<p>I plan to take community college classes part-time over the next 6-7 years to eventually transfer to a UC after I "retire" from a career in the performing arts (I'm just twenty now). Do community credits expire? Ie will UCs still take credits from classes taken in 2013 when I conceivably apply in 2020?</p>
<p>No. They do not expire.</p>
<p>Part-time units might not be appealing to UCs because they won’t know if you can handle full time load. An adviser at Cal said that transfers are allowed to max five semesters, each will consist around 14-18 units depending on major.</p>
<p>Sfgirl, let me be blunt and say take your time, do it right, keep your GPA up!</p>
<p>I’m 36, graduated high school in 1995, and haven’t missed a semester in that entire time! I went to LMU straight out of high school, and even went to CSUN for a time. Interspersed in that time were years at various community colleges in California and Oregon, time in Australia, and time on the east coast. </p>
<p>Even if I only had time to take 1 class a semester, I still took just one class. The key was that I made sure I got an A in every class I took, whether I was taking 5 classes or just that single 1 because GPA matters!</p>
<p>I’ve been accepted to UCLA in the fall, and I talked to a lot of admissions counselors and even people who review the applications, and they all said the same thing … They understand that not everyone has the same story in life, not everyone has family support to allow them to go away to college, spend all of their time and energy going to class, joining clubs, and doing the 4 year plan. We’re what’s known as non-traditional students, and we do make up a pretty good chunk of the student body. We’re not discriminated against, they don’t count our story, age, and time against us, if anything, the fact that we usually have work experience in our field helps our chances. When you write your essays and they ask you why you want that major, most people struggle, I have 15 years experience in mine!</p>
<p>As to your question about credits, you should know that all of my credits, even my english, bio and chem from 95 still factored into my UCLA application in 2013, they never expire, they’re part of your “permanent record” so to speak. They went toward both my IGETC, and my major pre-reqs so it’s vital to keep up the good grades!</p>
<p>Also if you want to continue to be a part time student at ANY UC, that’s also doable if you petition for it and fit their criteria. Berkley’s form is available to download straight from the web and it lists the same major criteria UCLA does to be granted permission for part time studies:
_____ Employment
_____ Family responsibilities
_____ Health/physical disability</p>
<p>The latter also includes learning disabilities. As long as you go, keep up your grades, do well and keep progressing towards your goal, the college will support you. </p>
<p>Just keep these thoughts in mind, do well, and good luck! It took me 18 years and a hell of a life story to get to where I am today, but don’t forget that while these boards are full of 18-20yos, there are a lot of us “non-traditional” students in our 30’s out there too!</p>
<p>Basically, I’m a professional performer (think acting, dance, etc…want to preserve some privacy) in a field that required I forgo/postpone college. I plan to complete IGETC online through Santa Monica College and a few other schools, plus maybe a few classes in person over the summers, over the course of 5 to 6 years. So I’d certainly be part-time during this time, but would hope to enter a UC full-time at the end of it all. Truthfully, my arts career would likely have NOTHING to do with my new major…I mean obviously the disciple, work ethic and drive it taught me would carry over, but the two are going to be very dissimilar</p>
<p>Thanks for the insight and encouragement Mountain343. I’m really hoping I can make it to UCLA. I’m a good student, but will be very busy when I start classes, so I think it’s crucial I limit myself to just two or three classes a quarter (depending on how long they are) so I can ensure I can keep my GPA up. I realize I’ll be an unusual candidate, but I plan to fully explain the situation and why it took so long in my personal statement</p>
Mountain343 - do you know if they only didn’t expire because you attended continuously? I’ll be a returning student at the community college level in Spring, and want to eventually attend UCLA. I have 31 credits from 1998-2003 that I’m hoping will still be counted…
Thanks!
@sfgirl101 you might want to take a look at Justine Bateman’s website http://getacollegelife.■■■■■■■■■■/ She worked in TV/film back in the day, now is an undergrad at UCLA. Her story is evidence that you can do just fine as a non-traditional student.
@EMichelle33 Mountain hasn’t been active since April 2014, so I doubt you’ll hear a reply. But to answer your questions, credits don’t generally expire regardless of if someone was continuously attending school or not. In some cases, a major might require that major prerequisites be completed within 5 years of transferring but I don’t think that’s overly common.