Question: I’m not stupid. I’m not good at taking tests, and I often don’t bother to do my schoolwork simply because it does not apply to my life. But I am not stupid. Will any college realize this, or am I but a mediocre SAT score and GPA? If I am just a number, should I even bother applying anywhere?
WHAT DID “THE DEAN” SAY?
See http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/im-smart-grades-kind-suck/
Interesting. But the asker certainly has a point - why would college apply to them if they really don’t like schoolwork?
If a student only wants to focus on one thing, trade school or apprenticeship would be more appropriate, or perhaps college outside of the US where there are programs that have no electives, only core courses for the major.
I also would question - what is this young person’s life if no schoolwork applies to it?
@rhandco Check out colleges like Hampshire, Bard and Marlboro. Schoolwork doesn’t necessarily mean sitting down in front of a textbook and memorizing the chapter. Schoolwork, as it’s basis, means learning something academic, correct? That doesn’t have to be sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher who doesn’t care anymore, learning based on designated curriculum. The student’s life outside of school can consist of non-traditional academic study.
Schools care first and foremost about retention because retention = 4 years of revenue. Schools prefer successful students because successful students are less likely to drop out and more likely to complete their degrees. If you are a mediocre student (mediocre GPA) there may be a concern.
Also, how can you show them you are smart? How will they even know? You need to provide them with tangible evidence.
My whole family is similar. Our schools classified us as “gifted” and put us in all of the advanced classes, and passionate about learning and it comes easy, but have little patience for the “make work” in high school. We tend to be A-or-F students, with a few Cs in the middle. Our grades depended mostly on our interest level in the classroom.
However, once we got to college, we were A and B students because 1) college classes mostly don’t assign stupid, pointless make-work that merely takes up time without adding to the learning experiences (crosswords, really?) and being able to pick the English or freshman class subject that best fits our interests makes all the difference.
Do NOT put me in a class that is reading Pride and Prejudice and writing letters in the style of a Civil War era young lady, or analyzing the use of the color green in The Great Gatsby. Do put me in an English class where the teacher has us writing political treatises on current events.
I graduated high school with a 1.88 GPA and never took the SAT or ACT, but graduated from a major university with a 3.7 GPA.
How did I get in? I knew no reputable university would even touch me immediately after that particular high school GPA
I started at a community college, where I had all of the advantages of the college type classes, without having to worry about whether they would accept me. I took ONLY the classes I desired, classes that aroused my passion for learning and that offered classwork that meant something to me. After two semesters of straight As and a killer application essay, I was accepted as a transfer student to the university.
Once I got into the university, I was careful again to schedule only the classes that fascinated me. Which got a bit out of hand. I started as a pre-journalism major with a secondary political science major. I took a couple of classes in anthropology for my science core classes, got hooked and added anthropology as another major. Anthropology classes got me interested in geology (anthropologists need some geology knowledge to know where to dig, and how to analyze time via geology) so I ended up with a minor in geology too. I also earned that journalism degree. All of those classes excited me, and since many of the classes for one major counted as core academics for another major, I ended up earning three majors and a minor in four years.
@LadyArwyn -Thanks for sharing your story. I think you are a classic example of how students who were bored or indifferent in high school can still thrive in college if they make wise choices once they get there. As I said in my “Ask the Dean” response, community college can be a valuable transitional option for students who might get turned away from their top-choice colleges straight from high school and who need to improve their credentials before transferring.