I think she is trying to steer you in the right direction and her intentions are good, but her approach sound very poor. This is a very difficult situation, considering she is your mother and you have to live under the same roof as her. Like another poster said, the best way to deal with such a situation is to develop a thick skin. Try your best to avoid certain topics, try to keep to yourself, or when she is on one of her tantrums, use that as fuel to do better, but not for her.. for yourself. Don't let a bad grade in high school get you down. I did terrible in high school and I still went off to college. Community colleges are looked down upon from some people, but many of them are much cheaper than universities. Many of the people I graduated with started out at community colleges after graduation just because it was cheaper and they ended up transferring to a bigger university with their credits. Also remember, the name of the school isn't what is going to get you success in life, it will be your hard work and dedication. A school name on a piece of paper is just an added benefit.