Am I done for? Help appreciated...

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi, first time poster here so I apologize in advance if this is the wrong section. </p>

<p>Before anything, please allow me to explain about my situation. I'm terribly sorry once again for huge the wall of text- I'll try my best to keep it concise. I hardly doubt I'll get many replies (if any at all hahaha) but ANY help would greatly be appreciated...</p>

<hr>

<p>I am currently an undergraduate at a community college (in Cali), and I just finished my 2nd year. I was planning to apply this Fall '11, but I hit rock bottom. </p>

<p>A lot of sudden, unexpected (personal; fam) things happened in my life in the past year and a half, and it conflicted with school a LOT even though I tried my best not to. I was never a straight A student in high school (which would explain me being in CC) but I wasn't a complete dumb ass either. I was just an average straight B student that wanted a second chance in CC to transfer to a better school than what my high school GPA offered. Plus I hated studying in high school. </p>

<p>So, I entered CC. For the first two semesters (Fall and Winter), I maintained a 3.8 even though it was only five courses total. However, in Spring '10, mishaps started occurring and I started slipping. </p>

<p>I registered for 3 classes in that semester and dropped one class while resulting in a C and F for the other two. This obviously dramatically lowered my GPA, which made me decide to stay for an extra year at CC to make up for these grades. I took a break in Summer '10 because of the personal problems going on in my life (and I don't mean no pussy sh**...). Then I resumed in Fall '10, and I didn't apply because of the screw up. </p>

<p>Although the problems were still ongoing, I thought I would still be able to manage school. Yet my judgements were far off and I ended up with W, F, F, C in FOUR courses that semester. </p>

<p>At this point, all I could think was that I was screwed. VERY screwed. I was down, disappointed, and depressed in this time phase because of all the ongoing problems. I took Winter '10 off because of this, and started Spring '11. </p>

<p>I wanted to quit and give up, but just thinking about my parents (my sole motivators) made me want to go on. So, I enrolled in Spring '11 with the courses that I failed previously. But surprise, I ended up with C, F, and W again. Believe me, I wanted to try and replace my failed grades but my life situation just didn't let me. I wish I could tell you guys what the such problem is, but I really can't due to personal reasons.. </p>

<hr>

<p>Now I'm stuck with these failed grades and my total GPA is at 1.88. I was placed on Academic Probation at the end of Fall '10, and now I'm in DISQUALIFIED status at my CC. I haven't confirmed it with a counselor yet but I'm almost positive that means I'm kicked out, at least for 2 semester's worth of time. </p>

<p>My problems are STILL extant, but not so much anymore. More like I'm over it and just accepted the fact that life is a huge *****. I'm not a drama king either, more of the opposite.</p>

<p>I won't just give up yet though. I am currently enrolled in two classes at UCLA for this Summer (6 wk courses), and I'm getting A's so far and ranked top 10 in both classes while 3 weeks into it. I'm ready to make this a turnpoint of my life, but my past academic performances are really dragging me down. I decided to stay for ANOTHER year in CC (so four total...) and apply NEXT Fall ('12) because I really want to go to a decent UC, even if that meant missing most of my golden youngin years. It's been **** so far anyway, so why not make it worse while I'm at it right haha. </p>

<p>So, I'm ready and positive I can do well in school from now on, even though everyone probably has that mentality haha. My current grades at UCLA is showing that I'm capable so far (even though it's only two lol), and I'm sure I can keep my fire burning for what is to remain. I'm not sure what I'll be doing in Fall as I'm probably kicked out from my school, but I will definitely be taking classes elsewhere. I just wanted to get a gist of where I stood beforehand.</p>

<p>Anyway, that is basically the summary of my life so far... Again, my current GPA is 1.88 and I'm aiming for UCs... I'm certain that I am adequate to attend and do well, but I know that no colleges will accept me NOW with what my past academic performance has shown. </p>

<p>So... with that being said, if I were to get back on my feet starting NOW, how screwed am I really..? I don't mind attending a CSU then hopefully get into a good graduate school.. It's just rather disappointing that life limited my capability. </p>

<p>Sorry about the huge text, I just wanted to make it as clear as possible. So with everything said, any help or tips will be very much appreciated! I would hope to hear responses regarding any especial extracurricular activities I can do to hopefully balance my grades as much as possible or anything along that field. </p>

<p>If you've actually read up to this point, thank you SO much for reading! Hope to hear replies soon, and God bless! Have a great day/night. :)</p>

2

<p>There’s nothing much I can help but say,</p>

<p>DON’T GIVE UP… EVER :)</p>

<p>Strive on!</p>

3

<p>Speaking as a parent, yes, you have a long road ahead of you. BUT there is nothing like persistence to get you there. There are so many successful people who struggled in the 5-10 years out of high school. And while I do not know anything about your personal struggles, you might be interested in reading a very recent article in the New York Times about Marsha Linehan who’s a very famous research psychologist who talks in the article about her struggles with severe personal problems starting as a teenager. I think she has a very inspiring story. Just google Marsha Linehan New York Times.</p>

4

<p>You need to get to your CCC transfer counselor immediately and start talking with him/her about your options for transfer. </p>

<p>With a 1.8, you will not be able to get into a UC or a CSU. UCs are out of the picture with a 1.8. Most CSUs have a rock-bottom requirement of a 2.0 for transfer. For CCC students trying to transfer into a CSU, most need at least a 2.5 for “local area” transfers or closer to a 3.0 or higher for non-local transfers.</p>

<p>There are no ECs that would balance your 1.8. First of all, CSUs do not even ASK for a list of ECs. There isn’t even a place on the applications for CSUs to even squeeze it in. CSUs also do not even ask for letters of recommendations.</p>

<p>The UCs are extremely competitive and are taking less and less students all of the time because of budget cuts. The UCs are going to want to see a track record of a solid series of good grades… I would say at minimum 1 full year of fulltime courses. I say a full year, because at this point, a single semester of good grades would still not show <em>sustained</em> change and maturity (in terms of handling coursework). And I say fulltime coursework because I believe most/all the UCs require their students to go to school fulltime and thus the UCs need to know that the student can handle a fulltime courseload on a sustained level.</p>

<p>For Fall 2011, the average ADMITTED student had a 3.7
UCLA Transfer GPA
[Profile</a> of Admitted Transfer Students - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof.htm]Profile”>http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof.htm)</p>

<p>UC Riverside, considered one of the “lesser” UCs has a minimum transfer GPA **requirement **of 2.4. Further, for Fall 2011, the average transfer admit had a 3.1 GPA.</p>

<p>My guess is that your best chance is to get your GPA up into the 2.5 range and apply to your “local” CSU (though that will still be a bit of a stretch). Your local CSU will take as many CCC student transfers as it can that meets minimum requirements (GPA is usually set somewhere between 2.0 and 2.4) until spots are filled. As long as there are openings and you meet that minimum GPA, you get in. Note that your “local” CSU is NOT based on where you live, but on the CCC you completed the majority of your units. (It doesn’t work to simply move close to a certain CSU… they count the units of the CCC you have attended already).</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.calstate.edu/sas/publications/documents/CSULocalAdmission-ServiceAreas.pdf[/url]”>http://www.calstate.edu/sas/publications/documents/CSULocalAdmission-ServiceAreas.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Alternatively, get your GPA up to a 2.5 and try going to a lower tiered private college.</p>

<p>It may be frustrating to know that UCs are very unlikely for you, even if you are capable of handling the coursework at a UC. The UCs have more people who want to attend them than spaces. You are competing for a limited spot with students that have 3.0s, 3.5 and 3.9+ GPAs. The UCs simply run out of room at some point taking students with higher GPAs and more solid track records. And these days, so do the CSUs.</p>

<p>Talk to a transfer counselor at your CCC right away! Good luck.</p>

5

<p>Here’s the thing</p>

<p>You’re not done for.</p>

<p>I’m a student in a similar situation. I had a 1.3 GPA, got put on academic probation and now I’m reapplying to my school. </p>

<p>Below are 5 things you can do that might not get you into the school of your dreams but will ensure you’ll get into a good school and thus, still be able to follow your goals.</p>

<p>1 - Dont give up. Dont think this year will be the end of your life. Use it as time to grow
2 - Get a good gpa. Get a 2.5 AT LEAST. I reapplied with a 2.5 which isn’t perfect, but you know what helped? I got a 4.0 the last semester at community college.
3 - Be active as possible. Dont just take easy classes. Take substantial ones. It shows growth.
4 - Dont make the same mistakes. Make sure you dont repeat the same things at CC that got you kicked out.
5 - Get as much good favor as you can. Recommendations, and a psychologist will help. Not to say you’re crazy, but to simply show that you have improved and are a serious student.</p>

<p>You’ll be surprised how much just showing growth will count in your favor.</p>