Better question – did you graduate from high school?
Holly McCord Duncan
SmartCollegeAdmission
Did you graduate from high school?
Then that is the GPA you need. Despite the hype, not every college-bound student takes a slew of honors courses in high school. There are colleges that do not expect it, and that doesn’t limit your choices to community colleges either. Sure, curriculum and grades influence the options, but with more than 4000 colleges and universities in the United States alone there are definitely schools that accept students with a standard course load and less than perfect GPAs.
New Names
However, keep in mind these are not going to be your household name colleges. What’s great about these schools is they offer fantastic education without the downsides that come with hypercompetitive environments. Often times students discover an actual love of learning that high school didn’t inspire. Schools range in size from the small private schools to large public universities, with just about any major you can think of (and probably many you haven’t!) but what is most important is the FIT they offer (post on what a fit means coming soon.)
Did High School Bore You?
For many students, high school is a series of checking the boxes and getting graded for effort. Math, English, foreign language, social studies, science. And the courses are pretty general so if you don’t like memorizing what tank shot someone on a particular day in history, that’s what you think of as history and it sucks. If it wasn’t your thing, you may not have put your best effort into it and your grades reflect that. That’s life.
Why College Will Be Different
But what if you learned about history (or pick your subject) from a completely different angle? What if instead of studying centuries at a time you could focus on America since 1920? What if you could study that period of history through a lens that actually interests you – say the environment, worker’s rights, discrimination, or scientific discoveries? And to make it even more interesting, what if you were reading first-hand accounts of those moments from people who were alive at the time? Or maybe biographies of leaders or music of the time?
If the subject matter is taught in a way that is interesting, you might discover you actually DO like to learn. That is what makes college a completely different experience. With an experienced college counselor you can find a school where you are likely to thrive academically, personally, and socially. But in the end, what you put into it is what you will get out of it. It is up to you what kind of college experience you will have (by the way, this is a life long theme for most people.)
Apply, Attend, and Thrive
For the record, this is not to say every college class is thrilling, or even enjoyable. But if you made it through high school college you absolutely can attend college, enjoy the experience, and go on to live a happy productive life. Most likely with higher earning potential thanks to that degree!