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I think relationships are everything. I want to meet people and in college (network), find a female to become interdependent with and I want the degree to show I earned the right to do work for people/businesses.
I know people look up to those who earned a college degree to an extent. When a person earned their right of passage by accepting their masters or doctorates I think that person is a doer.
I have a GED and want a college degree. I'm looking for steps to take that would put me into a college. I really want a degree for several reasons, but don't have the faintest clue how to get there. I missed the boat of normalcy, but I'm willing to be looking like a loser in order to be an achiever.
What are the next steps to getting into a collage like UCSB or any other respectable non-ivy league college?
I did it! It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but I wanted it so much that failure was not an option. I am hyperlexic & became bored ( & lazy) with school around the 6[SIZE=3]th[/SIZE] or 7[SIZE=3]th[/SIZE] grade. By the time the school district expelled me (on my 16[SIZE=3]th[/SIZE] birthday) I had only achieved a 9[SIZE=3]th[/SIZE] grade education. I took the GED & passed with scores in the top 2% of scores nationwide (except in math). A few months later a letter from the White House arrived praising my high scores & encouraging me to continue my education. I stupidly laughed & thought “ School? Oh he** no!”
Two years later, I’m living in a 300sq ft apartment with my 4month old son & his daddy who made $4.00/hr. He drank too much & our 1961 Ford was always breaking down but I was 18 & thought I knew it all. My life was fine, it didn’t bother me at all…until this one ordinary afternoon when I decided to run downstairs & get the mail.
It was the 1[SIZE=3]st[/SIZE] day of the month & there was a small crowd of old hippy women waiting by the mailboxes for their welfare checks & food stamps. I, with my teenage contempt, found them to be gross; reeking of booze & cigarettes with toothless grins. All complaining about their POS husbands & POS cars… eww!
Opening my mail upstairs I had 2 letters from old friends filling me in on senior prom & graduation plans. A cutoff notice for the electricity. A cutoff notice for the phone. A coupon from Pampers which reminded me that I only had 3 diapers left for the baby.
And suddenly I realized “OMG IF I DON’T DO SOMETHING NOW I WILL BE ONE OF THOSE WOMEN! THAT’S ME IN 20 YEARS!”
3 months later I started college at a community college with a Pell grant, a 7 month old baby & a 9[SIZE=3]th[/SIZE] grade education. 1 year later I had a decent GPA & used it to transfer to a University. 4 years after the “mailbox incident” I graduated as a Registered Nurse.
The hardest part was not what I didn’t learn in high school; it was that I had never learned HOW to learn! Taking notes,
studying, completing papers & taking exams were all foreign to me & if I flunked a semester while figuring it out I could have lost my Pell grant! I was a parent so I didn’t have a “college-kid-party” experience & the older “2[SIZE=3]nd[/SIZE]-career” crowd were my parents age so I didn’t fit in anywhere, but you can’t feel sorry for yourself; you just DO it!
I started at community college, and I ended up getting into every University I applied to transfer to because I earned a 3.96 GPA there. I even got a $3000 a year scholarship from the transfer school because I had the highest GPA of the incoming class (for occupational therapy degree).
I would never have gotten in had I not proved myself first with CC. I also needed my time there to figure out where my strengths were and what I wanted to transfer for. I would NOT recommend going to any 4 year without a very narrowed view of what you want your career to be. Especially at later ages, don't just take a vague degree, take a directly career-transferrable degree that will get you a good job off the bat and without having to compete with a lot of young new grads (health care has a lot of older students). Good luck!
Oh, I also started at CC part time, I would not bite off too much all at once. Start with a couple classes.
I did it! It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but I wanted it so much that failure was not an option. I am hyperlexic & became bored ( & lazy) with school around the 6[SIZE=3]th[/SIZE] or 7[SIZE=3]th[/SIZE] grade. By the time the school district expelled me (on my 16[SIZE=3]th[/SIZE] birthday) I had only achieved a 9[SIZE=3]th[/SIZE] grade education. I took the GED & passed with scores in the top 2% of scores nationwide (except in math). A few months later a letter from the White House arrived praising my high scores & encouraging me to continue my education. I stupidly laughed & thought “ School? Oh he** no!â€
Two years later, I’m living in a 300sq ft apartment with my 4month old son & his daddy who made $4.00/hr. He drank too much & our 1961 Ford was always breaking down but I was 18 & thought I knew it all. My life was fine, it didn’t bother me at all…until this one ordinary afternoon when I decided to run downstairs & get the mail.
It was the 1[SIZE=3]st[/SIZE] day of the month & there was a small crowd of old hippy women waiting by the mailboxes for their welfare checks & food stamps. I, with my teenage contempt, found them to be gross; reeking of booze & cigarettes with toothless grins. All complaining about their POS husbands & POS cars… eww!
Opening my mail upstairs I had 2 letters from old friends filling me in on senior prom & graduation plans. A cutoff notice for the electricity. A cutoff notice for the phone. A coupon from Pampers which reminded me that I only had 3 diapers left for the baby.
And suddenly I realized “OMG IF I DON’T DO SOMETHING NOW I WILL BE ONE OF THOSE WOMEN! THAT’S ME IN 20 YEARS!â€
3 months later I started college at a community college with a Pell grant, a 7 month old baby & a 9[SIZE=3]th[/SIZE] grade education. 1 year later I had a decent GPA & used it to transfer to a University. 4 years after the “mailbox incident†I graduated as a Registered Nurse.
The hardest part was not what I didn’t learn in high school; it was that I had never learned HOW to learn! Taking notes,
studying, completing papers & taking exams were all foreign to me & if I flunked a semester while figuring it out I could have lost my Pell grant! I was a parent so I didn’t have a “college-kid-party†experience & the older “2[SIZE=3]nd[/SIZE]-career†crowd were my parents age so I didn’t fit in anywhere, but you can’t feel sorry for yourself; you just DO it!
Sounds like you had it rough and did the seemingly impossible. Good for you, coschristi!! I had trouble as early as elementary school. I don't know what hyperlexic is, but I had 'terrible parents' disease. If I ever become rich (100's of millions or billions), I'm going to campaign for License To Parent. Just like learning to drive and getting a license. A crash course to give some good fundamentals for us to grow on.
I need to learn to study. How does one go about doing that?
I started at community college, and I ended up getting into every University I applied to transfer to because I earned a 3.96 GPA there. I even got a $3000 a year scholarship from the transfer school because I had the highest GPA of the incoming class (for occupational therapy degree).
I would never have gotten in had I not proved myself first with CC. I also needed my time there to figure out where my strengths were and what I wanted to transfer for. I would NOT recommend going to any 4 year without a very narrowed view of what you want your career to be. Especially at later ages, don't just take a vague degree, take a directly career-transferrable degree that will get you a good job off the bat and without having to compete with a lot of young new grads (health care has a lot of older students). Good luck!
Oh, I also started at CC part time, I would not bite off too much all at once. Start with a couple classes.
Stellar GPA, ocnjgirl!! How did you achieve that? What is it like for you to have a degree now?
Sounds like you had it rough and did the seemingly impossible. Good for you, coschristi!! I had trouble as early as elementary school. I don't know what hyperlexic is, but I had 'terrible parents' disease. If I ever become rich (100's of millions or billions), I'm going to campaign for License To Parent. Just like learning to drive and getting a license. A crash course to give some good fundamentals for us to grow on.
I need to learn to study. How does one go about doing that?
Some community colleges have classes that help to set you up for success with studying, taking notes, keeping a planner, time management, always attending classes.
Go speak with a counselor at a community college. They have the answers for you.
My son in law came to the USA at 18, he dropped out of HS in his native Hungary. Spoke broken English.
He got his GED at a community college, then took classes there to become an RN, then worked 3 days per week as an RN while getting his BSN via online school, then to NP school with tuition reimbursement fron the healthcare system he works for, and now makes six figures. He is 33.
To OP:
Thank you for the compliment! As far as how to study, I found that I needed to be well prepared with the direction from the teacher.
Unfortunately, it took me about 2 semesters to learn how to take notes, so I bought a voice recorder & then I could review it later on my own time.
I am very grateful that I did have good parents who set a good example that education be a priority. I think that you can overcome the impact of “poor” parenting because it sounds like you really desire to do so!
I was a high school dropout who joined the Army and got his GED while in the Army. Using my GI bill upon discharge, I began college at the local community college level (2-year college) taking the courses that would be transferable to a state 4-year university. I transferred there and got my B.S. degree in Business Administration and about 2 years later started working on my masters degree. That took a little longer to complete because I was working but eventually finished it.
You can do it if you want it bad enough. My best wishes to you in your pursuit.
Note: Officially, I still consider myself a high school dropout and wear the badge with honor.
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