My Story
Welcome to my blog!
For those of you who don't know, my name is Subria Whitaker and I am a May 2016 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I created this blog in January 2016, because more often than not, a lot of students are thrown into the college mix without knowing how to navigate themselves properly. It happened to me, and I don't want it to keep happening. The truth is, being a second generation college student doesn't come with a perfect road map and seeing your advisor every week may not be enough to save you. Trust me. I went from being undecided in the Division of General Studies and on academic probation, to transferring to the College of Liberal Arts & Science, declaring a major in Communication and earning a 4.0 semester GPA, graduating with a 3.72 major GPA and earning honors and departmental distinction. It wasn't easy, but it's possible. I'll look back on my undergraduate career and appreciate all of the lessons that I learned. I started at my lowest and had some ups and downs in between, but my internship opportunities, study abroad experiences, friendships and RSO experiences wouldn't mean as much without my struggles. And I struggled -- hopefully so that you don't have to. I'm using this page to introduce myself and walk you through my transcript so that you can visualize and better understand those ups and downs.
Take a look below.
Senior Year of High School
I'd gotten accepted early decision and admitted with James Scholar Status and as a President's Award Recipient. Senioritis was getting the best of me, and so was AP Calculus. I begged my IB advisor to let me take Pre-Calculus, but she refused and said that I needed to challenge myself. I challenged myself right into an F in AP Calculus and a D in French. Little did I know, upon accepting my admission, I'd agreed to maintaining the same grades and GPA that I was admitted with -- almost all A's and 2 B's. So as you can see, an F and a D aren't exactly A's. The University then notified me of their decision to potentially rescend my addmission. Fortunately, I was able to petition my way back in under certain conditions:
Dear Subria,
By now you should be aware of our decision to uphold your admission to the Division of General Studies for the Fall 2012 term. As a condition of your enrollment, however, you are being placed on academic probation and are required to meet with me during the first week of classes to discuss your academic standing and your responsibilities as a student admitted provisionally.
Sure, I'd heard stories from my cousins about getting placed on academic probation after first or second semester, but I never thought that I'd be on academic probation before I even got to start the first semester. And, as if I wasn't already embarassed enough...
Hello Subria,
I wanted to get in touch with you regarding a change to your James Scholar status. Because of your probation standing for the fall semester, I have unfortunately rescinded your participation in the James Scholar Honors Program. Additionally, we have changed your GS 101 class to Section O2.
Please know that you will have an opportunity to nominate into the honors program in the second semester with a qualifying GPA of 3.65 or higher.
Let me know if you have any questions regarding this change.
At this point, my pride was basically non-existent and I really let it get the best of me. I had big shoes to fill and a lot of pressure on me; starting college undecided, stripped of honors and on academic probation, wasn't' the best anecdote.
FRESHMAN YEAR
"Don't take 18 credit hours," they said. But I did, because I had to prove myself and redeem myself. Yeah, don't take 18 credit hours your first semester. Now is the time to build your GPA. Don't listen to anyone bragging about taking 16 or 18 hours. Take your minimum (12 credit hours), play the game, get your 4.0 and keep it moving. When I didn't meet my probation requirements, I had to petition my way back into the University for a 2nd time. This probably hurt more than the first time and my depression only got worse. Depression is real, and it got the best of me. Seek help. Take advantage of your school's department for disability resources and educational services.
Fall 2012 Spring 2013
ECON 102: C- GEOL 118: D- --> Replaced
GS 101: A MACS 199: A-
MATH 115: F --> W MATH 234: NC
MATH 199: A- RST 100: C+
MUS 199: A- RST 110: A
RHET 105: B- RST 255: A
RST 130: C
SOPHOMORE YEAR
I decided to retake Econ 102 and Geology 118 over the summer to boost my GPA and undo some damage. Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away and I had to withdraw from the Summer semester. Although it didn't boost my GPA, it did anything but boost my confidence this time around... but there was some light at the end of the tunnel and it couldn't have come at a better time.
Fall 2013 Spring 2014
KIN 102: B AFRO 261: A
KIN 142: A CMN 101: A
KIN 247: F --> Replaced JOUR 200: B+
RST 101: B RST 230: B+
RST 199: S STAT 100: B
RST 105: D-
RST 200: C
Summer 2014
ADV 310: A+
ATMS 120: A+
CMN 260: A-
JUNIOR YEAR
FINALLY! My hard work paid off and was able to earn a 4.0 GPA with 18 credit hours. (See how with the Keys to Success.) From this point, I started getting more scholarships, qualifying for more internship opportunities and excelling overall. (Over the summer, I took 3 online courses and finished with 2 A's and 1 A minus - a MAJOR boost for my confidence!)
Fall 2014 Spring 2015
ADV 399: A CMN 280: B+
CMN 102: A CMN 340: A
CMN 113: A CMN 368: A
CMN 212: A CMN 435: B
CMN 232: A PS 101: A-
RST 199: A+
Summer 2015
GEOL 118: A-
THEA 101: A-
SENIOR YEAR
Now, I have completed the final requirements to graduate with College Distinction! I may not be a James Scholar or graduating with Latin honors, but distinction and Greek honors are fine with me! While I was estatic to earn a cumulative GPA of a 3.52, I realized that my worth isn't defined by where I started or where I ended, but all that I accomplished in between.
Winter 2015-2016
SOC 100: A-
Fall 2015 Spring 2016
CMN 323: A- CMN 491: AH
CMN 429: B CMN 491: AH
CMN 496: A- KIN 247: A
LAS 399: A+H PS 199: A
SOC 275: B- PS 321: A
PS 491: A-
