Am I doomed?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Okay, so, I guess I'll start from the beginning.</p>

<p>I was a mediocre student growing up, kind of just scrapped by in high school. I decided I wanted a fresh start and applied to a community college, where I did pretty good for my first year as a computer science major. I did fail a class at first, but I ended up retaking it for an A the following semester.</p>

<p>Semester 3, however, was a bit of a problem... two F's and a W. I was going through a hefty breakup and pretty moderate depression, and we were having some problems with insurance, so I wasn't able to grab a therapist. Unfortunately, my classes kind of just sank. That semester, I took Pre-calc, Java, and Elementary Japanese. I failed both Pre-cal and Java, and withdrew from Japanese. I blame myself for these problems, even though doing homework/studying when your mind is elsewhere really isn't that easy.</p>

<p>Next semester, I was hoping I could make it all better. I decided to take some time away from computer science and pursue my interests, so I took some general ed classes (and retaking Japanese)</p>

<p>Things were going okay, until around three weeks ago.</p>

<p>My dog passed away very suddenly. She had been coughing for a month prior, and nothing came out. We took her to the vet on the 23rd of April, and the vet said she had cancer. She ended up passing away the following Monday. This wasn't just a dog to me, she was a sister. She was a family member, just as much as I or my brother. I felt like I lost a huge part of me that day, and I really just couldn't handle class. So, I e-mailed my professors and took a week to gather my thoughts. Even when I returned, school life was hard, as I found it very difficult to study and set time to take care of assignments.</p>

<p>In my absence, I missed a lot, and am in danger of failing the three classes. My professors were sympathetic, but their hands were tied. Not much they could do. Recently, I got my grades in all classes and calculated the possibilities of me passing the classes - even with a C - and it doesn't look likely.</p>

<p>Last Thursday, I saw my counselor, who persuaded me to go after a linguistics major. I'm meeting with her next week, to discuss my next course of action, but until then, I can only think and stress.</p>

<p>I want to be a translator. Preferably a Japanese translator, but I won't say no to French :)</p>

<p>My school allows for classes to be taken a third time with a petition. I'll talk to my Japanese professor about it sometime in the near future, who I am sure she'll understand. My school also allows for academic renewal; up to 15 units. If I recall correctly, UCs honor these academic renewals.</p>

<p>If I do great from here on out - nothing but A's and the occasional B - would I be able to transfer to a UC? The end goal is to have a BA in Japanese and/or French, if that's even reasonable. (I'll be honest, I haven't give university much thought; I'm a little per-occupied with CC) I was looking at UC Santa Barbara, but really, any of them is ideal. My GPA for the first year was 3.06; after last semester, it was 2.07. Now... -shudder- </p>

2

<p>Well, I think you already know this but you definitely can’t leave those F’s on your transcript the way they are. Retake them, and work hard and get A’s. How many units are you at total right now? And how many F’s and D’s do you have?</p>

<p>Sorry for your loss.</p>

3

<p>I’m probably going to sound like an insensitive jerk, but here goes… I’m very sorry about your break-up and your dog, and anything else that has caused you grief. </p>

<p>However, life happens and you have to come up with some ways to cope and deal with what life throws. Academic Renewal or not, you can’t keeping piling on bad grades on top of bad grades. You have no idea what will happen next semester or next year that may throw you off your game. If you’re not ready to push through regardless, then maybe you need a break from school. </p>

<p>There are people who’ve lost a parent, child or a sibling, gotten divorced, been homeless, been incarcerated, been terminally I’ll, and the list goes on and on. I know I’m sounding like a heartless jerk, but I’m just telling you the truth. In the scale of things that are the toughest in life, your issues are average. </p>

<p>Life’s tough - Get a helmet. If you’re not prepared to do the work no matter what, then take a break from school. You are stuck with these grades for your entire life. You’ll never escape them. Don’t pile new mistakes on top of old mistakes. </p>

4

<p>@Freetofly112‌ I’m at 45 units total. So far I have one F that’s been retaken already, and 4 F’s that haven’t (Two of which are not for my current major). No D’s. Thank you. :)</p>

<p>@2016Candles‌ I was thinking about taking a break from school, to be honest. And no, you’re not too insensitive. You’re being realistic, which I should be as well. Maybe a break is a good idea, at least for right now. </p>

<p>I have to learn how to carry on through grief… that’ll be tough. :confused: </p>

5

<p>^ I have 5 F’s. I don’t know why I typed 4 :/</p>

6

<p>If I were you I would take a break and do the acadamic renewal and start again, assuming you’re paying resident tuition. If you cannot wait for long you can always have private universities as an option because they accept transfers with 30 units you would only need 2 semesters to transfer.</p>

7

<p>Okay, not all hope is lost, and I’ll offer you the best advice I can. On CC, people tend to err on the pessimistic side. I’m very, very sorry about the loss of your dog. Many people don’t understand the impact that pet loss can take on our lives, and sometimes it can be just as painful if not more than losing a human being. So i’m very sorry you had to go through that. </p>

<p>If you’re thinking of going UC, W’s don’t matter. They honor academic renewal, so the hit to your GPA won’t be so bad once you’ve retaken all those F’s and D’s. What I can tell you is that C’s hurt. A lot more than an F or a D. IT will drag your GPA through the gutter, trust me, I know. So you are not doomed, but you’re going to have to commit to a couple more semesters to raise your GPA, get A’s and B’s and then apply. It’s going to be a lot more time consuming. </p>

<p>I do recommend that you take some time off, gather yourself, get the AR process going, and start off strong when you are ready. I myself did not have a strong GPA and I got into UCLA. I went through a very tough time, much like yourself. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need general advice :slight_smile: best wishes. </p>

8

<p>@Harren‌ Private universities are just not an option AT ALL lol. I can’t afford that.</p>

<p>@ivelosthope‌ Thank you for your kind words. It’s something I can’t describe, and something I would never wish on my worst enemy. :(</p>

<p>Sounds like a plan! I can do that. I think some time off is what I need. I wanted to, but my best friend convinced me not to. He said you’ll never go back, but I actually would; I kind of miss going to class over the summer, so I don’t see how I’d miss school if I took a semester off.</p>

<p>Would it be a good idea to miss a fall semester? Aren’t they more important? </p>

9

<p>You definitely can make it to a UC, but you need to stop making excuses and understand that you’re in control of your life. Your story is not unique, and there are tons of people who have overcome and succeeded with with a worse hand than you. </p>

<p>Additionally, when you say the following:</p>

<p>“I was going through a hefty breakup and pretty moderate depression, and we were having some problems with insurance, so I wasn’t able to grab a therapist.”</p>

<p>" I blame myself for these problems, even though doing homework/studying when your mind is elsewhere really isn’t that easy."</p>

<p>“I really just couldn’t handle class”</p>

<p>It makes me feel that you are not being sincere about changing your behavior and taking academics seriously. Adversity is supposed to build character and you need to show that you can take it head on. </p>

10

<p>I just learned that I can only participate in academic renewal two years after this semester. </p>

11

<p>@Amerikahito - You will be fine. The UCs don’t care about Ws. The Ds and Fs can be retaken. The UCs do not factor in the original grades. You are actually better off getting Ds. Passing grades (Cs) can’t be re-taken and will drag down your GPA. </p>

<p>I think people who do not suffer with depression have no idea how debilitating it can be. It sounds to me that may be part of your problem. Have you considered therapy and or medication?<br>
Good Luck !</p>

12

<p>retake and pass all the courses which you failed, and you should be okay</p>