<p>Did anyone here apply to the UC's last year, (unsatisfied with admission offers) and apply again this year? Or has anyone gone through a similar situation in years past?</p>
<p>I'm wondering because I was just rejected from Cal--my dream school, and am considering waiting another year at my community college. I know that, over the course of this quarter as well as spring and fall, I will be able to increase my GPA from a 3.69 to a 3.94--a much more competitive GPA. It feels a little silly to just give up if I can increase my chance of being accepted next year. </p>
<p>Hey, i did that. I applied to UCs for Fall 2007, got into all of them except for Cal. Even sent in my SIR to UCLA. I realized that I wouldn’t be happy in LA and that i really only saw myself at Berkeley… So i took a break off of school entirely and worked…and lived in central America for a year and a half. I came back for one semester before re-applying and in that 1 semester I raised my GPA from a ~3.15 to a ~3.65. (I took 40 units that semester) I talked about what I learned during my time off and how much I’ve matured. I guess Cal really liked that so I got in… Plus my essay this time and my ECs were strong.</p>
<p>Many ppl go back to CC because they didnt get into their first choice. There’s a absolutely no shame in this - it’ll be totally worth it when you get in. But
you HAVE to have great grades from now on to prove to them how much youve improved. Cal reads those personal statements; spend lots of time on it!</p>
<p>I was denied by Cal last year. After some long and hard looks at my application, I decided the only things I was missing were major pre-reqs and experience in the field. So I took all the major pre-reqs available to me (4.0 gpa) and found a job in a research lab studying exactly what I want to study. Just got accepted, so I guess I did something right </p>
<p>There are lots of great schools, and you’ll have a great experience wherever you go. But it’s your life! Live your dream!</p>
<p>cherryvaseline and molecule1985–Thank you guys for sharing your experiences. I’m not sure what my final decision will be, but your advice did help put my concerns into perspective.</p>
<p>I would probably have stayed at my CC, had Berkeley not admitted me. If Cal is your dream school, don’t give up trying to get in. If you’re confident you can raise your GPA, do some ECs / get major related work experience, you’ll likely have a good shot getting into Cal next year.</p>
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