girlwithambition

[girlwithambition]

Thanks for that, Heather. You basically told me exactly what those other schools told me. I give up; I won’t even try. When someone tells me something “isn’t impossible,” it tells me that I shouldn’t bother. I guess I’ll just have to get used to other people dictating my future to me.

[girlwithambition]

You don’t need an associate’s degree to earn a bachelor’s degree.

[girlwithambition]

I don’t think that’s a bad SAT score; it’s definitely above average. I’m no expert, but I don’t think you’ll do any better on the SAT now than you did several years ago; you’ll probably do worse because the test prep isn’t fresh in your head.

Different schools will have different requirements as to the age of an SAT score; research the schools you want to apply to. If you haven’t done any college work, they’ll treat you as an incoming freshman or a new applicant, so look at those standards. See if they have special requirements for more mature students. You might also want to look into doing your first two years at a JC. I don’t see anything wrong with it; plenty of people do it to save money, and some JCs in the US have excellent reputations. If it’s a JC in a major college town, they will probably have tailored their general studies specifically for students looking to transfer to the larger university/universities in town. For example, ACC (Austin Community College) has a general studies program that is tailored to be rigorous enough to get its students into nearby UT-Austin, which is quite a selective school. Students who did their first two years at ACC still get their bachelor’s degree from UT-Austin, same as students who spent all four years there.

If I were you I’d check up on the schools you want to attend and see what their admissions requirements are, or call their admissions departments; most schools have admissions counselors who are quite happy to let you know what your odds are, and to give you excellent advice on any extra preparation you may need.

[girlwithambition]

They had the same thing at the University of Texas at Austin. Professors were restricted to a certain number of As per section. I averaged a 96 on tests, the midterm, and a final in a Spanish class my freshman year, but received a B. I was told by the professor that this was due to grade quotas. I was expecting a grade report full of As and Bs; I got one full of Bs and Cs (plus 1 D) instead. That was also the year a French professor got me alone in his office and told me no matter what I did, I would fail his class. I went to the Ombudsman and was promised that I would not fail the class. I received a D. I brought my work to other professors in the department who told me they would have given me an A.

I pretty much gave up after that and didn’t study…and got the same grades as I did when I worked my tail off. This is why I can’t get into graduate school. I wish I’d never set foot onto the UT campus. I hope Princeton doesn’t go the same way, but it looks like it is. [!]

[girlwithambition]

I graduated from H.S. as an honor student in 1993 with a 1200 SAT score (achieved while I was sick with mono, no less). I went to the University of Texas at Austin and the first year was so hard…I made As on tests and quizzes but ended up getting Bs and Cs in those classes. When I spoke to the professors after my grades came out, they explained that letter grades at my university were given out on a quota system and that they had already given out all the As by the time they got to me, and that in addition to having letter grade quotas, they also graded on a curve.

At the age of 18, I thought this was so ridiculous and unfair that I got depressed and stopped trying, and pulled nothing but Cs and some Ds for the rest of my undergraduate career, except for the second semester of my junior year, when I had a nervous breakdown and got a couple of Fs. I had what can only be described as a horrific childhood, and it caught up with me at the age of 20. I managed to graduate on time, though, in 1997…still convinced that I was stupid.

Since then, I’ve been working in the I.T. industry and living abroad. I speak four languages and have been promoted with top speed in my chosen field. Mentally, I’m fine and I handle a great deal of stress. It took a lot of therapy to get over what happened to me, but I’m fine now. It took a long time for me to realize that I’m not actually stupid, and to discover what really turns me on.

I’ve spoken to some schools since and was advised to not even bother. I was absolutely devastated. I asked if I could take some post-baccalaureate classes to demonstrate my academic abilities and dedication, but I was told that that wouldn’t make a difference, since applicants with good grades and without a history of academic difficulties would be admitted over me.

I feel like I can’t do anything; like I’m stuck forever where I am because nobody will give me a second chance. What can I do? [V]

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