Can I transfer? Or am I done for?

<p>Hi CC, please disregard the immature username. I made this account back in early high school.</p>

<p>I'm in a bit of a pickle - let me give you a quick run down of my situation. I was in the middle-top rank of my high school class and graduated with roughly a 3.6/3.7 GPA and 31 ACT. I transferred high school in between sophomore and junior year because the one I initially attended was hard. My grades dropped hard but I transferred to another local one and that's where I began to pick up my slack.</p>

<p>I applied, got in, and attended a 6 year pharmacy program. It is kind of deja-vu from my transfer in high school, but I underestimated the school. Classes were hard and my grades weren't the strongest. I repeated a couple classes and suffered through Organic. I am 19 and suppose to be continuing on to the 3rd year of the program, which they consider to be the graduate years. They hold a strict rule of having a 2.7+ GPA to continue on. I had a 2.53 and was not surprisingly dismissed from the school.</p>

<p>It's now summer and I'm still figuring out what I can do. My grades in most science classes were not the best, and I'm questioning whether it's simply the fact that a health major is not right for me, or if the school was hard and or that I did not try hard enough. Regardless, my father sat down to talk to me and informed me that even taking classes at a Community College would need at least a minimum of 2 years (for me to refresh my GPA and retake my core classes), because 4 year colleges would not accept me based on the merits of bad grades. He said even if I managed to go through that, it would be another 2 years (or more) to earn a BA or BS, and then 3+ years to continue onto obtaining a Masters or Doctorate. He says that that's 7+ years and is almost certain that I won't be able to make it through.</p>

<p>He's an acupuncturist and loves his job. He looks over patients on a daily basis and practices different sorts of therapy to alleviate pain. Everything he does is admirable, but it doesn't appeal to me. He is now even more convinced to make me follow in his footstep and attend a uni where acupuncture can be taught in 3+ years, even with my bad grades. He wants me to learn everything that he knows but I'm hesitant to tell him otherwise because my options are limited. I know for a fact that isn't the the career I want to do in the future.</p>

<p>What can I do? Are there other majors that I can consider?</p>

<p>Thank you! </p>

<p>Few thing came in mind. If you don’t like acupuncture, don’t even try, that requires a lot of studying, just like another medical profession. You are not your father, what he could and like to do you may not be able to do it.
Would your school take you back if you take remedial classes in Community College and let you become a Pharmacist? Is that you like to do? What do you like the most? If you can answer those questions, we may be able to help better. </p>

<p>I actually was not fond of the environment at the college, and my brother (who is a 5th year student there) and other upper-class friends all claim that the school gets harder and harder. Pharmacy was not my first choice so it kind of played a role in my not enjoying myself there. I’m certain that I wouldn’t want to return back.</p>

<p>I’m back home and although a health field is not my ideal choice for the future, there are still other options out there for me to look over. I’m trying to assert the fact that I can transfer to a Community College, then go onto a UC (University of California) or CSU (Cal State University) for a BS and work my way up to a post-graduate program.</p>

<p>The thing I like to do most would probably be some sort of journalism or writing, but since I’ve “wasted” 2 years of my life taking science courses for credit, it will be a hobby for me instead.</p>

<p>My questions as of now would be, do transfer to 4 year colleges look at individual grades in particular classes or the GPA as a whole? My father’s concern is that my grades in Bio, Chem, Organic, Anatomy and Physio aren’t strong enough for colleges to consider my admittance. They do however, surpass the “pass or fail C minimum” so if it’s that, I think I would focus on taking other courses and electives to bring my GPA up high enough to transfer to a 4 year school. Would 1 year be realistic for this? My only concern now is to get a BS and am promising myself to focus on what I need to get through to achieve it. </p>

<p>It seems to me that first you need to decide what major you plan to pursue and then develop a strategy for succeeding in it. Just taking courses or pursuing a major you don’t like won’t result in a better outcome.</p>

<p>Once you have figured out what you want then you will be in a better position to discuss this choice with your parents and be convincing.</p>

<p>As for UC or CSU transfer, you will have a better chance if you are at least interested in the major. </p>

<p>Yes, I’m interested in pursuing a Bio BS and following with applying for a PT program at CSULB, Chapman, APU, USC, etc.</p>

<p>Still a little concerned with how the transferring process works. Can anyone offer any clarification?</p>

<p>Each of the schools you listed have completely different transfer requirements. You need to go to each of the schools websites and see what their transfer policies are. Pick up the phone and call their admissions office and find out how competitive the programs are. Talk to an admissions counselor on the phone, and lay out your situation and see what they say. You don’t need to give them your name or anything.</p>

<p>You want other people to do the research for you. </p>