This might be a little long winded but in order for you to understand my situation it kind of has to be.
I’m originally from California. I graduated High School there in 2008. I attended a semester at a CCC before joining the USAF. Since then I’ve attended a few colleges (4 to be exact) to work on prerequisites to transfer to a UC for Electrical Engineering. I was able to meet majority of the UCs transfer requirements for the schools I applied to while stationed at Hill AFB, Utah. Unfortunately, I was not accepted as a transfer student to any of them. I’m 3 months from separating from the military with literally no idea what I’m going to do now. My plan was to immediately go from active duty into becoming a full time student. This is something I have worked on for the past 5 years while serving. I have only been able to take 1-2 classes a semester due to my military obligations (12+ hour work days and deployments) and it has drained me immensely. There were certainly times I almost threw in the towel due to long stretches of little sleep and long work days. Needless to say, I’m extremely disappointed that I wasn’t accepted to ANY school.
My Intended Major is Electrical Engineering:
My Cumulative GPA is 3.80
My Major GPA is 3.87
Would it be beneficial for me to move back to CA and attend a California Community College again? I feel like I was at a disadvantage applying from OOS. Not to mention I had no way of fulfilling any kind of TAG agreement or verifying that classes I was in would necessarily transfer.
I feel like I’ve attended so many different schools already that transferring credits is going to be a nightmare. I’m not going from one school to a UC. I have coursework completed at several schools and I feel like it definitely doesn’t work in my favor. Not to mention I’m not sure how this would factor into fulfilling a TAG agreement if I were to attend a CCC again.
I honestly need some kind of guidance because I’m so lost right now that I’m not sure what to do.
If California is really where you want to be, have you thought about any of the CSUs? Some have higher admission rates and they all seem to use an index score, rather than holistic admissions. Some are pretty impacted like Long Beach or San Diego but others may be more open.
You should definitely good to a CCC again, (assuming that you still want to go to a UC), but be wary of your credit limits since you have OOS credits. Transferring from OOS as a engineer major is considerably harder than other majors, so transferring as a CCC student is the best way to go. Of course, you can also apply to other private colleges, or go back into the workforce.
PS:
I’m also an OOS applicant and I attended six different colleges, so dont lose hope and stay focus on what you can do.
You need to contact one of the VA offices at the UC’s that you applied to and ask for help. If you didn’t apply or go through their offices originally, that could be why you had a number of rejections because everything is piece meal in your stats.
@“aunt bea” I’m not sure what the VA office would be able to do for me as far as admission. I know I would speak with them after I was admitted to setup using my GI Bill. I spoke with numerous counselors at a couple UCs and they told me my service in the USAF would only be factored into my admission if I included it into my personal statements (which I did). On top of selecting it as work experience and such.
If I were you I would appeal all of them. I also had a unique journey to transferring and had a slightly higher GPA. I appealed UCLA, and UCSD and got into UCSD with a full ride.
You should reach out to the VA offices at each school. Talk to someone who has some “authority” not just the person who answers the phone. Explain your situation. They will likeky be able to get a more precise answer on why you were not admitted, and if there were just minute technicalities they may became to help you appeal. At this point, what do have to lose by trying.
@bectell530, first off, thank you for your service! It’s much valued and appreciated! Second, the UCs love vets, so don’t give up. It’s simply a matter of regrouping.
I think you should definitely look into a CCC. You were at a disadvantage coming OOS. Your only glitch might be if you took too many upper division courses (junior/senior standing). If they’re all lower division there are no limitations and you can take as many classes as you want at the CCC.
Consider the UCs you wish to apply to and reach out to at least one of them. (Berkeley is one of the top-rated universities in the country that support vets.) The UCs have specialists who work with vets. And don’t forget the military aid you can get, which you probably already know about.
But I would start with the UCs. They have your transcripts, will understand your completed course list, and can point you in the right direction. BTW, having a lot of different transcripts is irrelevant.
@bectell530, you need to contact the VA offices at the schools that you’ve applied to and speak with a counselor at the office. The California publics LOVE vets and will intervene on your behalf to admissions, but you have to explain your circumstances and utilize the VA services now.
BTW: You are a California HS grad and that is an advantage. You are my dd’s age if you graduated in 2008 and you may also qualify for some California Scholarships as well as your GI bill.
You should definitely talk to the veterans department at each school, as suggested. I don’t think you should be considered an OOS student and either way, you can move back to California and I’m pretty sure you will immediately be considered a California resident (if you choose to declare your residency here), if you aren’t already a resident … but it sounds like you are?
This can all be very confusing, so please talk with each school’s veteran department, or at least a few of them.
On another note, and while it’s probably not what you want to hear, you’re young and this is just a speed bump. Get back here, take the year to get into a CCC, and bump up that GPA even higher and apply for the best programs you can.
For the record, I too am a veteran with several schools over the course of several years and it can be a pain.
Starting next week, I intend on contacting all the admissions offices about my applications to find out the reasons for not being accepted. My initial plan as of right now is to move back to California (Bay Area) and attend Diablo Valley Community College. One of the questions I have though is, how will my out-of-state courses affect my ability to utilize TAP and TAG programs that seem to be so vital for CCC students transferring to UCs? It’s been since 2008 that I looked at those but from what I recall the only way to fulfill those was with articulated courses provided at CCC.
Your out of state courses mean nothing. They will get looked at and treated the same so long as they determine they are transferable.
I can only speak for UC Berkeley’s TAP though, which I’m part of due to being a veteran, but they haven’t even looked at my transcripts.
If you took Calculus 1 (for example) in Colorado, they’re going to give you credit as having completed Calculus 1 and it will work towards your transfer.
I would use this year to get settled in, make sure everything is squared away to transfer, and take as many classes as you can to get your GPA higher (it’s great now, by the way, but getting it over 3.9 will only help), and also get your EC’s in order.
No clue where you’re looking to transfer to, but just make this most of this year and if you didn’t have goals of UCB or something like that, use this time to make that happen.
Also, what’s your plan for your GI Bill? Chapter 33, I’m assuming?
Do you plan to go on to graduate school? You should only use about half of that as a transfer student (so long as you don’t spend it at Diablo), so that’s something to keep in mind.
The earlier courses will have no affect on TAG, etc. You need 30 CCC units completed before you can TAG, though, which means it will be two years before you actually get to a UC. You can apply as a regular applicant to get into a UC one year from now as you only need to complete the 30 units by the spring before UC enrollment.
Examples:
Regular:
fall 2015, you start CCC with 15 units. In November 2015 you apply for fall 2016.
You complete your other 15 units spring 2016. You will start UC fall 2016.
TAG
Take courses Fall 2015, spring 2016, any summer, etc. You need to have 30 units completed by end of summer 2016.
You apply nov 2016. You will start UC in fall 2017.
TAP - UCLA
It may be doable for fall 2016 but I don’t think so.
TAP Berkeley - you can do it as a regular student for fall 2016 enrollment if you qualify.
Also: The biggest concern is any upper division courses possibly already taken.
I based my coursework in Utah off of Assist.org which was recommended to me by a counselor at UC Berkeley when I sat down with him. UC Berkeley is my #1 choice which is why I would be choosing a school nearby to help facilitate transferring.
@lindyk8 I’ve taken Pre-Calc, Calc I, II, III, Linear Alg and Diff Eqs, Physics for Sci & Engrs I and II, Chemistry, 2 CS courses (One was an intro course and the second was a programming course for C++). I’ve completed the R1A and R1B English requirements. The other courses I’ve taken have been various lower division courses that fulfill humanities and social studies courses. In total I’ve taken about 65 credits at the universities I’ve attended and this isn’t including the AP courses I took in HS. All the courses I’ve taken have fulfilled the minimum requirements and some of the recommended. This has been balanced between several UCs, because according to Assist.org each UC has different prerequisites in order to transfer.
@briank82 Berkeley is my #1, so if that’s the system you’re familiar with, I’m all ears. Unfortunately I would have to use my GI Bill (Chapt 33) while attending DVC. I’ve saved a considerable amount of money from deploying and such, but I’m hesitant to dip into that if I have the GI Bill.
Depending on your income level, you could get your tuition at DVC waived with the California Board of Governors Fee Waiver. You need to get your FAFSA done to be eligible for that financial aid. If you’re going to focus entirely on school and not working much, I could see that being a reality. Also, don’t forget that you can qualify for unemployment during this transition period.
Since you want to go to DVC, once you get registered, visit their transfer center and you’ll see postings when each college has a rep visiting. The UCB rep, who is the TAP reps for my college, comes at least once a month. So meeting them will be important to getting your into TAP and squared away in general.
If you don’t plan on grad school, I wouldn’t worry about using your GI Bill at DVC. If you do plan on grad school, not using your GI Bill until you transfer at a junior would go a long way for grad school, which is way more expensive than a CCC (which is only around $40/unit, so pretty cheap). Just food for thought.
I can’t say much about the electrical engineering, but I have a pretty good idea of the GI Bill, what’s available to us veterans, the transfer process, etc. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out my way. If I was in your situation, I’d just take a light year of classes to bump up my GPA and ensure I have everything I need done, get into programs like TAP, and boost my EC’s.
You sound like a strong candidate. You want my opinion? Forego TAG. Go to a CCC. You will need 30 units for priority consideration, which you can do all of next year, even while you apply in November.
Units won’t be a problem as you will not go over the unit cap. If you fit one of the UCB’s requirements for TAP use it. About 80% get in, plus Cal loves vets.
You really stand a good shot, as far as I can tell. @briank82 is a great source of info as he is doing just what you’re doing now. So is @mikesauce. Both are vets applying to Berkeley.
Slightly off topic, but @lindyk8, I met Mike! I was going through a nightmarish registration at his college (where I’m taking summer classes and classes next Fall/Spring), and I somehow ended up crashing their Student Veterans Organization meeting. We did a roundtable introduction and he was like “Brian?”
Small world.
You got this @Bectell530 and it sounds like you’ve got a ton of the pre-reqs out of the way, and a lot of the hard stuff.
Oh, one thing to keep in mind if you do use your GI Bill. They will only let you take classes that are on a VA-approved Ed Plan … meaning they need to work towards your degree. If you have a lot of pre-reqs and general ed knocked out, that really limits what you’re able to do and what they’ll pay for, especially if you’re looking to take a full load for the full BAH amount. You can always tell them some BS degree you’re pursuing so you have a new field of classes to take and you can change your ed plan as many times as you like, but just something to keep in mind as you plan out next year.
@briank82 Yeah, my first concern regarding going back to a CCC was not having any classes left to take that would benefit transferring. I think there’s a couple courses that are “strongly recommended”, so I’ll probably focus on them.
@lindyk8 I really do appreciate all the information you guys have been able to give me, because this whole thing absolutely threw a wrench in my plans. Hopefully, talking with the admissions offices at several of these schools will give me some idea of what I need to work on for next time.
