My high school counselor said I wasn't "college material". Well, guess who passed the CA bar exam?

[Progressive Law]

A little background: I never took anything past Freshman English in high school. There was some sort of loophole that allowed counselors to put certain students into "lower tracks". So my class schedule consisted mostly of shop classes (auto shop, wood shop, "study period", home econ, etc). I asked my counselor about the English class issue. She said, and I am paraphrasing: "Those classes are for college prep students, and you're not college material." I felt so worthless at that moment. Please note that I am not trying to diminish the value of blue collar professions. It's just that the way she treated me seemed like I was not worthy of her guidance.

So after I graduated high school, I went with the community college route. I had to attend CC for three years before I could transfer to a university because many of my classes were remedial in nature (Algebra, Geometry, English, etc.). Anyhow, I kept at it largely because I knew I could handle the coursework. I just needed the opportunity to develop the skills needed to succeed. Well, I eventually transferred to a university. After graduation, I attended law school, graduated, and finally passed the CA bar exam.

Let this serve as a reminder that there will always be negative people who will discourage you from chasing your dreams. Use these naysayers as motivation. Develop a "chip on your shoulder."

Link to tweet

[hlthe2b]

1. yup... High school counselors who generally don't even know the students making these

judgements (and conveying them) is unconscionable to me.

I had a similar experience many many years ago...

Fortunately, most students who are determined are able to ignore these naysayers.

Congratulations!

[Progressive Law]

8. Thank you for the kind words. The phrase "not material" still angers me.

I still feel angry that a high school guidance counselor would use the word "material" to refer to a student...right in the student's face.

[whathehell]

84. Congrats & hope you notified your lousy "counselor"

of your achievement. That's what the mother of a friend of mine did to her daughter's school counselor after that counselor did what yours did to You -- That "not material" bit is SO belittling and insulting -- School Counselors should NOT be permitted to use it.

[mitch96]

86. "high school counselor said I wasn't "college material"

Same here, 1968, hight of the Vietnam war and this dipshit tells me my best bet was to go join the army...... WTF?? Fast forward. Graduated from tech school and got a degree in my field. Made a good living helping people..
Congrats on your new adventure!!
m

[Dave in VA]

91. Class of 1970

Mine said not to waste my parent's money and just go ahead and join the military.

When I graduated Magna Cum Laude with my master's degree I made sure to send her an invitation.

[DownriverDem]

128. 1st grade teacher (nun)

told my Mom I was seeking my own level. When I received a full tuition scholarship for college, we so wanted to find her and let her know that the level I sought was not too shabby.

[GetRidOfThem]

139. Your story really resonates with me...

You should be proud of you success and achievements!

Here is my story, I am willing to share in comiseration:

I grew up with a manipulative and psychotic brother. My parents were highly protective of him, they thought they saw real genius. They made him my role model, and gave him absolute power over me. Which meant I never did anything right, because I was too "stupid". I flunked out of a very challenging school, the teachers never got the pattern. I was out by ninth grade.

My father had a change of heart, and put me into a very good private high school (the same one out of D.C. that one of the Trump kids is now attending). They picked up on my abilities, and quickly promoted me into advanced placement classes. All great and well, but it never compensated for the years of feeling diminutive. Though I was allowed to thrive, it all came to a horrible end when my father, my only supporter at home, suddenly passed of a heart attack while I was in grade twelve. Boy did that school step in: behind the scenes the college admissions counselor got me into the George Washington University.

Now I am being published by the Oxford University Press, work globally in a field I love, with a good conscience and being a global civil servant. The very sad fact is that my dictatorial older brother, though he has a PhD in Math (I am university published but do not have a PhD) is not employable and lives in part off my mother.

I still at times feel the pain of being told I do not have what it takes, but I have learned to put this into perspective as to what the weaknesses may be of the person implying this, i.e. I've learned how to fight.

So have you!

[HipChick]

2. Congrats!

[Progressive Law]

9. Thank you :)

[Totally Tunsie]

3. Congratulations, Progressive Law!

[Progressive Law]

10. Thanks :)

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

4. WTG!!

[Progressive Law]

11. Thank u!

[fierywoman]

5. BRAVISSIMO !!!

[Progressive Law]

13. Thank you very much.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

6. Congrats! I was also told by a counselor that I would never make it into my college of choice.

He told me that I would never be able to get my grades up that much. I actually cried and believed it until someone else encouraged me. I ran into him 3 years later and he asked how I was doing and I said "Great! I just got accepted into University of Michigan!"

He was shocked and did a triple take. I think he learned a lesson from that.....

[dragonlady]

159. Go Blue! n/t

[StatGirl]

7. My sister's high school counselor also discouraged her from applying to college

She ignored him, went on to get an MBA, and now makes more money than the rest of the family combined.

Congratulations on your achievement!

[vercetti2021]

12. Congratulations!

[trueblue2007]

14. confratulations

[3Hotdogs]

15. I was graduated, third from the bottom of my h.s. class of 122.

I didn't know until graduation day if I was getting a diploma or a blank sheet of paper on the graduation platform, to be followed by summer school. I got the diploma.

I used spare time during the next several years to read and develop math skills.


Fast forward (who remembers video tape) 10 years and I graduated with honors. I retired 8 years ago from a public school faculty position as a Social Studies teacher.

[pnwmom]

19. I bet you were a great teacher, too, because you understood what kids need to succeed. nt

[True Blue American]

70. Congratulations!

Was the Teacher a Republican? They enjoy knocking people down.

[Grins]

109. And McCain graduated 5th from the bottom of his class...

Counselors should counsel on HOW to get you to your goals, not to counsel whether you are worthy to even try. And try. And try again...

[PaulX2]

16. Think And Grow Rich - Self Help Bible - Napoleon Hill Says Same Thing

Ignore the people who want to tell you you just can't do it.

Deep down they may be jealous, or they just don't know what you are capable of.

Just do it.

If you want, you can do it better than anyone before (with certain physical limitations).

Just remember according to Napoleon Hill "the creator" gave us the most important thing. The power to control what we think about.

[Az_lefty]

17. Heard that kind of thing in HS

Made me determined to be better than I ever thought I could be.

[pnwmom]

18. Wow! I never heard of a high school that didn't REQUIRE 4 full years of English

just to graduate.

What an awful high school you survived.

Huge CONGRATS for your amazing personal achievements, against the odds.

[Solly Mack]

20. Wonderful news! Congratulations!!

[Beakybird]

21. Congratulations!

Now where's that counselor? Rub it in her face! She's in a nursing home? Crap. Leave her alone.

[lunamagica]

22. Congratulations!

[roamer65]

23. Congrats!

[rufus dog]

24. Congrats

I graduated in the 80's and had the opposite experience, coasted through school, sold my books early SR year (third week of classes) for beer money. Long story that I won't go into but my counselor called me in with three other top student going to college on scholarships and basically embarrassed me into the college route.

Now my kids counselors SUCKED. My oldest lacked a bit of confidence so I didn't believe what she was saying about her counselor at first. My kid had a 4.5 gpa, top 20 of her class, and the counselor would discourage her from applying to certain schools. Wife and I went down to college night and the counselors were extremely discouraging. "Parents and students had unrealistic expectations," "we only have so much time to help kids search." This was 2009 so at the end I went up to talk to them. A few parents in front of me were a bit hostile, which was understandable. I took a different approach and offered a suggestion. (again 2009) I stated that there were probably a lot of parents in my shoes, due to the downturn I had extra time on my hands, so I offered to come in a couple hours a day twice a week to help kids do internet searches for college acceptance rates based upon the kids GPAs. That way the kid could have some confidence to apply to a few schools locally, could consider the JC route, and identify some out of state options. Told them there were likely a lot of other parents that had some spare time to help. I got a blank stare, then a comment that she would have to run it by the Principal. She turned away, so I asked if she wanted my number, she said no.

So I am elated at your story, and suggest you send an email to your HS with your story. I was able to talk to the Principal at my kids school during awards night. Just shooting the bull with the guy but told him I was less than impressed with is counselors, didn't provide detail but told him if they were my counselor I likely would have never gone to college.

[nolabear]

25. They cannot teach that kind of moxie.

Congratulations. I value learning and when and how it happens should be able to vary widely. I dare say the things you did to get that degree and pass the bar will make you a great lawyer.

[Demovictory9]

26. email that picture to that counselor

[True Blue American]

72. Kaboom!

[LAS14]

74. Excellent suggestion!! nt

[underthematrix]

27. Congratulations. I'm so glad you didn't listen to the naysayer

[Stonepounder]

28. BRAVO!!

While there are a tremendous number of wonderful teachers and counselors out there, there is still a segment who get into education because they are control freaks. If you don't fit into their definition of a 'good student' (no matter how skewed it is) they will toss you into their trash heap.

It can be devastating, or you can spit in their eye and prove them so totally wrong that they will ignore you for the rest of their lives because to acknowledge you would mean they were wrong, and they will NEVER admit that.

You done good!!!

[Honeycombe8]

29. This qualifies you to run for office, now! How does Congressman P.L. sound? Or Governor Law?

Welcome to DU!

[chillfactor]

30. When I was in high school....

I was told I would never make it college. When I did get into college, I had a great instructor who had faith in me because he felt I was so motivated. After I took some of his test, he discovered that I flunked the sections that were true and false, multiple choice, and short answer. But give me an essay question and I hit the nail on the head. he referred me to another professor who tested for learning disabilities. He discovered I had a severe learning disability that my brain could not process some information. He wrote a report that he shared with my instructors about my learning disability and said I had to have only essay questions in tests. That one instructor was my first on my educational journey that ended with my earning a doctorate degree in education. I dedicated my dissertation to him.

So congratulations on your achievement...….bless you for never giving up.

[Blue_true]

118. What an awesome recollection. I am really glad that I read the OP.

The OP's life story was powerful and so is yours. The OP showed the power of believing in himself and showing dogged determination. Your story shows that we sometime meet people in life that somehow see our potential and act as a guiding light for us. My experience is somewhat akin to yours. As I was about to enter high school, I went to work for one of my town's prominent citizens. I assumed that I would go into law, but what he saw in me was a very analytical mind that was better suited for a technical field. Fortunately I took his advice, focused more on math in high school and went on to become an engineer, a profession that I love.

You met a great, wise and humane professor. Many would have just graded your test, failed you and left things at that.

[mountain grammy]

31. Congratulations!

aren't community colleges great? Several of my daughter's friends who were told they "weren't college material" did well in community college and then went on to university.

[Hekate]

32. Congratulations!! I am a big, big fan of community colleges...

I went because my parents could just about afford it, as did my siblings. All but one of us transferred to universities (which we paid for with jobs and grants). There's one B.S., one M.S., and one Ph.D. among us.

Our dad retrained into the electronics era by taking night classes at the same CC for certificates applicable to his field, and kept his job at Lockheed Aircraft for another 20+ years, surviving all the rolling layoffs of people who couldn't make the change.

My first husband had a problem since childhood that no one could diagnose and was told flat out he could never get into college, much less graduate. He struggled hard, but made it from CC to state college and got a B.A. Years later we found out his problem was dyslexia. Some years after that he got his M.A.

It goes on, but suffice it to say the California Community College system is my hero -- I hope the state will always find a way to keep it affordable and of high quality. It pleases me no end to see your success story started there.

All the best to you in your legal profession in all the years to come.

Hekate
Chaffey Community College, 1968

[Progressive Law]

133. I too am a big proponent of the community colleges. Thank you. NT

[Upthevibe]

33. Awesome!

And, my understanding is that our state has the hardest exam. Good for you!

[efhmc]

34. Congratulations!!!

A similar thing happened to my friend's daughter. Because she was not a good test taker (SAT, etc.), she was told that she shouldn't plan on going to college. She should make other plans. However. she was accepted at TAM, made excellent grades, graduated and went to pharmacy school at UT. She has been working in her chosen profession and advancing in it for about 15 years. Thank goodness she had supportive parents who didn't listen to this nonsense. I am sad to think that many do not get that kind of support and had their dreams squashed. Happy to hear you did not.

[Thekaspervote]

35. Congrats! You know you are in excellent company... they said the same thing about Einstein

[Gothmog]

36. Congratulations on passing the bar

I have two children who are also lawyers. The legal profession has really changed over the years. My son is at a big law firm and is doing well. My older daughter is dong family law and loving it.

Have fun.

I volunteer a great deal of my time on voter protection efforts. You do not have the voter suppression efforts in California that we see in other states but the DNC will be organizing lawyers to go out of state. In 2004, I went to Florida for the Kerry Edwards voter protection team. Last cycle I was with Clinton Victory Counsel program but ended up staying in Texas to fight GOP voter suppression. You may want to put your talents and legal education to good use protecting the vote

[FakeNoose]

37. Awesome story and congratulations on your accomplishments

I hope someday you have the opportunity to inspire some high school-age kids with your own story. They'd much rather hear it from you than from a guidance counselor.

[NBachers]

38. Good on you! My sister was busted for pot at 16 by a couple of slimeball cops who threatened to

send her to juvie.

She worked her way through college and law school, and became one of the most respected criminal defense attorneys in our large city. She has turned prosecutors purple with rage. Spent years as a Federal Public Defender, and doing death penalty cases. Spent a lot of time with clients in San Quentin.

The cops? One of 'em got kicked off the force for stealing money from the coffee donation can.

They had no idea what a monster they were creating.

I know your career will follow a trajectory you can be proud of.

[procon]

39. Send him your business card and say if he's ever arrested

you'll happily work pro bono for the prosecution.

[tavernier]

40. Hot Dog!!!

Goood job, you!!!

[iluvtennis]

41. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!! Well done.

[Hoyt]

42. Excellent. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I was never impressed with high school counselors.

[herding cats]

43. Congratulations!!

I have to say.... I like how you showed them!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

44. This past weekend I was at a science fiction thing

(Bubonicon in Albuquerque, in case you care) and two different successful authors cited similar experiences. One was told by an English teacher she'd never be able to write, the other was trashed by a Big Name in the field which stopped her from writing for 10 years.

GRRRRR.

These kinds of stories are all too common. They shouldn't happen.

On a personal note, my son who has Asperger's has had many challenges completing school. He is currently in an astronomy PhD program at George Mason University, on track to complete his degree by 2021 -- and he's just a year into the program! So yeah, I know that early failure does not mean permanent failure.

[KT2000]

45. never belive them

my friend who is now a PhD nuclear pharmacist did not listen to his counselor either.

[JI7]

46. were you getting bad or average Grades ? i was wondering why she would say that

was it based on those standardized tests ?

i think there is a problem with both. there are students who would do well to go into the trades first and maybe traditional college later. and some other way. but it's not always based on what people think at the moment.

but just allowing or encouraging them to do what is right for them could make a huge difference in their future.

[Progressive Law]

134. I had so-so grades in high school. I never failed a class, but my HS GPA was...

...was just slightly higher than 2.0 I believe.

[ecstatic]

144. There's no justification for a comment like that. She said that because she's an asshole. nt

[kag]

47. Congrats! And welcome to DU, Prog!

You should be proud. Drink it up--you deserve it.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

48. You struck a blow against the Empire! More power to you! . . . nt

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

49. Congratulations. Don't forget to send your resume to the WH.

I understand there's an opening for a new WH counsel.

[DFW]

50. Good for you! My family also has instances of academia telling us the same thing

Yours is a story SO in need of telling to able people who have been told, "this is all you will ever amount to."

SEZ who?

First there was me. In college, I couldn't decide on a major at first, was told to go see a professor from the history department. He was snotty bastard who told me, "we are not running a school for tour guides!" Fine, so I breezed through a major in Spanish, taking courses covering material I had already read while living in Spain during part of high school. Wasted time, but it kept me out of Vietnam, and I got to pursue side courses I wanted to pursue (Anthropology, Russian, Swedish, Linguistics, etc.) with no pressure.

Then there was my older daughter, who was shy in high school here in Germany. The German system is a Darwinian structure that weeds out shy people and eliminates (rather than helps out) kids who might be capable, but aren't aggressive and self-promoting. They are told to pursue vocational schools. She had done one semester of high school in the USA, and did much better. She went to college in the USA, and shortly before graduation, asked me about an English word she had never heard before. What does the word "valedictorian" mean, and why do I have to give a speech? She never moved back to Germany.

My younger daughter was more ambitious, also did high school in the USA (just barely: Waimea on the Big Island), and was turned down by all major US colleges except George Washington in D.C. She went there, graduated magna in political science/public policy, earned pocket money on the side ($25 an hour!) translating documents for a German lawyer working out of Washington. He even offered her a job when she graduated, but she wanted to go to law school as well. Again, because the LSATs contained English words she had never run across before, she did not score well enough on them to earn the attention of the "top tier" law schools, and she ended up going to Pace Law in White Plains, NY. She graduated magna in 2010, passed the New York bar, got a job offer from the Frankfurt arm of a big British firm. was headhunted by a big New York firm two years later, and made partner at age 31, their youngest. She now dresses down interns sent over from the USA with JDs from Harvard and Yale who show up thinking they are hot shit due to their fancy degrees. She tells them, "your work is sloppy, your English sucks, your German is worse, your work ethic, too, since you always leave at 4:59 PM, and if you don't become more useful in a hurry, you might as well pack up and go home." They leave sometimes in tears, not understanding that their fancy little document isn't enough to impress people who are out there in the real world, and got to where they are the hard way, being told at every step that they just weren't good enough.

So don't EVER let someone tell you that you aren't good enough! Chances are at least 50-50 that they aren't really looking at you, but rather in a mirror, and just don't realize it.

[JCanete]

51. Some people should not be councelors or teachers. They have no business being near students and

literally fucking them up. Not that they know any better, but good grief.

Congratulations!

[Blue_true]

121. I agree. My counsellors in school were encouraging and worked with the individual before them. nt

[Glamrock]

52. Kick Ass, man!

That's incredible!

[orleans]

53. that's great.

will you be doing pro bono work for us duers?



really, good job--congratulations

[area51]

54. Congratulations!

[tazkcmo]

55. Huge

Congratulations on graduation and the bar exam!

[rogerashton]

56. Congrats. Good story.

In education, nothing is more important than commitment. Got that, you can get whatever else you need.

[yardwork]

57. I am in tears. Congratulations to you for overcoming that unfairness and accomplishing your dreams.

You have a great attitude.

[SallyHemmings]

58. Glad it fueled you!

It will prepare you for the naysayers you will encounter.

[sinkingfeeling]

59. Great story. Congrats.

[ProfessorGAC]

60. Cool For You!

Way to persevere!

[peace frog]

61. Well done

We are all proud of your determination to succeed and your towering achievement despite being marginalized in high school. Best wishes for a bright future .. we're fortunate to have you in our corner.

[panader0]

62. Congrats!

I went the opposite way. I dropped out of college, where I had an A average
and was in the Honors program, to become a bricklayer. That was about 46 years
and 3 million bricks ago. I can't complain, I enjoyed most of it. Everyone in my
family was a college graduate, as are my daughters, but I didn.t want to be
stuck indoors all day.
Great job on passing the bar!

[Bettie]

63. Congratuations!

I'm so happy for you! Follow those dreams!

[lunasun]

64. K&R Listen to yourself not naysayers is right! Sorry you were not given a better HS counselor

but now celebrate because we all know that was hard work . You deserve it!!
!🎉! 💥 💥

[onlyadream]

65. Congrats!!! Just wondering if you're dyslexic?

I work with dyslexic students and they’re intelligence is often overlooked, and they’re put in classes with low IQ students. It’s a crime, really.

[pdxflyboy]

66. Well Done, Progressive Law!

[flotsam]

67. The correct answer...

...is NOT your guidance counselor, right???


Congratulations!

[ewagner]

68. Congratulations...

I admire you for your commitment....best wishes for a great future in law.

[True Blue American]

69. So there, you ignorant Teacher!

I hope you sent him/ her a copy of your Bar Exam!

Great news!

[HAB911]

71. Congrats!

[LAS14]

73. Hearty congratulations!!!! nt

[Fla Dem]

75. What a success story! Congratulations!

But you're right. It's disappointing that your teachers did not recognize your perseverance while you were in HS. You'll do great in the future.

[relayerbob]

76. Congratulations and great work!!!!

[klook]

77. "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions...

Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
- Mark Twain

Congratulations!!!

[YessirAtsaFact]

78. Congratulations!

[Maraya1969]

79. I am so proud of you!!!! Congratulations!!!

[volstork]

80. Congratulations!

What an accomplishment!

IMO, the best response to someone saying, "Oh, you can't do X" is "Really? Watch me."

[BeatStanford]

81. Abandon all hope ye who enter here. (eom)

[dlk]

82. Congratulations! The California Bar is One of the Most Difficult in the US to Pass & Many Don't

Success is the best way to show this awful person how very wrong they were. Good for you!

[LiberalLoner]

83. Congratulations!

[AllaN01Bear]

85. eggscllent

[NewJeffCT]

87. Congratulations!

Best of luck to you in your law career!!

[pazzyanne]

88. Congratulations!

This happens more than you would think. I was told the same thing. Motivation, determination, and tenacity can overcome a lot. A counselor told me I was not college material, but I applied anyway and ended up on the Dean's List during my junior and senior years. I have my Liberal Arts degree that opened a lot of doors for me, and 50 years later I can be proud of what I have accomplished with my life. In the long run, it what you think of yourself, not what others think of you that is important.

[barbtries]

89. Congratulations!

My son, who was always considered college material and had a fine success at law school, failed his one and only attempt at the CA bar. he's not tried again. mind you this bothers me more than it does him, but all the good he could do. i hope you have a long and very successful career in the area of your choice.

[Progressive Law]

135. Thank you. There should be no shame in not passing the CA bar.

It is a grueling exam that is unfair in many ways. A passing essay can easily be a failing essay depending on the grader. The whole process in prepping for that exam can produce a lot of anxiety and emotional breakdowns. I hope your son knows that many successful lawyers outside of CA, do not pass the CA bar exam. I sincerely wish for the best for your son whether he chooses to take the exam again, or chooses a different path.

[barbtries]

162. i tell him that all the time.

i don't know what he wants but he insists he's reasonably happy so try to keep my nose out of it. thank you. Hillary failed the bar, i think JFK failed the bar - not CA's but not any harder i'd bet. vinny failed 6 times but he kept at it. I ask my son why did you go to law school?

anyhow like i said, i'm taking it worse than he is. not the failing part, the not trying again.

[honest.abe]

90. Alot of students "successful" in high school turn out to be losers in adult life.

and vice a versa. I am a case in point. I was a misfit in HS and appeared to be headed for failure.

I now have a PhD and working as an IT/Web Systems Engineer.

Congrats on your Bar card!

[UpInArms]

92. That is awesome ... as you are, also

Congratulations and I ove your perseverance...

Always follow your dreams ... they will lead you to the best destinations

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[Skinner]

93. Congrats!

Love the pic

[ailsagirl]

94. That's GREAT!

I don't suppose there's a way you can get word to your counselor, but if you could, that'd be sweet

[samnsara]

95. COUNGRATULATIONS!! i was a hi school counselor and i NEVER told any student they were incapable

of succeeding at anything.....however when my sister was in hi school her counselor told her the same thing and she promptly dropped out! she later got her GED and became an ER nurse...however..... shes a trumper.

[people]

104. A similar story . . .

My friend wanted to be a nurse and her high school counselor told her she didn't have the capacity to be a nurse and should think about becoming a phlebotomist or a lab tech. It totally depressed her self-confidence. Thirteen years later she graduated from one of the top medical schools in the nation and has been a medical doctor for years at a public hospital, and she is not a trumper.

[smirkymonkey]

96. Congratulations!

Well done!

[Lochloosa]

97. Rewind to 1976 - My counselor calls me to the office to talk about my SAT score

He told me that with my test scores I was 1 out of 3000 students and wanted to know why my grades were so bad.

I told him I was BORED. That was the end of the conversation. He just shrugged his shoulders and I left.

That was the extent of counseling I received in school.

It still pisses me off.

[Aristus]

98. Congratulations!

Well done!

[Recursion]

99. A friend of mine nailed her PhD to her high school principal's front door

He had said she would never make it through undergrad and tried to pressure her into cosmetology school.

[Blue_playwright]

100. Congratulations!

I was told by an English professor that I couldn’t write fiction and to stick to journalism. While I love journalism and the marketing work I do...20 years later, I wrote my first play and I’m an award-winner and internationally produced playwright.

It held me back for years. I wonder how many talents were stymied by well-meant comments?

[moriah]

101. Congratulations! Nay-sayers can often be motivating, if you know yourself!

In college, I had a great advisor, and was determined upon my major. He knew there was a required class being offered the Winter quarter (Louisiana) of what was technically my freshman year (though I'd been enrolled in the Spring quarter before, so had 12 more semester hours than other freshmen). It was only offered once every other year, and he felt confident enough to have me get all the pre-reqs for it that prior Spring quarter and during Fall quarter, so I could attempt it that Winter. That way I'd get two shots at passing vs one. But it was a 400-level course.

The professor asked on the first day who all were seniors, majority raised hands. Juniors? Almost all the rest. Sophmores? One hand, next to me, my roommate. I was the ginger who still hadn't raised her hand. "Freshmen?" came out almost incredulously. I raised my hand, the only one. She said she wanted to talk to us after lecture, then moved on. The "talk" was an outright demand to drop the class.

I negotiated this for us: if we had less than a high B at last day to drop with a W, we would. She agreed reluctantly. We agreed privately she was a bitch and we were going to prove her wrong.

After the first test scores were put up, my roommate and I held the two highest scores. People asked to join our study group, where we'd been studying by ourselves before because of being set apart. Our group maintained the highest averages in the class, and I still had a 4.0 when finally finishing my freshman year... with no Ws.

[handmade34]

102. Congratulations!!

[OnDoutside]

103. DU's Michael Avenatti !!! Congrats ;)

[renate]

105. good for you!

Your journey and your belief in yourself are truly inspiring. That was a lot of hard work.

My heart breaks for the kids who were told what you were told but believed that crap. I'm so glad you didn't!

[Efilroft Sul]

106. Way to go!

I have a ninth grader with ADD who receives that "lack of college material" treatment, and your story will definitely be told to him tonight after he gets back from all his extracurricular activities.

[struggle4progress]

107. .

[struggle4progress]

108. The brilliant mathematician Evariste Galois (1811-1832) told his high school math teacher:

Geometry is supposed to be the art of reasoning correctly from pictures that are incorrectly drawn --- but with you, it is the other way around

[Ilsa]

110. Congratulations! I hope you will consider writing a kind

Letter to your former high school counselor. Let her know how she had pegged you, but with extra effort, you got there! Your career dream has come true!

[lucca18]

111. Wonderful!

Thank you for believing in yourself!

[CaptainTruth]

112. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

And I just followed you on Twitter. @TruthTeamOne

[pioche4]

113. Share Your Story with Your High School's Newspaper: HS Kids Need Encouragement They Can do it!

What you have achieved is fantastic and I love the support that you've received on this thread.

I would highly encourage you to reach out to your High School Newspaper and the college/career office (if there is one!), and (probably without names if the counselor is still there), share that your persevered even with a less than stellar high school transcript, and literally made your dream come true. Even without the support you needed in high school. I would gather that there are many kids at your school right now, in your same shoes as you were, and they NEED to hear that it can be done. You might even be invited to have a chat session.

The message is that there is something out there for everyone, and if you aren't getting the support you need, keep trying until you DO find it, because it is out there.

There is so much anxiety in high schools these days, heightened by social media. It isn't anything like it was even 5 years ago. For the sake of those seniors that aren't sure of their next move for next year, staring down a new fall schedule, and not getting the encouragement to GO FOR IT...hearing your story might just reach someone, and give them the hope that they can do it also!

I wish you best of luck in your legal profession.

[Progressive Law]

136. Thank you for this. (And thanks to all the others who have made similar suggestions).

I really like your suggestion. I will be making some calls next week to my former high school to follow up on this. I wonder if my former guidance counselor is still there. I can't remember her name, and none of my former classmates help seem to ring a bell...hhhhmmm...

[dobleremolque]

114. Congratulations!

School counselors who see their jobs as separating the college-worthy sheep from the trade school goats, need to have this quote from John W. Gardner printed up and post it on the wall, and they should read it every day:

"The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy: neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water."

[Missiris]

115. Late bloomers unite

Did badly at first college try, but returned later once I matured. I applied at a state university to get into a nursing BA program, but was kindly told that "it would not be fair to you, as we believe the coursework would be too difficult for you." The school agreed to let me in "on probation, in the basic studies program, and if you can get a C average in the first year, we will let you continue." My BA was magna, my masters with a 4.0, and my doctorate in psychology completed four years later. I was asked by a mentor I had in the master's program to come back and speak to a group of night course adults. As I was heading for the classroom, ran into one of the people who interviewed me for the nursing program. She said, "you look familiar, have we met?" I kindly explained that I had interviewed for the program several years before, but was turned down as the interviewers thought I would not be able to keep up. She smiled kindly, and said, "well, dear, I hope that you found an occupation that suits you. What is your name again?" I smiled, and said "Doctor ------, have a nice day" and walked away happy.

What we do in our late teens and early twenties is often not what we are capable of. The trick is to not let it define you, or let someone else define you.

[George II]

116. Congratulations. My HS advisor said I'd be lucky to get accepted to City College (NYC)....

...which was considered second rate back in the 1960s. Turns out I was accepted to all three Engineering colleges I applied to and was awarded a full scholarship to one of the best Engineering schools in the country.

I think maybe they do that to "encourage" us? But I'm sure it backfires sometimes.

[Blue_true]

117. Schedule an appointment with that counselor.

Repeat to her what she said to you and how you felt. Then show her your Law Degree and California Bar Certification. Then tell her that she was wrong and you hope that she has not done that to other kids, and if she has, she need to change ASAP.

[Chalco]

119. Doing well is the best revenge. nt

[zentrum]

120. Yet, you persevered!

[LisaM]

122. Good for you! I had kind of the opposite happen.

I scored uncharacteristically high on the natural science section of the ACT, and my high school counselor suggested I head up to Michigan Tech and major in geology! That would have been about the worst fit ever, since I am squarely a liberal arts person, and going to what's essentially an engineering school would have been an insane choice.

I'm sure the counselors mean well and have a thankless job (probably understaffed), but boy, it seems as if they should dig a little deeper sometimes.

[CabalPowered]

123. Bravo!

[Paladin]

124. You owe that counselor a debt of gratitude for her misjudgment of you.

Would you have that CA bar card without that chip she planted on your shoulder?

[Omaha Steve]

125. K&R!

[Sanity Claws]

126. Congratulations!

The California Bar is notoriously hard to pass.

Good luck in your legal career.

[The Genealogist]

127. Congratulations! I guess you showed her.

I had to put up with a guidance counselor who could also be less than encouraging. As a person he was a real jerk. He actually lied go me about college application processes and dates, because he didn't think I was with much as a student. I told a friend at another high school about this, and he told me the counselor was lying. He got me info from his own counselor and i went to the loczl university. My lowest grade as an underad was my single C. I graduated Magna Cum Laude, and thrn got an MA. Sometimes guidance counselors have no idea who they are dealing with!

[babylonsister]

129. Fantastic! Congrats to you!! nt

[happy feet]

130. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

"Success is the best revenge"

[usaf-vet]

131. I heard the same in story 1965. Find a job where you work with you hands. College is not an option.

Well I did find a job where my hands were important. I became a military medic working in the operating room. Everyday for four years. From my hand to the surgeons hands the instrument he (they) needed. Every surgeon is different. Each one has his own choice of the instruments he or she uses for a specific step in any given operation. You had to know what came next and have it ready. What instrument for what doctor in what step in the given case.

After graduation from basic training, basic medics training, and advance specialty OR training I returned to my high school guidance office with my certificates of graduation from medic's training with my class ranking of second in each course. Additionally I deliver this message. Do NOT underestimate the part that a desire to learn in a challenging environment has in ones success. High school was boring then and failed to take into account an individuals learning style.

I was then and I still am an independent learner. Put the desire to learn together with the resources to learn and there is no end to what you can accomplish.

After my honorable discharge. I went to college and got several degrees on the GI Bill. Got married and raised a family.
I went on to co-author a book on teaching database management to middle and high school students. I taught courses in several colleges in our region. Many of the now retiring teachers and college professors were students of mine when schools were starting to add computer science class to their curriculum.

When time allowed I decided to give back to my community and ran for the local School Board. Got elected twice.

One of my proudest moments was the day our brand new elementary school was opened.
In the front entrance there is a plaque with nine names on it. And mine is one of the nine School Board members that ushered this new learning environment into our community.

Now retired and in our 70's my wife (a college graduate) and I are still giving back to our community. And we are both still life long learners.

[Progressive Law]

132. I sincerely appreciate all the kind and uplifting replies. From the bottom of my heart,

...thank you very much.

[BigmanPigman]

137. Wow, that is an achievement!

My sister had to take the CA bar exam and it was NOT an easy task. Good for you!

[rickford66]

138. In 1964 I was advised to join the Army or be a farmer.

The guidance counselor told me not to waste my money (about $50 back then ) applying to college. Today I'm a retired Electrical Engineer (BS) with an AAS (computer science). Had a long career in flight simulation.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

142. You made me think of "Interstellar". Cynical, but hey!

Who do we trust today?

[kooth]

140. Congratulations, Counselor ...

Way to stick with it! We are very happy for you!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

141. Congratulations! Maybe the lack of support gave you more incentive.

That happened for me in a different field.

[ecstatic]

143. Congrats! BTW, your HS counselor's comment to you was disgusting. I'm glad

those harsh words didn't destroy you like it might have destroyed so many others.

[democrank]

145. Well done

Congratulations!

[LBM20]

146. Congrats! I was once told I couldn't read. Last year I got my SECOND graduate degree.

[redwitch]

147. Youngest son was not allowed to take AP History class in high school.

They said they didn’t think he could keep up. Guess who scored 100 on the ny state us history and government regents exam? We were so proud when they called him up on stage awards night!

It really was the most wonderful moment but I still get angry when I think about him being turned down for the honors course he requested. He is 28 today, has a great career in cyber security and high school is but a memory.

Good for you for rising above the negativity and achieving this!

[trof]

148. Maybe you misheard? Maybe it was 'not collage' material?

Maybe you're just not artistically inclined?
But seriously...
Congratulations!
Now go sue somebody.

[KPN]

149. Congrats! Sent this to my wife who teaches at-risk youth the past 25 years. I'm sure she

will make use of your story. Stories like yours are her "pay", and she's got a few of them herself (or I should say some of her students do). Thanks for sharing!

[Maven]

150. Congrats from a fellow CA bar member!!!

The CA bar exam is one of the toughest (I might even say *the* toughest) in the nation. You should be very proud.

[TuxedoKat]

151. Bravo

congratulations and best wishes to you!!!

[dameatball]

152. Congatulations. Well done!

My son is a lawyer. The old saying around his law school was something like this:

The A students become law professors, the B students become judges and the C students make all the money....

[Vinca]

153. Well done!

[VOX]

154. Well done! "Slow Pluggers" are to be admired; they're sharp, they persevere and see things through.

They are gifted with an internal wisdom that allows them to pace themselves exactly as needed.

Your accomplishment is absolutely outstanding, Progressive Law. You know your strengths, too. Well done!

[reACTIONary]

155. K&R - Well Done!!! nt

[RedSpartan]

156. Most difficult bar exam in the country.

You should be very proud. Congrats!

[Owl]

157. Congrats!

[Uncle Joe]

158. Congratulations Progressive Law!

Thanks for sharing.

[calimary]

160. Awwwwww... that's WUNNNNNNNNNderful!

Congratulations, Progressive Law! What a story! A spectacular achievement indeed! Be proud, you EARNED this.

Thank you so much for including us in your celebration! Such welcome good news, right when we need some.

[maryallen]

161. Good for you!

It took persistence and determination. Be proud of yourself and never forget what it took to accomplish your goal.