Hey guys, I’m currently 9 months away being honorably discharged from the military and my goal is to get a CS BS from either UCLA or USC. Before joining the military neither university even crossed my mind as I nor my parents would’ve been able to afford it, but the GI Bill has eliminated that concern.
I attended community college before enlisting however I just wasn’t mature or responsible enough to handle college; I was 16 at the time. So I did that for 2 years, walked into the recruiter’s office as soon as I turned 18, and that was it. Is my military service, and a good SAT score (1490+) enough to cancel out my 2.89 GPA and get me into either? Or should I not even bother with retaking the SAT, attend CC again, and then finally transfer. Thanks for reading.
Hmmm…you might want to try contacting the admissions offices at both of those schools and make an appointment to discuss your situation.
This what I would do if I were in your situation: I would go ahead and apply now, and try to get in. While you’re applying, take a couple of community college classes (and get As in them) while you wait to hear your results. If you get it, great, if not, then you can continue taking classes at the CC and apply again.
If you’re serious about UCLA, look into the “Scholars Program” at Santa Monica College. They have a close relationship for transfers with UCLA. Contact them, explain your situation, and that you would like to join the Scholar’s Program even though you already have a lot of cc classes because you’re looking to re-build your college resume after military service.
(How old is your SAT score? You may want to take it again. Take a free practice SAT at Compass or Sylvan Learning in Southern California, but also take a practice ACT as well. Sometimes people do much better on on exam over the other.)
All the best to you!
When choosing classes at your community college, pay close attention to professor reviews on RateMyProfessor as well as try to google ‘grade distribution chart’ for your community college. It can be incredible the differences in how some teachers teach and grade the exact same class…
@bh2021 I’ve actually signed up tours at both UCLA and USC so I’ll be sure to go their admissions office in person. I took my SAT in 2012 so pretty old haha. I wasn’t aware of the Scholars Program, I’ll definitely check it out. Thank you for answering.
You will most likely have to retake the SAT if you want them to be considered. How close are you to completing your associates? Your chances would be better if you to transfer to a 4 year after completing your associates. Check these articulation agreement at your CC.
UCLA accepts Junior level transfers so HS grades and SAT scores will not be considered but also have to complete 60 semester/90 quarter units minimum prior to transfer. Schools will put more emphasis on your current course grades vs. ones completed in the past. Since you are touring both schools, meeting with admissions about your situation would be the best option since they could tell you what you need to make your transfer successful.
Best of luck.
@samirelcubano You’re definitely going to have to take the SAT again if you took it in 2012 — scores are only good for 5 years. I recommend Sylvan Learning to get some prep before you take the exam. You should take both the SAT and the ACT practice exams to see which exam you’ll do better on.
When you visit, meet with the admissions offocer who is reaponsible for veterans. Don’t just speak with the first person you meet. Your experience and your veteran status put you into a different category than regular students.
Agree with @happymomof1 that you should definitely visit the Veteran’s Resource Center.
Also, you can use Khan Academy to prep for the SAT for free. It’s wise to get an SAT prep book and read through it and take a few practice tests just to get your head back in the game before you sit for an actual test. You can get those at the public library, or buy on Amazon very cheap.
Another thing to think about is your long term plan. Many vets who want to go to law, med, or grad school do choose to go to CC and pay out of pocket for the first couple of years, saving their GI Bill years for the significantly more expensive college years. You really have to think about that, though, as I have seen too many people take 3-5 years to finish their 2 years of CC, because they don’t fully commit to college culture. It’s really easy to get distracted in community college, and the minority of people actually graduate in two years from most CCs in California.
Good luck! Sounds like you are going to be a great student!