Hello,
I am a freshman at a community college in Southern California and I’m trying to get into either UCLA (for Business Econ), USC (for Business Admin/Computer Science), or UCI (for Business Admin). I had a rough first semester and my GPA isn’t looking too good. I’m really worried I won’t be able to get into these universities because of my GPA, and I’m looking for advice on what I should do. Assuming I pull through and do well through Fall 2020, my GPA should be around 3.65 for my applications. What should I do outside of school, that pertains to finance, and what other things can I do to make up for my lower GPA? Also, what should I expect in terms of how hard it is to transfer to these colleges under my GPA and major? Finally, will the colleges be understanding of my rough first semester of college, or is it inexcusable?
Additional Information:
I had 6 AP’s, 1380 on SAT (1400 super score), and a 3.56 GPA in high school
I am Asian (I heard this might affect admissions in some colleges)
I am in the Honors Program at my college.
Do you know what happened during your first semester? Do you have a plan to significantly improve your grades from now on?
The most important thing that you can do is to get better grades this semester. The next most important thing is to get better grades next semester. Repeat as needed.
The other thing that you need to do is to include realistic schools on the list of universities that you try to transfer to.
Your GPA is below the 25th percentile for all of the schools and majors mentioned above. None of these schools will be looking at your SAT score (provided you are transferring in as a junior). Only USC will look at your high school grades. However, if you have a compelling reason as to why you may have performed poorly in your first semester or show an extreme upward trend in grades, these schools may be able to overlook your GPA.
The honors program is huge for UC schools. At my CCC, 92% of those who complete the honors program and applied to UCLA were accepted.
I would recommend joining or starting a finance/business related club at your campus. Or if possible, interning at a local firm this summer.