I graduated high school in 2013 and started going to college at a private Christian university that same year, studying primarily political science and religion. I had a few solid semesters before I started doing poorly. I ended up switching my major to computer science junior year, and started an internship in the spring of 2017. My coursework continued to suffer, and I dropped out at the end of fall 2018. My GPA at that university is 2.4 because of several semesters of declining performance. My internship became a full-time job. After a few months, I resigned, had a short work break during which I moved to a new state, and started working as a software engineer again.
I have been at my current job for a year (so a total of about 2.5 years of experience, there was a work gap when I moved). I’d like to finish my computer science degree, but I’m worried that my past academic history will harm me in the application process. I was a mediocre high school student and had mediocre ACT scores (I did not take the SAT). The university I attended from 2013 to 2017 was one at which a parent taught, so I had very good financial aid, but I also think that it improved my admission prospects. I am looking into whether they have any options for academic forgiveness or renewal, and whether or not those would be beneficial options for me.
I’m not sure if I should just take what I have at my previous university and start applying to places as a transfer, or if I should go to community college for a year or so to build up some credits. If I go the community college route, I would have some recent work to show that I am capable of doing well in an academic environment. I do have good references, both from my former university and my workplace. This would also give me a chance to gain more work experience and perhaps to work on some open source projects that might help in the admissions process.
I am in the Pittsburgh area and the dream is to attend a school like CMU because of the depth of their computing curriculum. I am also aware that given my past performance, that might be unrealistic, so I’m also looking at other schools in the area.
Is the community college route the best plan, or should I just go for it with my current record?
You will HAVE to apply as a transfer. All your grades will follow you. How many credits do you have? It’s likely a CC won’t be able to help you since you will have already gone through most things in their curriculum. It’s fine to have CMU as a goal but it’s not likely at the UG level. Get better grades and think of that for grad school.
I have around 74 credits of A and B level coursework completed, most of which was toward that university’s “common core” and my previous major that became my minor when I switched majors.
I’d suggest speaking with someone at the former school. You want some background on how they view this, what support they offer, any advice. Also at another local college, same idea: find out what .might make them view you more favorably and to learn if there are special programs for returning after an interruption. Right now, you’d be in info collecting mode.
One of mine dropped out of college, took a 10 year hiatus and returned. His grades were not good.
He was permitted to take courses on a non matriculating basis at our local state school. He took courses that would go towards a degree if accepted to the college. He took more than what was required or recommended-/he HAD to do well, or he was not going to be accepted there as a matriculating student. He did well, and. he continued on to get his degree.
I have no idea whether CMU has any such provisions. You can call and ask. I know Pitt does, with their school of General studies. They also have hours and classes compatible with full time work. Once you’ve been out of school a number of years, some schools do not put you through the usual transfer channels , and some will direct you to a division that deals with just this sort of thing. It can take 2 full years of residency to get a degree and some schools have other stipulations on how current certain prerequisite course are. You may have to retake some if they don’t meet the time test.
So, give CMU a call, and ask if they have a continuing education track or if everyone has to go through regular transfer student channels. Gather your transcripts and test scores and make an appointment to meet with admissions If they cannot accommodate you, I’m sure Pitt can.
I can’t speak personally to CMU but I do know that college adcoms by and large are there because they want to help kids succeed and see themselves as playing a role in it.
CMU may or may not be in the cards for you, but I do think that an adcom from CMU would be willing to sit down with you for 15-30 minutes to talk about where you might go from here and strategies for doing so (even if it involves suggested schools other than CMU). You have nothing to lose by calling and asking if you can meet with an adcom either by appointment or drop-in, especially since you are in the area so it isn’t like you’d be making a long trip. You’d want to bring an unofficial copy of your transcripts and a resume. Note that CMU does mention admission for non-traditional students on its website so you can ask if you qualify to be considered that way. See https://admission.enrollment.cmu.edu/pages/undergraduate-admission-requirements
Another option, perhaps better, would be to contact the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies in Engineering to set up an appointment. I know someone a few years back who set up a similar meeting with the undergrad engineering dean at a UC campus and got a lot of help; basically “take these classes at your CC, get these grades, and you’re a likely admit” and he was.
Best of luck to you, and I’m confident you can find a way to continue your education.