@otoribashi I see what you mean in terms of saving money by going to a CC for two years then transferring to a UC. I never really opened my eyes to CC’s though. I’m also considering CSU’s though i’m not really sure what majors each of them excel in. Similarly for UC’s, I only have a general idea of what majors they specialize in. I may visit some colleges this summer to get an idea. I just want to keep my options open before thinking of going to a CC because although it saves money by going for two years then transferring, I feel that won’t be as strong on a resume than if I had took four straight years at a UC. I do know that there are opportunities for reduced tuition, etc. if you maintain a certain GPA at different UC’s and I will look into that.
I will include the impact of my father’s passing in my essay. I also was unsure if they would see it as an excuse but I feel like it would give a context for my struggle to recover instead of pretending that it did not happen and the admission people thinking that slacking off was the reason for my lower grades. I’m sure they have hearts too and will understand.
I will consider what majors I’m willing to explore after I visit some of these colleges.
The thing I fear is UC’s thinking that I bit off more than I can chew in terms of AP classes. However I did get a B+ first semester for chem and I did get a B in calculus this semester which is better than C’s both semesters.