<p>I just finished up my first semester at a California community college, and I've failed a Calc course. When the drop date came I had a C and was confident I could raise it to a B. Instead I ended up receiving an F. At the time I was unsure as to what major I should choose, but was leaning towards the sciences. Well, this gave me a kick and I've decided on Political Science. The other grades I received were 3 B's and a C. I am a part of the transfer alliance for UCLA, but now I'm afraid I may be dismissed. I'm retaking the Calc class in Spring, is there no hope for transferring to UCLA now? Thanks for all responses, I'm new to this forum.</p>
<p>You should take algebra before you retake calc. If you show that you identified your problem and was able to overcome it, it may not effect you too much. If you retake calc and still do badly it will look bad.</p>
<p>Do you know why you failed calc?</p>
<p>i highly doubt you have ANY shot at ucla</p>
<p>Choose another school. UCLA is out of the question.</p>
<p>a GPA < 3.0 is not going to get you into any UC</p>
<p>So there's no chance even with the retaking of the class/three semesters remaining? I'm sure I can raise my GPA to AT LEAST a 3.0... damn, that's brutal.</p>
<p>a 3.0 is not gonna get you into UCLA. Your gpa is probably like what a 2.x? that means you're gonna need damn near a 4.0 every semester to even think about applying to ucla. Also, poli sci is impacted at UCLA.</p>
<p>you have to perform really really really really well in your continuing semesters. if you think you can't handle the coursework in 3 more semesters, consider extending your time in a community college for 4 or 5 more semesters, at least you can concentrate on your studies and get the highest possible gpa instead of trying to complete a lot of work in 2 years which may result in you having a lower gpa.</p>
<p>i may be wrong but do you even need calculus as a poly sci major, aren't there other math courses offered at your cc that may be easier for you like statistics or college algebra?</p>
<p>retake the class and get an A in it.
i agree with liek. don't apply until you've got 3 or 4 semesters (of straight A's or damn close) so as to be able to show your worth, having brought up your GPA.
if you apply next year, and not the year after, you've got no shot at UCB / LA poli/sci.
the rest of these people are trippin if they think there's NOTHING you can do to be considered a reasonable candidate. eventually, you'll find that the C you got is going to be a bigger obstacle than the F. i messed up far worse than you, and granted, i went the philosophy route, i feel like i've got a more than reasonable shot at those schools.
let you know how it goes :)</p>
<p>No UCLA is not out of the question. You would need to have a good explanation for this semester- make something up if you have to- i dont advocate this but "i was not prepared for calculus" is not a good enough of a reason. </p>
<p>It is probably too early for you to decide and give up on the sciences. There is a slight adjustment period from high school to CC.</p>
<p>I went to UCLA with a 3.54 and I was in community college for a long time but i worked and had a well rounded application. You want to work on other aspects of your application and focus on your gpa as well. </p>
<p>You have MORE THAN ENOUGH time to pull your gpa up if you do very well from now on. Meaning- when in doubt of an A or B just drop the course and take it later. Look up your teachers, get the easy teachers, and get into the school you want to go, really it doesnt matter how you get there. </p>
<p>Also, dont waste your time retaking algebra b4 calc. Calculus is not algebra and you may need algebra to solve the problems but it will not help you understand the concepts of calculus to have an A in algebra. I sucked in algebra ALWAYS, i took elementry algebra 3 times ... but never had a single issue with calculus. For many calculus is too abstract.</p>
<p>Yeah I've set my mind on doing exceptional this semester, though just saying that isn't enough and I've got to put in a lot of effort. I took Calculus at a time when I thought I would try to major in the sciences, but I ended up changing my major and I couldn't drop the course. There were several personal reasons behind my grade falling so low, but ultimately the blame is completely on me, but I plan on explaining on how this was a wake up call for me/helped me gain perspective/shape up etc etc. So I'm retaking calc to fix my GPA, then I have to take a statistics course as well. Looks like I'll need to strengthen the other aspects of my application as well. Internships, clubs, volunteering, is there anything else which would help and/or look good? Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>UCLA favors work experience and overcoming difficult family situatuations to clubs and vounteering and other traditional ECs.</p>
<p>hey, i fail cal too last semester and i'm a freshmen as well. Does it really mean no chances at UCLA at all? I really want to go to that school as well, but I don't feel like I have any chance without probably going straight A's throughout. If i do that, does that at least make me competitive?</p>
<p>To be competetive for LA aim for a 3.7+. If you can't get close to straight A's at a community college i think you'll have a hard time at UCLA even if you got in.</p>
<p>"To be competetive for LA aim for a 3.7+. If you can't get close to straight A's at a community college i think you'll have a hard time at UCLA even if you got in."</p>
<p>True this. Seriously, do work your ass off this coming semester. Study like there is no tomorrow and do it like your life is dependent on it. Straight A's is a must this coming semester for you.</p>
<p>Where do you guys get this stuff from?
I had no where near a 3.7, i had over 120 units at CC, and my gpa at UCLA went slightly lower, to 3.4 instead of 3.54</p>
<p>Stop freaking the freshman CC students out. You dont have to be perfect. You have to be well rounded.</p>
<p>And BTW the grading is COMPLETELY different at UCLA. Most CCs have a lot of work that is graded for your final grade, in UCLA it is Midterm + final = grade. </p>
<p>Stop telling people they have no chance because of one F. Big freaking deal, applicants with 4.0s and generic ECs are a dime a dozen. APplicants that pull their stuff together, overcome difficult situations, and still manage that 3.5+ while offering a wide variety of experiences to add to their application are worth more than someone who has the numbers.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, 4.0 students get REJECTED plentifully. The application process is HOLISTIC. There is always TAP which can give you an edge if you have a 3.3 to 3.5. There are a lot of people who want to major in things outside of the Econ department where they really dont need to have a 3.7+ to be competative for UCLA.</p>
<p>The avg gpa for acceptance to UCLA L&S last year 3.62. Since TAP students are included i came up with the estimate of a 3.7+ to have a decent shot at UCLA. You may have gotten in with a 3.5 but there are many more that weren't as fortunate as you. Shooting for a 3.7+ would put the OP in a zone that should make him feel comfortable about his chances.</p>
<p>what does average mean to you?</p>
<p>mode and average are different</p>
<p>You guys should get back to the OP’s original question, and stop arguing about something that no one knows the answer to. A 3.5-3.7 is basically the same gpa… one just has a couple more +'s and a couple less -'s. TAP does not really do that much anyways.</p>
<p>Getting back to the OP’s question, you should consider other schools so you do not go crazy trying to get a 4.0. CC classes are really easy compared to UC level classes, and if you can not honestly handle the course load at a CC, you will die at UCLA. And it is almost indisputable that your GPA needs to be a 3.5 or higher to be even really considered at UCLA as a transfer. Especially in the majors you are considering. Some will get in with a 3.3 and some will get rejected with a 3.7, but you still need to come out big if you want to get in. </p>
<p>From an outside observer’s view, I think you can certainly be a competitive candidate at UCLA if you got straight A’s from here on out. Because even if your Gpa is a little low first quarter, you can explain the bad grades off and show you are capable of college-level work. UCLA has a holistic-admission-policy afterall.</p>