<p>Hi, there. I'm new -- I've been lurking the forums for a while but I decided to post today. Long explanation and question:</p>
<p>I admit, when I first tried to go to community college when I was 18 (Long Beach City College, 2004), I spent a year and a half goofing off and I earned myself a 1.something GPA. It was pretty bad, because I bit off more than I could chew and had no clue what I was doing or what I wanted. Then I moved to San Diego and took a bunch of classes at San Diego Mesa -- got two A's (4.0) GPA but I got a bunch of W's on my transcripts because I had to move back to LA in the middle of the semester for personal reasons. When I returned to LA, I was out of a job and money, but I tried my luck at LBCC again by taking a German 1 class. In the middle of the semester, I found a job and ended up dropping the German 1 class since there were conflicts (eating was more important at the time). Dropping that German 1 class earned myself an official "get out of our college" letter from LBCC. I was not allowed back in.</p>
<p>The following Fall semester, after a little trauma and a slap in the face, I enrolled at Santa Monica College and actually stuck through it. I have around 31 UC transferable units and a 3.7 GPA and my grades and GPA continue to stay strong to this day. Obviously, I quit being a slacker and I am now taking my studies seriously. I'm a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Mu Gamma, and the German Club, and I am currently applying to my school's Scholars Program. On top of that, I want to join Alpha Gamma Sigma in case I can't get into the Scholars Program.</p>
<p>I want to transfer to UCLA as a Linguistics and Computer Science major (single program) and I am taking all of their required classes. Three people applied to the program last Fall quarter and two got accepted, so not too many people are vying to be in that program, but I REALLY want to get into this program since I love the study of language, how they work, and I love to learn computer programming.</p>
<p>Will my previous record at my other school hinder my chances of getting in? What are my chances overall? Anything I can do to fix all this? </p>
<p>I think the past is the past, but at the present you keep going. Use your past in your essay, UC’s like when people have been through hard times.</p>
<p>If you meet the minimum requirements for applying (I think they still have a 3.0 requirement to apply or be considered, but I’m not sure) then you have a chance. As the above poster mentioned, they will recognize your upward trend and you should take advantage of the personal statements to make up for your not-so-stellar gpa. Good luck.</p>
<p>Friend of mine was one of the two that got into the linguistics program. His grades were subpar but he told me his essay was probably what got him in.</p>
<p>peterr86: I read about Academic Renewal too, but from the conditions, it seems like LBCC and SD Mesa only renew it if you do well at THEIR schools for a period. It has only been three years since my last “attendance” at LBCC and only four since my last attendance at SD Mesa.</p>
<p>Now510: That’s cool! Congrats to your friend! Did he get into the Linguistics program or the Linguistics & Computer Science program? L&CS is what I am aiming for.</p>
<p>If you can get academic renewal you should be fine. If not, I don’t think you have a good chance.</p>
<p>I had a 2.0 at a private, out-of-state, four-year liberal arts college, with a bunch of goofy classes. I then got a 3.95 over 61 units at CCC, wrote a great personal statement, was TAP-certified, and had very strong major-related work experience. UCLA rejected me because of a low cumulative GPA. Berkeley accepted me.</p>
<p>With that in mind, you’ve got a much better shot at Cal than UCLA, IMHO. They are more holistic than UCLA, and that’s what you’re going to need. Remember, you had a lower GPA during your bad period than I did, and a lower GPA currently. In addition, your bad period was at a CCC–UCLA knows about CCCs, how hard the classes are, etc. I had an advantage in that regard: UCLA knew nothing about my first college, and could therefore choose to give me the benefit of the doubt and assume that the grading system was off (which it was). They didn’t. </p>
<p>Admittedly my major (Political Science) is more competitive, but still. Bottom line: find a major at Cal you can live with. :)</p>
<p>nick_sheu, my friend did the exact same thing you described. Her GPA was less than stellar and she was TAP certified because she wanted to transfer to Berkeley. Berkeley rejected her but UCLA accepted her. ;| She’s an anthro major though.</p>
<p>annikabirnbaum: I agree, the past is the past. I know someone who was in your shoes at one point in time. She got into UCLA with a 3.6ish and she messed up for a couple years and got her life back into order. Your extra-curricular activities look amazing by the way. Do you know what the average gpa was to get in to your major? GPA is what they look at and then they look at your extra curricular activities and personal statement. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Make sure you get above a 3.8 every semester until you transfer. GOOD LUCK. I hope you get in! =]</p>
<p>PsychBruin2012: Thanks so much! Here are the stats from UCLA’s website of transfer student admission profiles (Fall 2011, Linguistics & Computer Science)</p>
<p>annikabirnbaum: She messed up at CC and then worked hard and got really good grades. Looking at the statistics given, I would say you have a good chance. You’ll need to write a killer personal statement explaining why you messed up those years. =]</p>
It has only been three years since my last “attendance” at LBCC and only four since my last attendance at SD Mesa.</p>