College - Am I screwed because I failed a few classes?

[WeaponXAnimosity]

Why wouldn't GPA for that semester be added?

Some colleges offer the opportunity for students to retake courses they failed and if they obtain a certain grade or better, the college will replace the failing grade with the passing one and recalculate the GPA. The failing grade is still there to show the student failed but not calculated into the GPA anymore because they passed the course.

[Spectral]

Why wouldn't GPA for that semester be added?

I'm under the impression that classes that are retaken typically count the second grade. I don't know if that's a thing or not, I didn't retake any classes.

[WeaponXAnimosity]

I don't think I'm eligible to join the military because I have BiPolar disorder

If you found it tough to get through college, the military will be even more difficult, especially if you join to be certified in the medical field. There's even more pressure and no safety net if you fail in the military. You fail, you get kicked down to a different job and usually, it sucks because it's an undermanned job.

[Garnier Fructis]

You'll be fine as long as you get your act together after they let you back in. Starting out with F's and ending with straight A's and A+'s shows that you can improve and succeed, and they will consider that when you apply to med school / other universities. If you can pull it off, it definitely looks more impressive than someone with straight A's that ends with lots of B's. That person just gives the impression that they got lazy and lost steam at the end.

[Stylepoints]

Hope this doesn't come off as flaming but if you failed 3 classes at a community college you are pretty screwed. You didn't really specify the "stuff you went through," but unless you whole family died or was diagnosed with a deadly disease there is ZERO reason to fail all 3 classes in 1 semester. Unless of course there was a personal medical condition such as a serious car accident/coma. Community college classes (especially your first semester) are EXTREMELY easy. Laughably easy actually. All you need to do is show up and you pass for the most part. I have failed classes before, so I know the consequences. But 1st year community college courses are just a waste of time in general as long as you were conscious in high school.
As for the medical field stuff, you are most likely not going to be able to do anything unless its a very basic branch of the medical field. While failing classes doesn't really matter, it does show up on your transcripts if the employers/universities look close enough AND this is probably even more true in the medical field since med students actually have people's lives at stake.
If you really couldn't find the energy/sanity to at least pass 1 of the courses, you may want to rethink your college plans and maybe get a job instead or one of the other suggestions previously mentioned like the military for a welfare college degree.
Best of luck.

[xtiiina]

<SNIP>

Thank you very much for all your insight on this and advice. It helps to hear it from someone who worked at a college, until I can get up there and talk to mine. I'm definitely going to go with your recommendation and don't overload myself with classes when I restart. Maybe start off with 1 or 2 classes and just take it slow for my first semester until I'm feeling comfortable in that atmosphere and like I can handle it this time around.

[Garnier Fructis]

Thank you very much for all your insight on this and advice. It helps to hear it from someone who worked at a college, until I can get up there and talk to mine. I'm definitely going to go with your recommendation and don't overload myself with classes when I restart. Maybe start off with 1 or 2 classes and just take it slow for my first semester until I'm feeling comfortable in that atmosphere and like I can handle it this time around.

Since you need to wait a semester to enroll again, I would also suggest you view the suggested textbooks for classes you're interested in and see if you can get one or two to self study. Courses become much easier if you've already familiarized yourself with the material beforehand, and your situation presents a good opportunity to do so.

[Bathory]

Since it's community college, can you retake the class for a higher grade? I know some schools take the highest grade if you redo the entire thing.

[Badpaladin]

Since it's community college, can you retake the class for a higher grade? I know some schools take the highest grade if you redo the entire thing.

AFAIK even most universities will do this. A CC might have more lax requirements (say two or three retakes instead of one), but generally speaking they should replace grades.

[Skippy88]

What I found when I went to college is they allow anyone back in because they love the money that comes in. Talk to the college to see if they require anything specific from you.

Good luck.

[breadisfunny]

It was my first semester and it just wasn't the right time for me to go. I was going through a lot of stuff that I didn't anticipate when I registered for college and I ended up failing all 3 of the classes I was in which led to me being academically dismissed. I don't know if it would have helped if I just withdrew instead of failing, to be honest I didn't really consider it because then I would have had to pay my student loans back which I can't afford since I'm unemployed and the burden would fall on my family.
But anyways, since I was academically dismissed my college sent a letter saying I have to sit out for a full semester and then petition them for readmission. It's a community college, so what are the chances of me getting back in?
Also I want to pursue a career in the medical field and I know nursing programs are hard to get into which is what I want to do, so how will having 3 failed classes effect that if I shape up from here on out?
I realize I made a mistake by letting myself slip so far behind in classes that I failed and I want to own up to it and start fresh. Anyone have any ideas what my options are?

yeah they will let you back in. i've failed my classes quite a few times. they still let me enroll the next semester.....i dont think they mind as long as you pay tution fees and stuff unless your failing them on purpose or failing them several semesters in a row. then they might say something.

[GG4Eva]

There is still hope for you!!! Do not give up From my own personal experience, I was in a similar situation that you were in, just things happened differently. After high school I enrolled into the University of Connecticut and got in the nursing program. Being the young and stupid person I was, I messed around too much my first and got kicked out of the nursing program for not meeting the GPA requirements. I was still enrolled at UCONN though. I basically then got depressed and got 3 F's and 1 D's in my first semester of my sophomore year. My GPA became horrendous for the next year or so. Still, after talking to my counselor and getting advice from lots of people, I learned that I could re-take all the classes I did bad in and raise my GPA. My college took the 2nd set of grades over the 1st into account into my GPA if you retook a class. Just by doing that, my GPA raised a tremendous amount and I spent lots of time doing extracurricular activities in healthcare. I was able to graduate with my BA in Allied Health and got accepted into a nursing diploma program, even with my transcript showing a past history of failed classes. So there is hope for you. Shoot, if you raised your GPA really high, you could even get into an associates program or an accelerated BSN (need to have a bachelors of any field for an accelerated BSN). Basically what I'm saying is, all you have to do is make changes and prove to the programs you want to get into that you are a new person and are much more dedicated than before. I did it and I'm pretty sure you can. Just also make you have more to show than your grades. That helps a lot, especially if you volunteer or work in something healthcare related. Plus whether you do an associates or diploma program, you should also further your education into a BSN by doing a RN-BSN progam (usually takes a year). If you have any questions feel free to ask! You can still do nursing!

Be warned though and I'm sure you already know, nursing school is hard. The amount of information you need to learn is handed to you quickly and can get overwhelming. It takes a lot of time and dedication. It is not impossible though!

[Roose]

You are fine. You did what half the people I know do and I have lived in a college town for almost 20 years. You learn to at least drop those classes, though. Worse thing you can do is straight up fail.

It is not hard at all to get into nursing programs at our local community college and I doubt it is anywhere seeing as how they always need them.

Nothing is fucked. You said nursing and not one of the thousand other degrees that will not get you a job any longer.

[dusketernal]

Not a problem. A lot of what I know there now is from lots of student advising and seeing what my students face in class (and outside of class). There are few things that will permanently mess you up, but there are plenty that will hinder you quite a bit. The key is determining what you can handle at this particular moment, but also being prepared to adjust every aspect of it as you go. It gets easier as time goes by - you learn more strategies to manage time, outside issues, and the like.

And yes, definitely talk with the folks there. Some colleges require you to appeal to be reinstated; others simply reinstate you when your suspension is up.

Good luck! A lot of folks don't realize that community college (at least the better ones) are actually just as challenging as a 4 year institution. The difference is primarily smaller class sizes, a lower bar for entry, more remediation (to compensate for the lower entry bar), and less emphasis on "soft" degrees (as opposed to the "hard" ones - technical ones and the like). Honestly, I wouldn't teach anywhere else, so long as I have the choice - I much prefer teaching where I am at than teaching the students at the 4 year institutions.

[Deleted]

It was my first semester and it just wasn't the right time for me to go. I was going through a lot of stuff that I didn't anticipate when I registered for college and I ended up failing all 3 of the classes I was in which led to me being academically dismissed. I don't know if it would have helped if I just withdrew instead of failing, to be honest I didn't really consider it because then I would have had to pay my student loans back which I can't afford since I'm unemployed and the burden would fall on my family.
But anyways, since I was academically dismissed my college sent a letter saying I have to sit out for a full semester and then petition them for readmission. It's a community college, so what are the chances of me getting back in?
Also I want to pursue a career in the medical field and I know nursing programs are hard to get into which is what I want to do, so how will having 3 failed classes effect that if I shape up from here on out?
I realize I made a mistake by letting myself slip so far behind in classes that I failed and I want to own up to it and start fresh. Anyone have any ideas what my options are?

If it makes you feel better, my brother failed 4 classes in his first year and first semester, and he finished college just fine.

[Ashnazg]

I failed 7 out of 8 possible classes before you get kicked out of university in my 1st and 2nd years and took 5 years to finish it. My GPA was 2.7. I still ended up going to and graduating from one of the best law schools in the nation.

You'll be fine.

[PACOX]

OP you're good. Retake the classes, don't be afraid to "protect your GPA" (drop the classes if needed). Just don't let it happen again. Also if you withdraw you only have to actually pay the school back if your loans can't cover the difference. If your loans covered it then you take it as a personal lost but don't actually have to pay anything back until you have to start paying back your loans.

Some people will tell you that its the end of the world, don't listen to them. You just do you.

Also most schools count the highest grade you got in a class, not all schools will wipe the bad grade off your transcript though. Its not a huge deal though, only hurts you in some circumstances (you trying to go to grad school at Harvard? )