having a good teacher can make all the difference and school administrations are more likely to break good teachers than reward them
this post was submitted on 24 May 2024
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Off My Chest
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I feel this in my soul.
Man don't even worry, I was kicked out of HS. Yet I still got a bachelor's degree from a good college. You have the GED so you can check the box that asked if you graduated HS. No one has to know it was a GED.
Hell for a while I had my GED framed right next to my college diploma.
Here is what you do if you want to go to a 4 year university.
Go to Community College, after a year at CC you are no longer a new student when applying to a 4 year university. You are a transfer student. So the only thing the 4 year school wants to know is if you graduated HS. They don't care how or what your grades were. They only look at your CC grades.
If you want more detail send me a DM and I will tell you everything that worked and didn't work for me and a friend who did the same thing.
Go to Community College, after a year at CC you are no longer a new student when applying to a 4 year university. You are a transfer student. So the only thing the 4 year school wants to know is if you graduated HS. They don’t care how or what your grades were. They only look at your CC grades.
I care. I tried community college. The last time was biology and my submitted lab project was vetoed because it was too involved. I get invited to do high school science fair judging and most of those projects would have been vetoed for that reason.
Before that, I tried to take geometry at a different community college and they refused me because I tested out of the class with the placement test that required I take. I had to pay to take a test that barred me from the only class I went there to take. There's something messed up about that, right? I'm currently struggling with an online high school because I do better with a classroom and going at someone's pace.
Okay this is fixable, you are just going about it the hard way.
First do you have a 4 year school that you would like to attend and you have an idea about a degree you want? Use community college to get all your general education stuff out of the way. It is cheaper and you are in smaller classes in CC so more attention from the instructor.
Have a broad idea about a 4 year degree. Then go to a CC and ask to see an advisor. Advisors are one of your best tools to navigate college. Tell them you would like to get an associates degree in general education. That will take you through the end of your sophomore year. You can then take that associates degree and skip all the general ed classes at the 4 year school.
It is much much easier to do this if the CC and the 4 year school are in the same state. The CC advisor will know exactly how to get this done the best way.
Another really good resource is https://www.transferology.com it can tell you what credits transfer between what schools and what kind of credit it will become.
Oh also ask the advisor about scholarships. They are very much worth the trouble. Sadly Pell grants just don't cover what they used to
you have an idea about a degree you want?
Nope. My intention was to participate in UROP type activities and maybe some other stuff. I know far too many people who are paying off their student loans in careers that have nothing to do with their degree.
"Do two years at a CC and transfer." is something I've heard about many, many times. If I could do two years and enter as a freshman, I would. At best, CC is what high school should be.
I am way too old for scholarships at this point. Ironic, because one of the reasons I wanted to get better classes in HS was because I wanted to prep for scholarships. My HS really, really didn't want to talk to me about any of that.
FYI getting a UROP might be a little hard. Not saying you shouldn't try but often there aren't that many spots. It will vary a lot depending on the school.
So you really have to do it as a transfer student. Applying straight to a 4 year school may require a certain GPA in HS, ACT/SAT and you will be in the pool with all the HS applications. Transfer student have a different pool, and most colleges reserved a certain number of spots for transfers.
So CC is definitely not like HS. Yes they teach some of the same classes, but that is just for people who didn't learn that subject in HS so you are prepared for college level courses. That is not most of CC, CC is mostly 100/200 level courses that are real college courses, many of my CC professors also taught at the local 3 year school. They used the exact same material they used at the 4 year school.
Honestly my CC courses were way better than the ones at the 4 year school. Learn more, it was easier to ask questions, etc. CC are different all over, but mine had 30 students per class. I had classes at the 4 year that had 200 students. There you got a lecture and we're just expected to keep up.
There are a lot more adult students now. Many schools have a specific office that is there just as a resource for adult students. There are scholarships for adults many are open to all ages. You are not too old for a scholarship, this is exactly the stuff that an advisor will walk you through.
CC advisors will see you before you are enrolled and will give you a much better understanding of what is the best path for you. To them your story is not new or something to be ashamed of. They see GED students every day and they can help steer you through the right order to take classes so you don't have difficulties you had before. They are a wealth of information. I left a lot on the table because I didn't understand the things they can help with until it was too late to take advantage. If I could go back I would have spent way more time in their office.
I know it feels like a big hurdle to deal with. I was right there with you. I had such a bad time in HS it took me 10 years before I was willing to try school again. I really didn't know if I could do it at first. But every year it gets easier to deal with.
So you really have to do it as a transfer student. Applying straight to a 4 year school may require a certain GPA in HS, ACT/SAT and you will be in the pool with all the HS applications. Transfer student have a different pool, and most colleges reserved a certain number of spots for transfers.
Yes. I've seen the acceptance rates. One of the reasons I want to redo high school is to reset my GPA and apply as a freshman. The acceptance rates are better. At least the ones I looked at.
They used the exact same material they used at the 4 year school.
I've heard the exact same lines used to describe the difference between remedial HS classes and the regular ones. When I took a CC class, the teacher would often emphasize picking topics that were easy. She used her example of "studying" cat behavior because it let her sit on her back porch and sip tea. One day, I came in early to the morning class and overheard her shittalking the intelligence of her regular session students and the interest of her summer session students.
CC advisors will see you before you are enrolled and will give you a much better understanding of what is the best path for you. To them your story is not new or something to be ashamed of.
I was already denied the geometry class I tried enrolling in once. I shouldn't have to explain why I want a certain class. I'm just a customer to them. This was a difference school from the biology one.
I had such a bad time in HS it took me 10 years before I was willing to try school again.
I'm trying to be polite, but I'm older then you think I am.
Okay man whatever you do you. I was just trying to give you a few thoughts about the best way to go about this. Seeing I did it and a friend of mine did the same thing. All you seem to want to do is complain and tell me how things don't work for you. If that is really your approach to this. I would recommend not going to a 4 year college. All this shit gets harder and you have less help.
I'm trying to be polite, but I'm older then you think I am.
It doesn't feel that way. Oh and I guarantee that I am older then you think I am
Ideally, you work towards an associates degree which then makes it even easier to transfer to a university. Many states have agreements between community colleges and universities where your associate's degree counts for the first 2 years of studies and all of your electives. So when you start a university you jump right into your major. However, you will have to take more than just one class at the community college.
That's not really ideal for me. I'd prefer a clean start. Going right into a major from community college sounds like going from training wheels to down hill mountain biking. I only gave one example of what I didn't like about my biology class, but there were other red flags that the teacher gave me. It was a very Cs Get Degrees type experience. Anyway, I'm not looking for advice. This is just offmychest.
The GED is essentially a participation trophy when you compare American education globally to other developed nations.
The curriculum and difficulty of the school you went to is variable. That's why in the USA there are "good schools" and "bad schools". One of the best things to learn is how to learn and how to teach yourself. That makes the teacher's mostly irrelevant as well and is what's needed in real life because you won't have a senior huddled over you 24/7 telling you what to do in any position that pays well. That's why it pays well.
Congratulations on your GED, it unlocks many opportunities. If your career path can benefit from higher education, there are good options online today.
Congratulations on your GED, it unlocks many opportunities.
It only unlocks community college. I tried it and went back to remedial high school. Didn't matter cause remedial high school also only leads to community college. If I had dropped out at 14, got a GED, then community college, it would have been an accomplishment. Doing it as an adult only gets you a pad on the back that you're employable now.
It gets you community college which gets you to university. It also gets you to the category of "highschool diploma or GED" for maximum level of education which can be huge for many jobs. Many even receptionist jobs have that as a requirement.
You're not at a destination. You just reached a higher rung on the ladder. Keep going if you want more.
When I got my GED tried CC, I was disappointed enough to go back to HS. In my state, GEDs don't bar you from going to high school because the legal language isn't specific enough. Gaining absolutely no ground because why would any admissions care about one good year when the previous few were terrible, I started looking for private or charter schools that could legally take me. They legally could, but they could also refuse me and when I found a good one, I was refused when they found out I already graduated. Despite not even fulfilling the basic requirements(no foreign language, not art), I wasn't able to get the the diploma rescinded.
The online high school I'm currently in doesn't care, but it would be nice if they had a virtual classroom or even video lectures that corresponded to the material. I have to just hope the stuff I find uses the same verbiage.
I will not commit to CC without a way to void the credits. I've used every wording I can think of to find possible examples of it and the only things I can find are that some would consider it Academic Fraud.
I have no idea what you're saying your goal is. You have a GED. You no longer get a diploma. Sure there may not be a rule saying you can't be Rodney Dangerfield or Billy Madison, but you gain nothing. A GED is a high school diploma equivalent in the USA and is acceptable in other countries too.
Your next step is community college. Or taking the ACT and SAT and applying to a 4 year university with your GED. Wasting time getting the equivalent of the equivalent gets you nowhere unless you have some very specific and weird requirement.
The problem is that everyone learns differently. Some folks need a study group; some need to study at 3 am; some need to hear a lecture 30 times.
Schooling is there to make an obidient slave who works for min wage and takes pride doing it.
You literally have to be brain dead bootlicker to enjoy schooling lol
School itself is fine.
Student Loan Debt is designed to make you wage slaves. Why do you think so many employers stopped on the job training? They want people tied down by debt.
Being educated is good... Schooling is not there for education. It is there to socialize you to be a wage slaves aka jail house rules. Student debt just ensure you can't escape it.
Have you ever sat down with a mental health professional and talked through your frustrations? Not that it's a cure-all, plenty of people have mental health services and all struggle.
I have severe ADHD undiagnosed into my mid 30's. I completely failed out of every school I had ever been to, but was extremely good at retaining the information and testing. While having an effective GPA of close to 0, I scored in the top 5% of standardized testing, including receiving scores on an optional set of exams that my state put on (Golden State exams) which put me in the top 5% of takers in my school and would have earned me a special seal on the diploma I didn't earn.
The world outside of school was much kinder and I am fairly successful despite having these issues which are only now getting addressed in my 40s.
You seem to have both these issues with expectation not being met, and a lot of people are engaging with you and having a hard time identifying with your very real set of circumstances.
That doesn't mean your issues aren't valid, they clearly are and are clearly a burden on your life, but is the problem you are having more how you relate to the world, not how the world is relating to you.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with you, you appear to be intelligent and effective at what you do, but a lot of these systems weren't designed for people who are neurodivergent, period.
Have you ever sat down with a mental health professional and talked through your frustrations? Not that it’s a cure-all, plenty of people have mental health services and all struggle.
All of this has happened because I was diagnosed with a "learning disability", or "classified" and stuck in a corner. I'm sure if it were to happen today, I would be diagnosed with whatever the child study team member's favor diagnose is. The reality is that I was just shy, but they took being a late speaker as have mental issues. Christ, if I was born to an earlier generation, I probably would have gotten an ice pick to the eye. Did you know they were doing electro shock into the 90's? Shit scared me senseless growing up. Say something just a little off, and they will fuck you up for life.
No, but I did have many negative encounters with diagnoses happy guidance department. One of the instances that's burned into my memory was requesting a more difficult class the first week into the new year. I was told to consider it for a week and come back. When I came back the next week, I was told the window for adjusting classes had passed.
The type of people who failed you back then, they failed me too. I'm talking about now, finding someone you can try to trust and talk to. You don't really have to worry about getting electro shock therapy now a days. You might find that your early, traumatic experiences with school and the system have given you scars you aren't entirely dealing with, and are being made worse by your current experiences.
If might even be easier to navigate how archaic and un-intuitive the system is once you've had more of a chance to deal with them.
You definitely aren't alone having had a bad experience with school, I'm sorry you are continuing to have problems when all you seem to want to do is learn.
The GED is 100% a participation trophy.
Geometry? I took geometry in 8th grade.
What classes were you blocked from?
I was blocked from taking entry geometry because I tested out of it. Don't remember if it was 101 or 110. You probably took various types of geometry through out K-12. I'm stuck on Two-Column Proofs mainly because the process is intuitive enough I don't put words to it. I need to just push though and get whatever grade I get.
Wait, it was 9th grade, freshman year. I tested into algebra 1 in 8th grade. So highschool was geometry, algebra 2, trig, then AP calculus.
Proofs are about learning that it's not about getting the answer. It's proving that it's the correct answer. Imagine someone telling you that they don't believe your answer is correct. Imagine each step they say they don't believe you. So you have to break it down into small, undeniable steps to PROVE that's the answer. It's in the name.