Am I doing horribly in college? Do I even have a chance?
Question:
I had 17 credit hours. I got 1 F, 1 D, a B- and 2 Bs. (Plus the other class which I haven't gotten a grade for yet)
From my student handbook:
"Good Standing
Good standing refers to the normal academic progress of students
who are not on probation or on academic dismissal. Grade point averages
required for good standing:
Hours of Credit GPA
Less than 30 1.6
30 to 59.9 1.9
60 or more 2.0"
I have 29 credits.
My college is VERY liberal. If our GPAs are below the minimums (see above) for 2 semesters, THEN (and only then) will our Financial aid be dropped. PLUS, we can drop/add classes up until the 10th week of classes. ALSO, I'm NOT paying for school, I got a free ride...I'm not stupid, I have had some family problems and other problems outside of school.
Answer:
you have a lot of chances. you make it happen. if you feel overwhelmed, talk to a counselor and work out a schedule that will be comfortable. as for "I Like Chinese Food" response: college is not a once in a lifetime thing. the thing about college is that you have a lifetime to do it. just because you go once isn't the end. you can go as much as you desire to search for knowledge. Good Luck!
This sounds harsh, but if you're not serious about college...take a semester or two off. I did when my grades took a nose dive and it makes you realize the importance of doing well in class.
Let's be honest, whether your GPA puts you on probation or not, it sucks. I had the same problem my freshman year, and turned it around making Dean's List my Sophomore and Junior years. Hopefully you can turn things around. However, college for most is a once in a life time experience (I wish I could go back). I know it won't be easy for you, but you need to find a way to deal with your personal issues and kick *** at school. It sounds heartless, but when you get out into the 'real' world, the company you work for is not going to care about your issues. You need to perform or they will get rid of you. Best of luck and I hope you turn things around.
First off, messing up the first semester of college is semi-normal. I'm very encouraged that you recognize it as a problem - believe it or not some ignore it. What matters is what you do next. Find out what the MINIMUM load is that you can take and keep your financial aid. It might be as low as 12 hours. Focusing on fewer courses for a semester might help both your GPA and your sanity. Go to a school counselor about everything and get some help sorting things out into what you can do something about and what you can't do anything about. And, most important, how to divide up your limited time and energy. If the problem is one that you do need to go help with like a very sick parent, the school may allow you to take a leave of absence to deal with it without messing up your incredibly valuable free ride. Hope this helps.
I really had no idea what kind of degree I wanted and for a few years my grades really suffered. My school never did put me on academic probation and I never lost my financial aid even though my grades sucked and I failed a few classes. I got my act together eventually and now I am getting ready to graduate. I kind of wished I had taken some semesters off until I really knew what I wanted to do... I hate looking at my transcripts! But if you are determined to do better go ahead and stick with it and just put school at more of a priority.
I think that you are probably not doing the basics to be successful in college—go to class, do the readings and do all the assignments. It is difficult in a liberal college, but if you do these things and don't get pregnant, I guarantee success. This is a college secret to success so please don't tell anyone else.
Family problems can be difficult, but they allow you to focus on what is important. If family issues can be resolved (and if it is your responsibility to resolve them), then you should do so. Family should come first. However, if you want to make school a priority, then do so. You do not sound stupid, because you got a free ride. However, blowing your shot at a good education is stupid, especially if you can't fix your family problems anyway.
...and I thought high school was hard! lol. What classes are you failing?
I was in the same situation 6 years ago. I got mostly B's and D's due to family problems. At this point you need to realistically ask yourself if next semester you'll be able to turn it around or if you're going to do the same. I was lucky that I dropped out before I caused irreparable damage to my GPA. The last thing you want to do is do the same or worse because then you'll have a deeper hole to get yourself out of. Sometimes you just need to take a break, deal with your personal issues and then return to college.
You still have a chance in the long run but if you pull another semester like this one things will be a lot worse. Dropping out was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. I was attending a great school that I worked my butt off to get into (Boston College) and it was painful to give that up. In the end if I hadn't I wouldn't have had a chance in heck to get into Pharmacy school because there would have been no way to bring my cumulative GPA above a 3.0.
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