Can Old Vocational Classes Affect My University Applications?

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The discussion centers around the concern of a student who has excelled in recent coursework but is troubled by old vocational classes on their transcript that negatively impact their GPA. The individual has achieved mostly A's in recent college courses but received B's and C's in classes taken 13 years ago during an electrician apprenticeship, which they feel are irrelevant to their current academic goals. They question whether these old grades will affect their applications to four-year universities and future graduate schools. Responses suggest that many universities may overlook these vocational classes, especially if they do not transfer or impact the GPA at the new institution. It is also noted that demonstrating recent academic success could help mitigate concerns about past performance. The student is encouraged to embrace their journey and highlight their improvements rather than focus solely on past grades. Overall, while the old grades are a source of anxiety, there is reassurance that they are unlikely to significantly hinder future academic opportunities if the student continues to perform well.
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Alright, so a few years back I was one of those "Am I too old...?" people. Well, I've stuck with school part-time at the local CC and this upcoming fall I will finally be in a position where I can attend school full-time, so I am in the process of sending out applications to some 4-year universities.
I've managed all A's after almost 50 credit hours (the only B's I've gotten have been in an 8-week summer course in Differential Equations and another B in Calc 3). Problem is, when I went to send in my transcripts I realized I have 3 old classes on my transcripts from way back when I did an electrician apprenticeship. I got B's and C's in these classes and they really drag my GPA down.
These were vocational classes, taken 13 years ago, and have nothing to do with the degree I'm aiming for at all. These classes weren't even administered by professors, they were taught by electricians and I never even considered them real college classes so I had mostly forgotten about them and had not expected them on my transcripts. They were "Conduit Bending" and classes like this. I'm not trying to buck responsibility, I didn't deserve A's in these classes as I put in a half-arsed effort in them, but I just don't feel they are relevant to my current situtation. When I approached the school about this, they pretty much said I was S.O.L.
A few questions:

Do you think I have a valid argument that these should not be figured into my GPA?
Will most universities overlook these classes and realize they are not reflective of my future academic success?
Will this also haunt me when I apply for Grad schools as these schools may just be interested in my GPA from past schools, where I'll be competing against other students with near-flawless applications?

I guess I'm just looking for re-assurance as I'll be sending out these applications anyways, but this has got me a bit bummed out. My past always wants to rear it's ugly head... :)
 
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Since they were vocational classes, they probably won't transfer to the University anyways, so having them on your transcript really doesn't mean anything. I think also depending on the university, you're transferred grades don't come with you from community college...so if you took a 4 credit calc 3 course that you got a B in, it will show up on your university transcript as a 4 credit calc 3 course transfer equivalent or something like that.

If you do good in your 4 year program, I highly doubt those classes will have an effect on your graduate school application.

Also as a general thought, you might not want to hide your past but embrace it as something that has taken place and can never change. Should you really feel it's so bad, you can always show/tell/point to your current achievements and say 'look how much I've turned my life around...I used to get C's and now I get A's.'
 
daveyinaz said:
Since they were vocational classes, they probably won't transfer to the University anyways, so having them on your transcript really doesn't mean anything. I think also depending on the university, you're transferred grades don't come with you from community college...so if you took a 4 credit calc 3 course that you got a B in, it will show up on your university transcript as a 4 credit calc 3 course transfer equivalent or something like that.

If you do good in your 4 year program, I highly doubt those classes will have an effect on your graduate school application.

Also as a general thought, you might not want to hide your past but embrace it as something that has taken place and can never change. Should you really feel it's so bad, you can always show/tell/point to your current achievements and say 'look how much I've turned my life around...I used to get C's and now I get A's.'

I just hate that these classes drag down my GPA. I know that my GPA at my next school will be unaffected, but when I apply to grad school I'm pretty sure they will want transcripts from ALL of my old schools, so they will see these classes and the grades I received.
Your last point is right, though, and I'm sure I'm just over-reacting because I just found this out recently. Thanks.
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

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