Yes. I had a disability that impacted my school work, but I always loved learning and reading. I went to college. Absolutely loved it. Started a promising career in DC, enjoyed it until I was 30 but stepped back when I had children. I now work part time. DH is main bread winner.

Can always go to NVCC with transfer to university in 2 years.

This is also more from the early/mid 2000s but my siblings were average/below average students. They went to community college for the first two years and then transferred elsewhere (one went to JMU and I can't remember for the other two but I think something online like University of Phoenix). Nothing prestigious but they're all employed and doing fine now. My two brothers took a while to finish their degrees but they started in blue collar jobs and eventually moved up within their company to more white-collar roles.

In your case, it sounds like doing two years at a community college might make sense--there are often agreements with local state schools that will accept transfer students. That could give your kid a chance to get their feet wet with easier courses and figure out what is interesting to them.

I know plenty of friends and family that were not straight A students who got mostly B’s some C’s and are doing very well for themselves. A lot of kids do not fully mature until their college years( or after) or don’t know what they want to do until halfway through college or after( professional/grad school). I can certainly see not wanting to spend a lot of money on college if kid is not motivated. If this post is about that only, then encourage a gap year to work or take some classes that may interest in community college/get associates degree. But if this post is more about because they have Bs and Cs and you don’t think they will be successful, I would get off of DCUM as this board is not the “norm”- not even close.

Anonymous wrote:This is all well and good but our experiences in the 90s/early 2000s is not at all relevant to our current economy/university admission landscape.

Yes it is. Kids with 3.0 or 2.75 HS gpa can and do go to college. They get degrees and excel in life. Sure they dont' go to UVA or W&M. They go to GMU/Radford/MW/Salisbury/etc. they get their first job and after that nobody cares where they attended

Shockingly, some will even major in stem and use it in their careers. Majorityu of people with college degrees did not get them from Top 100 schools, yet do well in life

Anonymous wrote:This is all well and good but our experiences in the 90s/early 2000s is not at all relevant to our current economy/university admission landscape.

There is a college out there who will take your kid. Your kid can get a degree. What they do with it is what will make a difference in their life. High school GPA is a mere freckle on the face of time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The A students work for the B students, the C students own the businesses, and the D students dedicate the buildings.

That only works for C and D students with wealthy parents. D students with working class parents are asked to leave (you have to be very wealthy for a school to let you stick around with a D average) or just drop out

Maybe true about Ds, which is why the phrase is Cs get degrees. But not true about C students. I remember the celebration when my dad first made a 5-figure annual salary, $10,000 annual with a family of 6. My Dad built our furniture out of found scrap wood. My C student sibling is a standard, rise through the ranks, corporate America, multi-millionare. You don't have to come from wealth or be an A student to do well. You have to not give up.

OP, is it possible that your B/C student just hasn’t yet found their “why”?

People are motivated by different things. Some are very motivated by the prospect of being a good high school student — whether it’s because they are inherently dutiful, or they have a strong sense of competition, or they just take satisfaction from meeting well the challenge in front of them. Other people (and I count myself among this group) need to find different, more interior motivations.

I wasn’t B/C, but I went to a pretty easy high school where one could get As and Bs just by being “good enough.” But while I had friends, I felt very alienated from peers who were focused on grades and getting into the “best” colleges. It all seemed kind of dumb to me in ways I couldn’t articulate at the time. I experienced it only as “that’s not me,” and I mentally checked out in a lot of ways.

Took me until I was in my early 20s before my own inherent curiosity kicked in. I wish I’d started college later, honestly — it was like by the time I was in a position to make the most of it, I was already graduating. I’ve done fine in life, but it’s worth nothing that everything I have ever done that was worth a damn was done because I tapped into my own sense of purpose, rather than some external reward or expectation. Could this be your kid too?

This is all well and good but our experiences in the 90s/early 2000s is not at all relevant to our current economy/university admission landscape.

Anonymous wrote:The A students work for the B students, the C students own the businesses, and the D students dedicate the buildings.

That only works for C and D students with wealthy parents. D students with working class parents are asked to leave (you have to be very wealthy for a school to let you stick around with a D average) or just drop out

I also finished college with a non stellar gpa of 3.1, no clubs, no connections. I just got the degree and then made things happen for myself.

Me! I graduated as a low C student in 1990 from a public HS in a major metro area. The school’s counselor told me where to apply, and the colleges I was accepted to were a low level state and local private (which accepted me conditionally based on maintaining grades first year). I chose local private and commuted - didn’t have a fun college experience but worked part time as waitress whole time. Majored in what I liked (english and writing). Once I graduated, I hustled big-time on work. Took jobs as assistants at major ad agencies in Manhattan and worked my way up. No one knew I was a poor student in HS. Ended up running a magazine’s ad department and then started my own ad consulting biz. Ultimately made mid six figures a year til I quit 16 years ago to stay home with my kids (also advertising changed due to web). Basically it’s all in the mindset. A switch went off during my junior year of college where I wanted to work hard and make money. Ended up more financially successful than my bro who went to a top 20. Hope this helps.

I went to Texas Tech and graduated with a 2.9. Went to law school, successfully passed the NY Bar and am a practicing attorney. Just didn't try in school until I thought it really mattered. Not advisable but it worked out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP do you really think only straight A students go to college? Your kid will be fine.

Getting a B and being a motivated student would be fine I guess. I worry that the focused sibling would be earning well and this DC would be working at low paying jobs and struggling financially. DC does work hard when needed but we need to push for it and yet this DC gets a B, while the sibling knows what they want and goes for it and gets straight A's. I worry about this one.

This is absolutely ridiculous thinking. Parental anxiety at its worst. My siblings who were B/C students in high school and college, graduated, got jobs, worked their way up the ranks, took strategic career risks and and make way more than the straight A students in the family, who also are doing well.

Get the degree. What you do after that is all up to you.

OP what does your child like doing? Are they curious? Do they like learning things? I think some people just need the right environment/topic to be motivated. School is so boring.