I am a RTW student. What should i do next?

Anonymous

During my 1st year of university, I did really poorly in my classes.  Somehow I ended up RTW.  I took the Back on Track program, and maintained a 2.00 GPA for a couple of semesters.  However, maintaining the 2.00 GPA never improved my CPGA; thus I was still below 2.00 CPGA.  I have tried really hard, and I thought I did well in the class I took in the summer.  Unfortunately, I did not try hard enough.  Now, I am forced to RTW.  I have told my parents about not being able to continue my studies at SFU, and surprisingly, they were quite understanding.  This just makes me more nervous.  I don't know what I should do next.  I used to do really well in high school; somehow I just lost any motivation to pursue what I want to do.

I wish someone could confide in me.  I really want to continue my studies, and have a good job in the future.  I know I can complete some courses in a college in the mean time and get a better GPA for readmission to SFU, but I know that if I get readmitted, I will continue under academic probation and not good academic standing.  Does anyone know that if I take some courses at a college, could I have a fresh start at another university (i.e. UBC)?  I don't have to reapply SFU, right?

I'm really confused at the moment.  If someone has any advice for me, that will be much appreciated.  I don't want to discontinue my student life.  I know I can do better when I get motivated again.

Anonymous

Honestly, maybe university level studies is not for you. That's certainly not to be an insult in anyway; I believe many people who complete university were not right for it. As there are many more university graduates this generation, the bar for a "good job" after school is continuously raised - and with a 2.00 CGPA it will be very tough to find a university graduate entry-level job. In fact, you have a high chance of working in a similar job as you are already qualified for.

I would recommend researching local technical programs, perhaps you should see what BCIT offers? You may be able to find a focused, 2 year program which leads directly into a career path. There's also nothing wrong with working for a few years or traveling while you decide what you really want to do with your life.

If you are truly set on finishing university, you need to ask yourself why? Are you truly passionate about what you are studying? Are you motivated to finish your studies to reach a career in field X? If you are only attending university because your family/friends have told you to or because you think it's the right track for everyone, those are probably not the best reasons.

Anonymous

What do you mean "I know I can do better when I get motivated again?" If you aren't motivated to do well after being required to withdraw, what will get you motivated? If you want to do well, then study.

Anonymous

Find your motivation. Take some courses you might have an interest in. My gpa in my previous major was pretty bad too (cgpa probably still is)... till i discovered computer science
2nd poster nailed it tho, the bar for a good job is continuously raised, and with the economy going to hell, you need to realize you cant slack off, and need to get your priorities straight

Anonymous

I was in a similar situation to you. I started SFU with a very poor start (1.9 term gpa) and was put on academic probation. For some reason, this still didn't bother me and the next semester I had a 2.1 term gpa which just barely put me in good academic standing.

The reason I did badly was 

- I never studied and barely did homework

- I wasn't motivated and found the classes uninteresting

- I picked difficult electives when I could have taken easier ones.

I was kind of depressed with how my GPA was going in to my 3rd term so I was determined to improve. My motivation ended up being that I just wanted to get good grades. I didn't start to enjoy school until 3rd year when the courses became interesting. The most important thing for doing better is improved study habits. Ever since those 2 semesters I have been getting 3.5+ term GPA. Here's what I did to improve.

- Read class notes / textbook section before the class

- Use the internet to your advantage. I had an awful calculus teacher but it didn't matter. I was able to easily understand the material because I just watched Youtube videos of each section.

- Don't leave homework to the last minute. Even better, do the homework a bit each day until it's due.

- If you don't understand something go to office hours.

- Lastly, don't take classes where the teacher is a dick and won't hesitate to give half the class a D.

Since you're RTW my advice above isn't much help yet but hopefully it can be when you get back to school. My advice for the near future is to go talk to an advisor about your options. I would try to convince the advisor to let you redo a couple courses that you did really poor in. Changing a C-/D/F to a B may take you off academic probation.

Anonymous

u should kill yourself, results are great

Anonymous

One of my friends is in the same boat right now, and he is starting anew at BCIT.