<p>Hopefully in the end of May I’ll be posting success stories here, HS was a 3.35 unweighted GPA, now I’ve got a 3.91 after my first semester and looking to graduate after my third year here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, so I’m applying to transfer to Stanford, MIT and Cornell. We’ll see what happens!</p>
<p>It’s simple.</p>
<p>HS in this country is a joke. Nuff said lol.</p>
<p>Seriously you don’t really test one’s true capability until they’ve reached college. Anyone can do well in HS if they just put their mind to it. But those who get out of college with an actual future regardless of what college they went to are the ones who stand out. When I say that I mean more than just grades.</p>
<p>I actually have a first cousin who dropped out of HS to help support his single mother whom was with 0 income and 5 children, 2 of which were full time college students at the time. He worked for about 5 years, returned to obtain a GED, started at a community college and is now attending an adult program at NYU. Many prestigious schools (Columbia, NYU, etc) have been implementing programs aimed at returning students who did not take the typical route, but have done well in college. The General Studied program at Columbia University and the McGhee school at NYU offer the same great reputation, but a environment that’s more welcoming to non-traditional students. I think that’s something these schools are doing right. For whatever the reason may be, some people do not do well in HS or need to leave for personal issues and some schools have great programs, as they see the potential in these students.</p>
<p>Just something for people to consider, just because you F***ed up once in life doesn’t mean you won’t get a second chance, here is a great article proving my point.
[Ex-convict</a> graduates NYU - Features](<a href=“http://media.www.nyunews.com/media/storage/paper869/news/2006/05/08/Features/ExConvict.Graduates.Nyu-2398068.shtml]Ex-convict”>http://media.www.nyunews.com/media/storage/paper869/news/2006/05/08/Features/ExConvict.Graduates.Nyu-2398068.shtml)</p>
<p>Point is the power of positive thinking is indeed all they say it is. If you put your mind to it and avoid being discouraged you can earn a prestigious degree, even if you’re an ex-convict.</p>
<p>High School: 87 unweighted. 1200 SATS. Not horrible, but not great and I was so lazy. I did nothing. Handed everything in late. Never read anything assigned. I didn’t study. I didn’t do HW. How I managed the grades I got is beyond me. Guess I’m good test-taker and stuff I handed in was good–even if late.</p>
<p>Anyway, applied to 2 schools. Got into them both. I went to Hofstra. I got a 3.89 after my freshmen year. Left cuz it was expensive and didn’t want to pay back that amount of money for a school that honestly wasn’t worth it.</p>
<p>I went to CC and got a 4.0.</p>
<p>I applied to SUNY schools, got into Binghamton’s SOM program for accounting.</p>
<p>I got a 4.0 last semester there. What is nice is that the head advisor was telling me it’d be a tough courseload. I was really proud I did well thuogh.</p>
<p>I got an internship with a Big 4 Accounting firm for this summer also.</p>
<p>I’m happy how things have turned out. It’s definitely possible to turn yourself around. You just need work ethic and determination.</p>
<p>I think I maybe coulda gotten into some better schools (not that Binghamton is bad), cuz I had some good ECs and experience too, but I knew what I wanted and knew Binghamton (and I like it here) would get me there.</p>
<p>Though if money were not an issue (not that it’s impossible to pay for or whatever, just IMO private or out of state costs are simply not worth it), woulda liked to go to Michigan. </p>
<p>But, I am enjoying myself at Binghamton and the path I’m on is great.</p>
<p>For thsoe looking to turn things around. You gotta just get your footing and hold it. It gets easier and easier to hold as time goes on. The dedication and what nto towards school becomes second nature.</p>
<p>Good story, collegekid. And I like that you picked a transfer school based on knowing that (1) you liked it (2) it would get you where you want to go and (3) it made economic sense. NTTIAWW seeking “big name,” “prestige,” or ranking, but so many people see nothing but those elements.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting.</p>
<p>Andale, I had to look up what NTTIAWW stood for. Haha.</p>
<p>I agree, but prestige and “big name” can really help you get your foot in the door. Those schools are prestigious for a reason. I’ve always stuck to location > reputation > cost. Attending a prestigious school comes with a hefty tuition bill, but most would agree that it is worth it, the education you receive is top notch. </p>
<p>The public schools are catching up quickly however. A CC is not as bad as many make it off to be. They are stepping stones to senior colleges, which IMO is great for students who are looking for value in their education. The traditional route to higher learning isn’t for everyone, and for many it makes sense to choose a different route. That is something that is being done right. As I posted earlier there is so much opportunity for non traditional students it is ridiculous, an ex-convict graduating from NYU is assurance that with persistence and hard work you can really go wherever you want. The power of positive thinking plays a tremendous role in these situations, a role often underestimated. Good Luck to you all@</p>
<p>Less than a 1.0 GPA in high school, dropped out went to take the High school equivalence exam beginning of Jr. Year. now 3.6 in Community college while working 30+ hours a week planning to transfer to UCB or UCLA .</p>
<p>hmm, looks like I might not be giving any success story here after all. Just got rejected from my ‘easiest’ school. pretty garbage feeling.</p>
<p>Here’s my story:</p>
<p>10th grade PSAT: 56M/44R/47WS=147
11th grade PSAT: 80M/47R/56WS=183
11th grade SAT: 780M/560R/560W=1900</p>
<p>12th grade SAT: 800M/760R/800W=2360
12th grade ACT: 35 Composite</p>
<p>High School GPA: 3.4 Unweighted
1st semester freshman GPA at Washington University in St. Louis: 3.95</p>
<p>Let’s just say I completely changed things around with my work ethic after junior year.</p>
<p>HS GPA: 3.15 (had several Ds)
College GPA after 1 semester: 4.00
SAT: 1380/2090</p>
<p>I applied to Wash U. during the second semester of freshman year to transfer for my sophomore year, and I got in.</p>
<p>what college did you attend kindofblue?</p>
<p>Congrats kindofblue that’s impressive.</p>
<p>
University of Mississippi (aka Ole Miss)</p>
<p>I’ll agree with UriA on this one, prestige isn’t everything, I think grades and happiness are the most important things in a college. A good gpa is much better than going to a prestigous school (if you plan on grad school). Although i think with a degree from a more prestigous college it will help you possibly get noticed by a future employer or adcom, such as helping you stick out, but they aren’t going to just automatically let you in simply because you went to a prestigous school.</p>
<p>That is very impressive, kindofblue.</p>
<p>All that matters about prestige is that you get recruiters. </p>
<p>If the recruiters come, it doesn’t matter how prestigous the school is anymore. They WILL recruit someone from your school for interviews. You just then need to make sure you are one of those people. From there, they don’t care. You could be at a public, private, or Ivy… if you are at the interview stage, they want a good interview, GPA, school prestige, so on are really somewhat thrown out the window and it’s all about your interview skills.</p>
<p>If you are not getting job through recruiters coming to your school though, prestige will matter more. Also, if you wanna desperately do i-banking, you need to go to a top notch school that recruits for it… </p>
<p>But other than those situations, pretige doesn’t count for that much. </p>
<p>It does need to be at a certain level. You can’t go to any school and get same opportunities. However, it’s definitely IMO a diminishing returns type deal. You don’t get that much benefit from the extra prestige at a certain threshold it stops become so important. And what will then matter is GPA, activities, resume, and so on for landing a job.</p>
<p>I did really bad in high school, got a 2.6 GPA, didn’t take the SATs or Act, and few ECs to speak of. I went to the Community College of Philadelphia and transfered to Temple University where I am now. I’m in my freshman year and my GPA is above 3.0. I think my GPA is going to slip a little because I have been dealing with learning disorder, stomach virus, and some other problems, but I should have them sorted out by the end of the semester and be much better off for next semester. </p>
<p>My question is if I never took the SATs or ACT in high school, can I still take them in college and be considered for grad school at say NYU or BU? This is of course if I do well in all other areas.</p>
<p>ACT and SAT is completely unnecessary for grad school. They are not looked at.</p>
<p>Nice story, Richard and good luck as you continue on.</p>
<p>For many colleges you can take SAT/ACT for transfer admission. For some you can’t. But, as burgler says, I don’t believe they have any relevance at all for grad school. For that, you would be looking at the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT.</p>