<p>Long history of extracurriculars in community and related to major
Applying to Middle East Area Studies</p>
<p>Completed first year of college at a university in the Middle East. Problem is I only had a 3.2 GPA throughout the year...</p>
<p>In SoCal community college now and will have at least one semester with 3.8-4.0 GPA to show when applying for Fall '10 admissions.</p>
<p>I can write a well articulated and persuasive personal essay. Would that and a single semester showing an upward grade trend make me competitive for the ME Studies major??</p>
<p>I’m actually banking on being admitted to the Middle East studies major and switching my major to poli sci (I have requirements complete for both). This strategy was actually recommended me by an admissions counselor as social sciences has an acceptance rate of something around 20% whereas area studies is at around 40%. As she put it, the admit officers looking at my application would have “more flexibility” when assessing my material.</p>
<p>really? it was recommended to try to come in as middle east and then switch? Interesting. 3.2 is low…but worth a try. Have you checked out the UC Stat Finder? I am applying for social science (gender studies) for CAL. The average GPA for the gender/ethnic/cultural studies was about a 3.65…if I remember correctly… Poli sci is super impacted probably for cal so I can see where it would be beneficial to try for middle east studies.</p>
<p>I’m assuming it’s the actual one across the globe so why even include it in your transcript?</p>
<p>Is it attached to your social security/green card/visa?</p>
<p>Are you using courses from your middle eastern university to satisfy IGETC or major requirements? if not why not just talk to a counselor and the admissions office at berkeley to see if they care about your education</p>
<p>if you said yes to any of the questions above (or I was wrong and you’re from the middle east in america) and are including the 3.2 into your overall gpa, then you will probably not get into berkeley.</p>
<p>also, if you are accepted you will have a lot of trouble changing your major to poly sci. I transferred to cal this semester and I’ve seen several people who got in through useless and easy majors amd now want to change to something impacted (poly sci, psychology, business…). They have to apply to be accepted into the major and because their UC GPA is so low after the first semester they fail. Don’t bank on switching to poly sci because it might not happen (not to say that it’s impossible).</p>
<p>Rwasko…I was pretty surprised to hear it coming from an admissions officer, considering that the transfer advisers at my cc campus said it was dicey.
I checkout out stat finder and true my GPA will still not fit the middle 50% but again, I’m hoping a solid statement, an upward (if only over a semester) grade trend, having studied in the ME, and ECs will help me out.
good luck with ur app as well</p>
<p>anonymous user - I’m afraid you don’t make all that much sense. Do you mean to say that if I incorporate the 3.2 GPA into whatever I get this semester than I will probably not get in? And yeah…middle east like between the maghreb and persia</p>
<p>yes, I’m saying that you will most likely be rejected. An upward trend is just that - a trend. It doesn’t include a sub par GPA with one good semester (which you are only speculating you will have)</p>
<p>what I was trying to ask was why you’re including the grades you got in a middle eastern university? they probably do not articulate to the UC system and most likely not to the community college one.</p>
<p>why not stay an extra year, finish IGETC and your major requirements (if any) at community college, and get your GPA up? </p>
<p>have you completed IGETC and any major requirements? they are required for transfer students at UC Berkeley. If you are missing one you will be rejected.</p>
<p>All the credits from the university I was at previously transferred successfully. Since it is a school on the European educational system a bachelors degree is completed in only three years and hence there is a heavier courseload. I completed 49 units last year and completed all major pre-requisites for both polisci, ME studies, and I think for a few other like majors… </p>
<p>Also, being stuck in the ME major wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world - I feel I’d quite enjoy it anyway.</p>
<p>IGETC will be completed by end of Spring term. Of course, I could stay an extra year to improve my GPA that much further, but I would rather test the waters now considering that I will have completed 79 units by end of spring term </p>
<p>I’m also applying to a few other schools. UCLA should be more difficult to gain admissions because they consider grades as the bottom line whereas Berkeley takes a more comprehensive look at things - not to say grades aren’t the most important piece of the application; there are simply some supplements and counterweights. </p>
<p>Worst comes to worst TAG agreements with UCSD, or UCD would kick in but I feel I’d be a better fit at Cal and so that’s the goal</p>
<p>sounds like you have a handle on the situation but don’t be surprised if you get rejected from cal, your GPA is low. That said, they will view your education from a university on the European System in higher regard than applicants from ccc because it is obviously more rigorous and competitive than the community college system, your GPA demonstrates that nicely. </p>
<p>Explain the discrepancy in your GPA and emphasize how you are doing well in the american system and you might have a better chance.</p>
<p>Political Science is not an impacted major @ Cal</p>
<p>I would provide a source but they recently changed the layout to the PoliSci undergrad website so I can’t find it, but I’m 100000% positive that it stated that “many people think Political Science at Berkeley is impacted, but it’s not! If you get in, you’re in.”</p>
<p>Ok…not impacted but dont they admit based on the college and category you are applying? They dont admit by major. So if social science has 20% acceptance rate and humanities has 40% it would be smarter…IF you can switch to the other major once you get there…</p>
<p>I remember hearing they admit you like rwasko said to the “category” you’re applying for, then after being there (if you get in!) 1 semester, you have to petition into the major you want–i spoke to a rep on the phone and she said at least for cal, it’s perfectly normal to switch your major in that one semester. afterwards, not such a good idea haha.</p>
<p>Eh. I dont know…I think I will just apply to my major and then if I get in then I will go there. I dont think I want to deal with switching and all that. But good luck to you!</p>
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