Applying This November! Help!

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Ok so Ill be applying to UCLA (#1 choice of course) UCI, UCSD. Ill lit the gist of what happened to me in chronological order.</p>

<p>Fall 2008-Spring 2009</p>

<p>So heres the odd part... I took night classes every semester at my local CC during my senior year I got a 3.6 average GPA. Everything looked good. I got most of IGETC done.</p>

<p>Fall 2009- Spring 2010</p>

<p>But i didnt know what major i was going to do. So I took pure science (general chem and bio majors) and math classes the semester after I graduated from hs. I didnt do so good in Chem so I got a W and failed most of my classes. I retook chem the following spring but I got a D. which is evern worse! I had personal reasons for failing my classes. breaking up with gf, ill grandfather i had to drive him to the hospital 4 days out of 7 days a week. He was hospitalized most of the time and I had to help my mom take care of him.</p>

<p>OLD CC GPA 2.8</p>

<p>Fall 2010- Spring 2011:</p>

<p>ok so then decided that maybe I needed a change of scenery so I transferred to a new CC the following in LA. I lived in with relatives in LA but... they caused alot of drama for me (personal but ill explain it on my essays) I didnt really do good at my new CC (1 B physics, 1 C history, 1 W microbiology). For spring they actually kicked me out of their house 1 month into the semester. I got a loan to pay for a apt but the loans werent enough! I had to drop all of my classes (genetics class, geometry class) I still have 1 class which ill be able to pass (online math class) :( I dropped the classes because I will be having to drive 100 miles (50 miles 1 way) a day for more than half the semester. It isnt worth driving 100 miles to LA just go to school and gas prices are off the charts right now. itll put me into more finacial hardships with gas bills.</p>

<p>I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO MY OLD CC and just work my way up</p>

<p>NEW CC GPA 2.4</p>

<p>Now ive decided i wanted to major in Psychology. Wh you say i wanted to major in psychology? because ive been through alot. I want to help people! people who have the same issues I had... whether it be money or family problems! my psychological state of mind had been barraged wit family matters and finacial hardships that affected my CC performance (at my old school and at my new school). I dont want any other person to go through what happened to me! Now that I have a picture that i want to do the shackles are removed and its payback D:<</p>

<p>Summer 2011- Spring 2012</p>

<p>Now that im back at my old school and ive grown up so much... ive got a taste of what life was. I have a new mind set and im ready to kick some ass (classes of course)</p>

<p>I plan to retake the math classes I failed back at spring 2010 and CHEMISTRY... YEA IM REVIEWING FOR THAT CLASS with the spare time I have. Im ready to get those A's</p>

<p>SORRY FOR WALL OF TEXT</p>

<p>I actually have most of my psych prereqs finished all i need is stats and ill be done. I know that I dont need general chemistry because I passed a physics class that could take place of that but you know.... personal grudge with that class.</p>

<p>here's are my questions... which im so scared of! </p>

<p>1) when I apply to UC ill have around a 3.0-3.2 ish GPA (thanks to the summer classes im going to take). DO UC's weigh more on the GPA that you applied with? OR will they also weigh more on your fall semester grades (the fact that after you applied november?</p>

<p>because if i get Pure As fall semester (ill be taking around 19.5 units) Ill have around a 3.5-3.7 GPA :) which will put me in a good seat for a psych major at UCLA. </p>

<p>2) I know that they release decisions around march/april... so does that mean that they dont look at your spring grades? </p>

<p>because if I get pure As (ill be taking 19.5 units again next spring ill be around 3.6-3.8 GPA. </p>

<p>3) I know they look at upward trends but if they only look at your grades up to fall (hopefully) Ill only have 2 semesters to show that I had upward trend in my grades (summer and fall)</p>

<p>if they look up to only your grades when you apply ill only have 1 semester to show that i had an upward trend (summer)</p>

<p>IDK i feel so nervous/ failure... idk i need your guy's opinions!</p>

2

<ol>
<li>First and foremost, they will look at your cumulative UC transferable GPA. Your application will not include your Fall Grades but you will have a chance to update your application early in 2012. Not to kill your self esteem or anything, but I would TAG UCI because there’s a good chance you wouldn’t be accepted otherwise. Tons of people without TAG were waitlisted/rejected this year especially in Psych which could even be impacted next year. I would also suggest applying to UCR and UCM. You should also apply to some CSUs (I’d recommend CSULB). Though a few lucky people do get accepted with ~3.0 to schools like UCSD & UCLA, at this point in time considering the number of applicants, I definitely wouldn’t count on being accepted. Since you can’t TAG UCSD (you would need a 3.5 GPA), you will be in the general applicant pool. On a personal note, I had 22 credits worth of a 2.0 from a 4 year school. It took me 3 years of full time school getting nearly straight A’s (3.8 GPA & 100+ semester units). I was rejected from UCLA and waitlisted at UCI without TAG. </li>
</ol>

<p>Just so you are aware, when you have a GPA of a 3.0 with 60 units, receiving straight A’s for 30 units will only bring your GPA up to a 3.3. I’m not sure of how many credits you already have but it takes a lot to significantly increase your GPA. Though you might have a really heartfelt story about why you screwed up in the past, schools like UCLA and UCSD generally (don’t quote me) don’t read your personal essays or don’t really care about anything except your grades and if you’ve completed the pre-reqs.</p>

3

<ol>
<li>They will not consider your Spring grades at all.</li>
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4

<ol>
<li>I’m not sure what the question is in this part. What I can say is that you definitely shouldn’t feel like a failure. But moreover, if you don’t get accepted to a UC or the one that you want, you should realize that you still have the ability to turn things around at whatever school you are accepted to. There is always grad school after all if you wanted a second shot and getting into a UC shouldn’t be the defining factor of your academic pursuits. From this point on, you should strive to be a model student and not fall into past trends of doing poorly in school. I didn’t mean to make my posts sound like you don’t have a chance because you definitely do, but if you are TRULY serious about your education, from here on out you have to put absolutely everything into it. Though I’ve had my ups and downs with college, I spent this last year trying to prove that I would be an exceptional candidate for my UC application. Last semester, I took 25.5 units of bio, calc, ochem, physics, spanish and english and received ALMOST straight A’s (One B). This semester I took 22 units of the same classes and am expecting nearly straight A’s again. Like I said earlier, I was rejected from UCLA and waitlisted at UCI, but I was accepted to Berkeley. I never expected it but I am proof that hard work can really get you anywhere even when you least expect it. Overall, don’t give up hope but make sure you keep your options open when you’re choosing schools to apply to.</li>
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5

<p>thanks. man ucla is my #` school. yeah… ill think about UCI.</p>

<p>my school doesnt have TAG with UCLA… that isnt fair O.O</p>

<p>ahhh i dont understand waitlist</p>

6

<p>UCLA doesnt have TAG…</p>

7

<p>okay what is your career goal? i hope nothing pre health.</p>

8

<p>You should definitely reach for the stars. I wish I had done this. I didn’t think I could make it into Berkeley or UCLA so I didn’t apply to either school, but now I feel like I missed out on great opportunities because I wasn’t ambitious enough. </p>

<p>With that said, however, you also need to be realistic. What is your current GPA? Is it below a 3.0? How many units have you taken? How are you doing this semester? Are you getting straight As this semester or close to it? It seems like you are depending on getting straight As during your next year at a CC to bring you to a point that will be “attractive” to the higher UCs. If you have not stepped your game up this semester, you might be making a big gamble. So, if you plan on transferring next year, you really should consider the back-up options that killmyentourage mentioned (UCR, UC Merced, and CSULB – I’d throw in San Diego State as well). Also, look into waiting a year. If you wait a year and step your game up during that time, you would be a much more attractive applicant.</p>

9

<p>Apply to some CSU’s as backups.</p>

<p>Your post has way too much “what if” in it .
This part sounds the most unbelivable .
"because if i get Pure As fall semester (ill be taking around 19.5 units) Ill have around a 3.5-3.7 GPA which will put me in a good seat for a psych major at UCLA. "
Taking 20 units in one semester is almost insane . It sounds like you may have to spend another year at CC to transfer. But in that time you’ll be able to just take a full 12 units and therefore will do way better . Getting a 3.0-3.5 in CC when your taking 12-15 units isn’t that hard, it just takes dedication. But with 19.5 units( most schools wont let you do this, with the budget cuts this will probably not be possible) you have to work 2x as hard and you have less time to study for each class. Last year I jokingly said to my boss, when he had to lay me off from my temp job, that now I’ll time to pass my classes . The funny part was it was my best semester . In all of my classes I did great and had fun .</p>

<p>Think about how difficult 19.5 units will be in a semester, to be honest this how students end up failing classes . It’d be best to work at a slower pace( OR take half semester classes, this is also great, say you take 3 16 week classes, 1 late start class and 1 first 8 week class).
Good luck</p>