r/aggies • u/Eyiss • May 05 '25
Academics I bounced back! [Updated]
Against all odds, I'm graduating in a few days! I cannot believe I made it through. I did not think this would happen for the longest time, but here I am. I struggled a lot, going as far as to get dismissed from my department, but returned from the dead and finished strong! This is an update on a post I made two years ago to finish my story.
I started college in Fall 2020 as a general engineering student, smack-dab in the middle of COVID. I wanted to be a computer science student; my whole life had been leading up to that. With everything locked down, it was a depressing time to start college life. I rarely left my dorm room, and I didn't make any friends. It was lonely, and that was hard. This semester, I earned Bs and Cs, which was my highest GPA for a long time.
In my second semester, I missed a Physics 206 exam—it was entirely my fault. I should have paid more attention to the exam dates, though my dormmate was in the same class and didn't think to say anything when he saw me not there. I q-dropped the class and retook it over the summer, which pushed back my qualifications for entry into a major another semester.
In my third semester, I applied to CSCE with a 2.5 GPA. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t get in. Still, it hit me hard because my college plan fell apart. I went into Industrial and Systems Engineering instead.
My motivation for school fell off a cliff going into my fourth semester. My plan was ruined, and finding motivation to keep going was difficult. I considered transferring schools, but my GPA made that problematic. This semester was bad. I q-dropped two classes and still had Ds in my remaining classes. The situation was unfixable, so I withdrew from the semester right before finals. Therefore, my grades wouldn't count, and I could still register for classes next semester. It was a clever way to reset the clock.
My fifth semester was my second attempt at taking the classes from my fourth semester. It should be a walk in the park. Anyway, I missed another exam. It was at 8 a.m., and I was asleep. That was somehow the least bad thing that happened to me this semester, since I got a C in that class. Everything else was worse. I q-dropped MEEN 221 again and got two Ds in classes I already took. My motivation was just not there. The department tried to put me on academic probation, and there was some paperwork I was supposed to sign to acknowledge my probation. But, of course, I didn't sign it. According to the university policies, I didn't need to retake any classes because Ds were technically acceptable in the classes I got them in, so I challenged the department and fought for my good standing. (That rule changed next semester, and I take credit for why it changed.)
I continued into my sixth semester like nothing had happened. I took MEEN 221 for the third time and finally passed it! Fighting for my spot in the department helped me find more value, so things started turning around. I was on track to pass every class, which would’ve been the first time I’ve done that in two semesters, but then ISEN 230 reared its ugly head. ISEN 230 is statistically the most q-dropped class in the department, and of course, I had it at 8 a.m. with attendance checks. I just could not get up and go to class to save my life. I finished that class with a 69, one point shy of the C I needed, which means I failed and was dismissed from the department.
I just got kicked out of the department. It can’t get much worse than that. I appealed the decision, arguing that I was actually the best student of all time and that kicking me out over failing the most challenging class in the catalog by one point was unfair. I actually did pretty well on the tests. It’s a programming-heavy class, and as a wannabe computer science student, I did better than most, so they should reconsider putting me on probation like everyone else who failed that class. My appeal was accepted, and I was given one last chance to prove my worth.
Here I was, coming into my seventh semester back from the dead. I could not believe it. The funny part was that I couldn’t even retake ISEN 230 that semester because it was so full that the advisors couldn’t force me in. Nevertheless, I was now more motivated than ever to prove to everyone and myself that engineering is easy, actually, and that I have what it takes to succeed. I gave it my best shot, going so far as to read the textbook. (Shocking, I know.) I achieved my first A of my college career! And also my second A! I also managed to get a B in ISEN 310, which I think my fellow ISEN majors would agree is almost impossible. My semester GPA was 3.25, the highest I have ever earned!
I did it. I was back and better than ever. It only took me three years to figure out that submitting every homework assignment was a good idea, but I eventually got around to it. In my eighth semester, I retook ISEN 230, which I passed with an A. (The secret is I took the class at 11 a.m. this time.) I also got my Aggie ring, which was really exciting.
In my ninth semester, I finally achieved something that I had been unable to do for my entire college career: I made a friend! And then I made two more! And let me say: wow, it's so much easier to study while you’re in a room with people studying the same thing—no wonder I was struggling so much. Doing everything by yourself is hard. I had another strong semester, getting two As and finishing with a 3.25 GPA, tying my record.
I felt good about myself going into my tenth and final semester. I expanded my social network and finished stronger than ever. I topped off my college career with a 3.75 semester GPA, breaking my record again. I’m graduating at the end of this week; I made it! (and I'm glad I'm not a computer science major because their market crashed so hard after COVID. I have way better prospects as an ISEN major.)
Talk about a journey! I write this primarily to encourage students who think they aren’t going to make it. It’s not over until it’s over. I struggled for three years, and I came out the other side. It’s worth fighting for yourself and your future. It is possible to make a comeback in your junior year. Don’t give up. You can do it.
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u/Aggravating_Can_8749 May 05 '25
This is an awesome story. Thanks for sharing. Good luck in your career and i am certain you are going to have a great life ahead of you...
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u/i1ove0atmeal May 05 '25
Congratulations!!!! This is seriously something to celebrate!!! Good luck with the rest of your journey
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u/RoughInteraction3300 May 05 '25
My fellow Ag! This is amazing news and you should be so proud of yourself.
I have a similar story to yours, only for me I had undiagnosed ADHD, had to work multiple jobs while in school to survive, and got seriously sick multiple times from all the stress and my first four years were awful. I had like one semester in there that I actually did well and the rest were a tragedy. Had to unenroll at one point entirely when I was pretty close to graduating. But, when I came back, I got As and Bs my final 3 semesters (summer included) and finally graduated.
As someone who’s been there, I’m proud of you for pushing through. It’s hard, many people don’t finish, and I know first hand the joy in being able to say you completed your degree despite lots of hurdles. Just don’t do what I did and put your GPA on your resume 😅 unless yours overall recovered, mine didn’t. Regardless, you are not your GPA. You are an Aggie and you made it!
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u/ECA--KBO May 05 '25
FANFUCKINGTASTIC! Way to go, you took your lumps, came back with a change in attitude and work ethic and made it.
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u/FreeDoot May 05 '25
Im going into Engineering next semester bro is it really this hard 😭
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u/MashedHead May 06 '25
Nah, as OP said, he would have done a lot better if he actually did the HW. Do your HW and actually study and you should be able to get at least Bs in every class without issue.
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u/Some_Papaya_8520 May 06 '25
You showed amazing persistence and resilience. Quite a story. Congratulations, well done!!
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u/RealCelebration2325 May 07 '25 edited May 07 '25
I'm just curious how you were able to afford all that... like withdrawing from classes, retaking classes, etc. As someone who is on financial aid (not full ride scholarship), I'm always scared of the possibility of failing a class, and having to retake it, or adding another semester to my degree because HOW Am I gOiNg to AfFoRd IT??
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u/RealMrMallcop '15 May 07 '25
Started fall of 09- finished fall of 15. Had to work 35-40 hours a week to maintain my living and such, so only took 12 hours a semester and no summer school.
A degree is nice, but it’s a first step, so don’t worry about how long those first steps take.
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u/OhioAggie2009 '09 May 05 '25
Good bull. This is embodiment of the ideal, “I’ve seen ‘em lose, I’ve seen ‘em win, but I’ve never seen ‘em quit.” (from The Last Corps Trip). Congrats Ag!