Hi CC, I am a 23 year old living in LA still at a community college and for the past 2 years have been trying to figure out how to get out of here. For a while now I have taken interest in Computer Science and have been self learning slowly and feel like it is something that I would actually like to do in the future.
I attended SMC cc straight out of high school. Within two years I was disqualified. I really messed up and failed almost all the classes I took which resulted in a gpa that was below 1.2 . I quit school for about a year and a half and after a lot of reflecting I started up again at a different cc. At the current one I have a 3.5 GPA and feel like I have been doing really good, but still not enough. When I combine my GPA’s from both schools my GPA drops so low I feel like I don’t have a chance at any schools. I was trying to go for UCI or Cal Poly Pomona, but I really doubt that I will get in. Also I jumped back into school without a clear goal so I took a lot of classes which really blew up the amount of credits I have.
Would my best options be to go back to SMC and try to retake all the UC transferable classes I failed to boost my GPA?
I calculated my possible GPA and it looked something like 3.5 if I did decide to do that.
Sorry for the sob story. I just don’t have a lot of resources because none of my family know anything about college and I would technically be the first. I have talked my counselors, but many times it is so rushed and can’t ask all of the questions I have so I thought I’d come here. Thanks for reading
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I’m not an expert at this, but just remember that colleges take upward trends positively. I’m sure they would be more forgiving about your grades back then if your transcript shows that you’ve been doing well more recently. Definitely retake those classes at SMC, then. You would both increase your knowledge and improve your transcript.
I’m rooting for you! Stories like this are always great to read, as they’re inspiring to me. I also suggest asking a counselor at either of the community colleges if possible.
First of all, no, you are not hopeless!
I agree with the above poster. Upward trends are significant! That’s just as great (if not, better) as students with perfect GPAs. If you can retake them, I definitely would do that. It would help your GPA AND show the schools you’re dedicated to improving yourself. There is never a wrong time to start anew. Write up a plan and keep track of your goals throughout each semester. I’m not sure how it is at SMC or the other CC you went to, but the Honors counselors at my CC are brilliant (more availability for many appointments too!). I definitely encourage you to join the Honors Program at your school once you’ve met the required GPA.
Good luck my friend! If anything, I am available via pm if you’d like to chat about anything else. 
Never hopeless. Keep that upward trend.
You are far from being a hopeless case! I was in a similar position to yours when I applied to the UC’s as a transfer student during this past application season. I attended a university overseas for two semesters and got a sub-3.0 GPA, then enrolled at a California CC and had a 3.6 GPA from there at the time my application was reviewed. I was very nervous, but I ended up being admitted to UCI, UCSB, and UCSC, and waitlisted to UCSD and UCD (surprisingly not rejected anywhere), and for a very competitive major (electrical engineering) to boot!
If I were you, I would try to contact your previous CC and see if you could get Academic Renewal for your failed semesters. If that process goes through, then those bad grades will be essentially wiped off your record as far as UC admissions go, and your current 3.5 GPA will be the only one considered in the admissions process. I was actually in an even worse position because my first university did not have any Academic Renewal policy, so the UC’s saw all my poor grades from that first year. If I was able to make it into a UC in spite of those challenges, I’m sure you will too!
Yes, go back and retake or get academic renewal (AR) at SMC. UCs will replace D/F grades with a replacement.
Don’t give up hope!
Also, try looking through here http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/
I just read the policies on the SMC site, and apparently i have not been looking enough. Academic renewals will help me clear the classes that are weighing me down. Thank you so much for the tips guys, I am gonna keep trying and hope to transfer asap.