Chance Me: Spring 2014 Transfer

Colleges and Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
1

<p>Hi everyone, </p>

<p>I have a fairly unique story, but I'll try to keep it as brief as possible. Basically, I was a highschool senior last year. Whenever I applied to universities, I knew that UT was my first choice. I unfortunately wasn't accepted at UT but recieved a CAP offer. I decided not to accept my CAP offer because I had a handful of dual credit courses and my major is really unique. So, I enrolled in Texas State and at the last minute decided to stay home and enroll in community college to save money... especially since ultimately I want to be at UT.</p>

<p>I have 15 completed hours of credit, all of which was dualcredit completed at Lone Star College. I am currently enrolled in 15 hours this semester at Lone Star College. I am applying for a Spring 2014 transfer because first off: I don't want to be at a community college anymore. And secondly, after this semester there are literally only 3 more classes that apply to my degree at the community college. All of my coursework thus far is transferable. I am aware that I won't find out if I'm accepted until the very last minute and that it will be a very busy Winter Break due to that. I am ready for those hurdles because UT is the place I want to be.</p>

<p>Now for my stats.....</p>

<p>Residency: In State Resident
Completed Hours: 15 hours, Lone Star College, 3.6GPA
In Progress Hours: 15 hours, Lone Star College, expecting 3.7 cummulative GPA
First Choice Major: Pre-Athletic Training, College of Education
Second Choice Major: Undecided (which colleges would be best?)</p>

<p>During highschool, I was very extracurricular active. I have an entire resume full of all of my involvement, roles, etc. I won several awards/honors through those organizations. That involvement however has not carried onto community college, because there is no club/activity variety. I'm a Certified Pharmacy Technician, so I have a job at a local chain pharmacy. I also have other job experience prior to that doing clerical/administrative work. Most of my job experience and extracurricular roles speak for themself. I plan on joining the Student Government Association this upcoming week because I have prior experience with that throughout highschool. My resume is pretty solid comparably speaking.</p>

<p>I have two letters of recommendation that I used on my previous application for Fall 2013 admission. I plan to use the same two letters of recommendation unless I happen to come across someone that will write me an even better one (possibly my employer, possible internship, etc). The problem there is that there just isn't enough time to prove myself before asking for a letter of recommendation, so different recommendations isn't likely.</p>

<p>And last is my essays. I feel like that was my struggle last time I applied, so I definitely intend on making those the best that they can be before submitting my application. I'm not worried about submitting my application later in September because it's not going to get reviewed until they recieve my grades from the current semester anyways. I just need to watch the calendar to make sure ALL of my things are in the system by October 1st. </p>

<p>So with all of that information, what is the likelihood that I will get into the College of Education for the Spring of 2014? And what should I choose as my second choice major? Other than that, what tips, tricks, and comments does anyone have for me?</p>

<p>Thanks for your help.</p>

2

<p>Yeah I don’t blame you. Lone Star sucks. I just transferred to UT from the Montgomery campus and I’m so happy I did. Lone Star was just absolutely terrible. Which campus are you at now?</p>

<p>Anyway back on topic. I had a 3.57 by the time I sent in my second transcript (I did dual credit English in high school so that brought me down) but only managed to get into my second choice of undergraduate studies (I later managed to get into my first choice of RTF before the semester started but that’s a whole different story). From what I was told on the board and from the statistics of other people on the forum I was actually a little above average for people who got accepted into UGS. You have a higher GPA than me so if you can’t think of anything else you would want to major in that’s in a different college from Education I would suggest you put that. The main downside is that you won’t be able to take restricted classes (which might be an issue if you have no more basics left) unless spots free up (which you won’t be aware of until the add/drop period right before school starts). </p>

<p>However luckily for you I don’t think this would matter. I’m no expert on spring transfers but from what I have heard it’s typically a little bit harder because there aren’t as much spots open. From what you have described though you should have a pretty decent shot. To my knowledge the College of Education isn’t one of the harder schools to get into (not like Communication, Business, or Engineering). A 3.7 with a resume like yours should suffice (again this might be different since you are a spring transfer). Overall I would say you have a pretty good shot, just don’t put all your eggs in one basket. </p>

<p>Be warned though- if you are accepted you might find it very difficult to get into classes at first. Registration opens up in November for us so by the time you get accepted most of the classes will be gone. Also leases are typically for the whole school year so it might be difficult to find a place to live. </p>

<p>td;dr: You have a decent shot just don’t get too cocky and put UGS as your second choice.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your response! Lone Star College was never even an option for me during highschool. I didn’t even want to take dual credit classes there until I saw the benefits of college credit. I eventually ended up back here at the very last minute because I knew I wanted to transfer to UT regardless of where I went this semester. I elected to calm down my social life and make better grades so that my GPA would be the best that it could be to try and get in. I hope in the end I made a good decision and didn’t just stay home a semester to get denied an acceptance again.</p>

<p>I still have a big social group and a fantastic job here though, so I’m not complaining about the community college experience at all. In fact, I’m thankful that this situation happened to me so that I was able to take core requirements for much cheaper (and easier, although I usually don’t wish for anything to be easy). I’m at the University Park location for most of my courses. I take online classes too though, so I’ve been to most of the campuses for one reason or another. The only two classes that are stopping my GPA from being a 4.0 are two dual credit classes that I took my junior year of highschool too. I was less mature and still in highschool (which is obvious if they take the time to look into my transcript) so I’m not complaining about that either. </p>

<p>I’ve always heard the rumor is that you select a first choice major and a second choice major, and that if you don’t get into either of your selections, they look at you for UGS as a “blind third choice.” If this is true, then there would be no reason for me to select UGS. However if this isn’t true, then that could be the reason I didn’t get accepted last year, and it would probably be a good idea to select UGS as my second choice. My only issue is that I would hate to be restricted for classes. I guess that’s the sacrifice for not getting admitted the first time. I’ve also seen your story on a different thread about getting into the major you wanted most. I would definitely end up trying the same type of thing to get where I wanted to be too. Of course it doesn’t always work that way, but just like you… I’m a determined guy for sure.</p>

<p>I’m definitely not cocky; in fact I am very intimidated by UT admissions. The problem is just that my eggs have been in one basket since before I even applied to college the first time around. I’ve wanted to go to UT and I’m determined to get there. I’ll make the sacrifice of living in a really bad dorm (or apartment) and having to wait (or pull strings) to get the classes that I want in order to be there. May be sad, but at least I’m being honest.</p>

<p>Thank you for your help though. Congratulations on your story; I’m hoping for a miracle too.</p>

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<p>Honestly I’m not sure about the UGS third choice option. You might want to talk to UT about that. There was somebody on the forum who got denied into RTF and some other degree in Communication and despite having a pretty good GPA for UGS he didn’t get into the school (he later ended up getting into RTF because he had some internship thing with 30 Seconds to Mars). So you might want to put UGS as your second choice. </p>

<p>It would suck to be restricted but keep in mind that often times if you just show up to class the first day you can get enrolled in the class with the approval of the instructor. This varies with major of course. Some of the colleges will just close of the remaining seats (I’ve heard the advanced economic classes do this) but I wouldn’t know anything about your major so I couldn’t tell you. Either way UGS might not be as bad.</p>

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<p>I’ll probably call the UT Transfer Admissions phone number and ask that question to them directly then. I’m assuming it’s true, but you can never be too sure. </p>

<p>It would just be yet another hurdle to get out of the restrictions of UGS, but ultimately they’re not going to make me take classes that aren’t to my benefit or a part of my degree plan… at least I would hope not. Once an advisor understands my path and sees the courses I’ve completed, there aren’t going to be many other choices other than the courses that I know that I need for next semester already. </p>

<p>Thanks a bunch for your help & advice. If you don’t mind me asking, what were your stats, essays, and resume like whenever you applied for Fall transfer?</p>

6

<p>Applied to both RTF and UGS, got accepted to UGS
-3.57 GPA (3.43 at time of application deadline, 3.57 after Spring semester). I took dual credit English in high school which brought my GPA down.
-37 hours (21 at time of application, 37 after second transcript)
-I thought I had really solid essays. I worked on them for about a month (during the winter break) and had them looked at by the writing center. They said in terms of content they were perfect but they helped me with a few technical problems. I mostly talked about my love for VFX and film in general. I can send them to you if I can find them so you can get hint of what to write.
-One letter from History professor.
-Lackluster resume. Aside from my job at Best Buy (which I started September 2012) I had nothing.</p>

<p>Everything was sent in and my application went into review May 14thish. Didn’t hear back until June 18th.</p>

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<p>Not bad. I definitely think I have a shot. I’m probably going to write something related to the major including specific experiences that inspired me, etc. My essays if anything will be my downfall. Thanks for the suggestion on the writing center; I’ll definitely get them edited there and I may even visit them for ideas on how to structure my essay.</p>

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<p>Can you chance my application for the Spring 2014 semester?</p>

<p>School: Started at UH for 13 hours; the rest of my time is at San Jacinto Community College for 96 hours. I have an AAS in Emergency Medical Technology and I will have an AA in Biology at the end of this semester.</p>

<p>Major: I want to go to CNS, however, I really want to get in and chose COLA undeclared and UGS undeclared so that I may increase my chances for admissions.</p>

<p>GPA: My GPA is what really concerns me, primarily because of my semester at UH as a freshman. I failed my chemistry class because I was late in scheduling a final, so I have a 1.9 in 13 attempted hours. However, I transferred to San Jac and did my basic classes until I enrolled in the EMS program and earned my degree. I then finished my Texas Core requirements and will obtain my degree this semester. My GPA at San Jac is currently a 3.67 overall. Additionally, I am taking a General Chemistry class at San Jac and I’m confident I will have an A at the end of the semester. This is the only class I took this semester and it should slightly increase my GPA. I also hope it will make up for the F I made as a Freshman at UH. Now If I combined my GPA from UH and San Jac, my overall GPA would be a 3.49. Despite my poor start in the beginning of my collegiate career, my grades have improved exponentially. I have had a 4.0 GPA in the previous 4 semesters and only acquired 3 Bs in my EMT degree.</p>

<p>Recommendation Letters: I have 2 recommendation letters. One is from my US History Professor who has her PhD, where I excelled in her class. Another is from my Paramedic Instructor, where I excelled in his paramedic program and where I also graduated 1st in my Paramedic class rank.</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities: I have worked as a USAG professional gymnastics coach for five years where I have coached numerous award winning children. I also have a year of EMS working experience, with an additional two years of clinical experience. I am a Nationally and State registered Licensed Paramedic, EMT-Intermediate, EMT-Basic, in addition to numerous other certifications and skills.</p>

<p>Essays: I wrote 2 essays, topic A and E, in which I believe are excellent. It explains my poor academic performance in my early college academics and the F i mentioned, but it also emphasizes my turn around in my academic performance due to my involvement in EMS. It also talked about my experience working as a 911 paramedic and what I’ve went through working and training as one. My essay for topic E talked about the importance of humanitarianism and philanthropy. So I believe both of my essay topics are strong.</p>

<p>So based on my information, do you believe I have a chance of being admitted, despite my poor academics in the beginning of my collegiate career.</p>