I took two classes at my CC(Chemistry and Calculus) while I was still in high school and got a B and C in them respectively. I’m trying to transfer in one year with AP credits, so therefore my college GPA is currently 2.55 and that is what admissions officers will see when they first receive my app. I’m going to put in 100% this fall to get a 4.0 but even then it would only bring me up to 3.43. Can or would the officers reject my application upon receiving it before I even have a chance to show what I can do post-high school having learned from my mistakes? I put on the application that I took the classes during high school and that they don’t represent my current academic ability but is that enough? It’s really worrying me…
“Can or would the officers reject my application upon receiving it before I even have a chance to show what I can do post-high school having learned from my mistakes?”
No. Applications aren’t even looked at until the transfer academic update.
“I put on the application that I took the classes during high school and that they don’t represent my current academic ability but is that enough?”
Sort of. It depends on a number of factors, namely: what do you plan to major in, how many units are you taking, and where do you want to apply?
@goldencub Majoring in econ, taking 14 units for fall and 13 for spring. I’ll have over 60 by the end of spring. My target is UCSB but I’m also applying to UCLA and Davis. Thank you for the info.
Econ major (and also a one-year transfer) chiming in:
Economics (especially at UCSB) tends to base their admissions more on GPA from applicable courses rather than overall GPA so it’s reasonable to deduce that your Chem grade won’t weigh too much.
Since your review will primarily be based on your grades from (what sounds like) only 6 or 7 total classes, I recommend completing as many of the major prereqs and related courses (Micro, Macro, Stats, and Calc II for UCSB with Calc III and Linear Algebra additionally factoring for UCD) in the Fall and Winter to help establish your economics potential.
It’s also important to note that since the adcoms factor APs as mere units for transfer admissions, any 4’s and 5’s won’t necessarily boost your admissions profile more-so than 3’s. If your using AP credit for any of those aforementioned classes, I would even consider “retaking” their CC equivalents for a letter grade to further prove your aptitude for the major.
IMHO, since you don’t qualify for TAG, it’s going to boil down to if you can convince the adcoms of your current academic ability (through your Summer, Fall, and possibly Winter grades) otherwise it’s very easy for them to rationalize that other applicants simply have shown more.
@SDGoldenBear “Since your review will primarily be based on your grades from (what sounds like) only 6 or 7 total classes, I recommend completing as many of the major prereqs and related courses (Micro, Macro, Stats, and Calc II for UCSB with Calc III and Linear Algebra additionally factoring for UCD) in the Fall and Winter to help establish your economics potential.”
Yeah, I’m taking Macro and Calc II this fall semester and Micro next semester. I passed the AP Stats exam but I don’t know how if that counts. I don’t think I can get it in my schedule without messing up requirements anyway. If I get As in all these classes will they see that as an upward trend or will they only care that I got a 3.4?
If you took your two dual enrollment courses during your senior year of HS it’s not really enough of a time-frame (nor sample size) to constitute as an “upward trend” per say. The good news is that the admissions committee will always give you the benefit of the doubt so, depending on your explanation, it’s more likely to be viewed as a bad semester where you were overwhelmed with dual enrollment along with your HS curriculum.
Again though, Economics admissions generally places more emphasis on your grades from relevant “core” courses over the “UC-GPA”. A 3.8+ GPA in those courses during your admissions review (which doesn’t include Spring semester) will significantly increase your chances regardless of your eventual overall GPA.
Assuming you received a B in Calc I…All “A’s” in the Fall will give you a theoretical maximum GPA of somewhere around a 3.66 between Calc I, Calc II, and Macro going into your admissions review. This is on the low end for all three target schools and I would consider adding another relevant course in the Fall to potentially increase your “core” GPA. Maybe an introductory stats course which should be easy given you passed the AP equivalent?
@SDGoldenBear I actually got a C in Calc I. So the maximum GPA I can earn if I ace Calc II, Stats, and Macro, is 3.44 because the math classes are 5 units and Macro is 3. Ugh it’s so aggravating that I screwed myself over a year and a half ago and made it impossible to get a high GPA…
@SDGoldenBear Also, is Statistics definitely counted in the “core” GPA for Econ?
I know Berkeley considers Introductory Stats to count towards applicant’s “core” preparation despite not being a transferable major requirement since it a relevant subject.
Looking at UCSB’s degree requirements ( https://my.sa.ucsb.edu/Catalog/2011-2012/Documents/2011_Majors/LS/Econ/Econ-BA-2011.pdf ) shows that PSTAT-5E, which is the direct equivalent of most introductory stats courses, is under “preparation for the major” so I don’t see why it wouldn’t.
I would verify with UCSB Economics directly to be completely certain.