Someone else asked, but what do you want to do as a career/profession?
I agree 100% with everything Sportsman88 said which was what I was trying to point out in my long original post that disappeared for some reason. he still is failing to answer his goal of going to an “ivy”. As mentioned in my original post, I go to Cornell and I don’t think it helps as much as people would assume in terms of my career. Yes I have a high gpa, yes I have an internships and more connection and it’s a target school for wall street blah, but I know peers at state universities and other non ivies doing way more than me.
And my original post also pointed out how the OP has a incorrect understanding of how the transfer agreement work and how MBA/Law school or even anything college admissions related works.
It really is time to move on rather than try to relive the past. And there’s a very minimal chance the OP will actually get in. If you check the fall transfer thread, there are community college transfers with 4.0s who did not get into Cornell as a transfer. The OP has poor grades from his previous institutions that the admissions officers WILL look at
Why do you want to get a degree from a cc and a bachelor’s focused on finance if you already have an MBA from a public university in PA? I don’t think a redo will get you into Cornell. There’s no funding that I know of for 2nd bachelor’s degrees, so if money is an issue I’d rethink going back to school for an associate’s degree. I think it’s great that you persevered and got your degree. Have you tried finding a job yet? Maybe work on getting your career started, then think about additional schooling.
Agree with @austinmshauri . If you are 31 and have essentially been a professional student, this time to move on. If you have been in the working world and really need another advanced degree for professional advancement, then maybe it has some merit, but if its to put a north in your academic belt, to make up for past mistakes, that’s an expensive lesson.
I want to change careers. Ive done personal training for awhile and the field just sucks and has so many plateaus so Ive considered engineering as a new venture as its my hobby as well.
I got to read it and it was noted. Thanks for the input
I’ve done personal training, which is the foundation of my undergraduate experience, but honestly the field sucks. No money no room to grow. Someone could have a doctorate in exercise science and have the same job as a certified trainer who never finished high school. Im looking more at engineering, finance, or law related fields because those are always in demand in civilian or military day to day jobs.
Your goal should probably be to get into a better paying field in the shortest amount of time for the least amount of money. I doubt that means doing four years at an Ivy.
Regardless I would not need to do another 4 years because many programs take credits out there from your past institutions. Im in good standing and everything its just the field I chose is terrible and dead end and lets just say I wasn’t in the right state of mind then and was going through a lot in life at the time from moving, family troubles, so I wasn’t at my full potential.This seems to be a more common thing these days as upon researching it as there are many programs out there to accommodate people like me. Im looking into Monroe community college now where im from as they are very highly regarded and are not expensive. Id only need around 30 credits from there which I could do in a year or less as they have already accepted me into an honors program and taken 30 of my credits for transfer. If I decide to get into engineering or computer science related fields I don’t see how I would enter a masters program without the experience of the undergrad minus general requirements which in a lot of cases will transfer over. From my understanding generally a good route to take is to do the core requirements than transfer into a program. I need to think long and hard and debate all of my options. I am currently getting professional help with this now as well with job coaches and education coaches.
It seems like you want gratification and desire success from attending Cornell, which I personally think is the wrong way to go entirely. You should want to go to Cornell as that’s where you feel your talents can be sharpened and you can definitely say you can make an improvement in our society after graduating. I don’t think you should pursue Cornell in general if it is just for prestige, but that’s just my opinion.
My dad didn’t go to an ivy and is now making a pretty good living.