<p>if one's gpa is too low at their current university (<2.3), is it worth it to stay and try to raise the grades and then transfer ?</p>
<p>or is he/she better off going to community college getting a fresh 4.0 and then transferring ?</p>
<p>Well, first off, going to community college doesn’t give you a “fresh” gpa. Your records from your current university still need to be sent to the school you apply to. </p>
<p>I think it is always worth it to go to a community college because you save a lot of money and generally have smaller classes and better qualified professors (cc classes are usually taught by PhD’s who want to teach, whereas university classes are often taught by TAs and grad students). But if you are doing poorly at your current institution there is no reason to expect you will do better at a cc unless you identify your problems first. If you go to a cc without understanding why you are failing you will just doom yourself to continue failing.</p>
<p>so how many extra semesters would one need at the CC to sway the admissions counselors into accepting them, despite the 2.3 gpa they left behind at their first university ?</p>
<p>How much time did you spend at your uni? There is a limit to how many credits you can transfer in. If you spend time retaking classes that you did poorly in and showing strength in new, more challenging, classes. Maybe 1 - 2 years. It really depends on how many credits you have now and how many credits you can transfer in later.</p>
<p>4 semesters spent at University. total of 53 credits.</p>
<p>How many credits you can transfer varies by school, but on average it is between 60 - 70 semester credits. Most schools will allow you to apply with more credits than that, you will just lose a lot of those credits when you transfer.</p>
<p>The important thing is showing an upward trend. Since you have already been in school two years I don’t think it makes sense to continue at your uni right now. It makes more sense to go the cc route so that you can save money and be in a more supportive environment. If you can show marked improvement at your cc you have a chance of getting into some decent schools.</p>
<p>You may also want to consider taking a year off and working or traveling, then return to school with afres perspective.</p>