Failure in urgent need of help and constructive criticism

Transfer Students
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<p>Hi all. I've been attending a community college in California for 5 years with an overall GPA of 2.69, completing a total of 68 credits with 65 of them being transferable. I have one W for a class I withdrew but did not retake and one F for a class I took twice trying to pass but failed. I also have a few other W's and F's for classes which I successfully retook with mostly C's and one B. All the classes I took satisfy some GE requirements for CSU's and some for UC's and almost all are transferable but all of them combined can't satisfy the requirements for a major for transfer to a 4-year. I kept on switching majors during this time but never followed up on taking the classes to satisfy them and was undecided most of the time. I was a full-time student for only the first semester. It was during my second semester when my grades really dropped and after that semester I was never a full-time student anymore, withdrawing some classes and failing others. </p>

<p>To sum it all up, I wasted 5 years at a community college producing a horribly useless transcript with a low GPA to show for. Looking back, I think it would've been better if I hadn't gone to school for these past 5 years and instead dealt with my personal and psychological issues (general and social anxiety, depression, and ADD) first as they were severely limiting me to achieve in school. It'd probably be better than diving straight into CC struggling only to end up with a crappy transcript. With a 2.69 GPA with mostly GE-type classes done over a period of 5 years with a W and an F, lots of C's with some B's and very rarely A's, will any decent 4-year university in California accept me?</p>

<p>I talked to my psychologist about my academic record and decided on Computer Science/Game Design as my major. He strongly suggested that I start fresh at a new community college which offers a pretty good Associate's Degree program in Game Design and then transfer to a UC. I checked all the CSU's and UC's and only two UC's offered degrees in Game Design - a B.S. in Computer Science specializing in Game Design at UCSC and a Studio Art degree specializing in Game Culture and Technology equivalent to a minor at UC Irvine. No CSU's have any specific Game Design degrees, only the more general Computer Science ones. I plan to get the Associate's Degree at the new community college aiming for a much higher GPA (at least 3. something), then apply to UCSC/UCI/CSU's under the Computer Science/Game Design major in 2-3 years. Is this move a waste of time or worthwhile to do?</p>

<p>I have several questions. PRETEND I have completed all the courses for the Associate's Degree with an overall GPA of 3.7 or higher at the new community college within 2-3 years. Would this slightly (if at all) or significantly increase my chances of getting accepted into UCSC/UCI/CSU's, considering my horrible transcript and GPA from the previous community college (I know the 4-years will still look at it)? Basically, I've made up my mind about going to another CC to get an AA and a high GPA but I just wonder how much that would help me to get into a UC like Santa Cruz or Irvine considering my crappy transcript at the old CC and the long time I stayed there (5 years). Can a really good personal statement that explains what happened at the previous community college really help to persuade UCSC/UCI to accept me? Or should I just aim lower at the CSU's? Also, I got all C's for the only set of classes (Calculus) I took at the previous community college that counts toward the Associate Degree of Computer Science/Game Design at the new community college. Should I retake these classes again at the new community college?</p>

<p>Please help. I'd be grateful if you could provide some helpful advice and constructive criticism. I just need all the 411, support, and advice I can get from people.</p>

<p>I know some of you may be thinking "wow you suck. maybe school is not for you. go find a dead-end job in manual labor or other unskilled profession". Please don't give me that stuff because it's neither constructive nor helpful. I know I'm definitely not one of the "smart" guys in college but I realize if I don't finish school with at least a BS, I'll never survive in the real world, especially in today's economy. I have no work experience except for working at a fast food restaurant for 5-6 months that was barely minimum pay.</p>

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<p>Post your questions about the UCs on the UC Transfers subforum.</p>

3

<p>Sorry, I had a feeling I posted it in the wrong forum…</p>

4

<p>I can kind of relate in that I spent 4 years at CC and felt like I wasted too much time there. I was really dead-set on going to UCLA, though, having been accepted once in 2007 then having my admission revoked after getting a D in a core GE course, so then for 3 more years I just stayed at my CC, taking 1 or 2 courses a semester (& retaking the course I got a D in), just trying to get back into UCLA, and it just didn’t work out & now I’m in my 1st semester at Cal State Northridge.</p>

<p>But, in answer to your question: if you have all your transferable credits now & have retaken the courses you failed, you could try applying to a CSU & just go there. However, if you really want to go to a UC, like Irvine or Santa Cruz, you might try just applying for the next semester & explaining what happened in your Personal Statement. I’d say you have a shot at those schools, especially Santa Cruz, even with your low grades.</p>

<p>Your situation is difficult to examine, & the world of universities is hard to predict, so you might just want to call UCI or UCSC and speak to someone in admissions about your situation & get their take on it. </p>

<p>But, I’m not sure that re-doing your entire CC curriculum would make your chances any better. If I were you, I would probably just try applying now, if all your GE is completed satisfactorily. Hope this helps somehow! Good luck! :)</p>

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<p>Thanks for the reply ellimac016. Unfortunately, while I do have enough credits to fulfill the IGETC requirements, I still haven’t retaken a course I have failed twice and a course I withdrew with a W. No combination of all the classes on my old transcript can fulfill all the prerequisites for any major right now, and definitely not for Computer Science/Game Design.</p>

<p>I guess I might possibly call UCI or UCSC like you said and see what they’ll throw at me. If all else fails, I guess I’ll just go to CSU.</p>

<p>Best of luck with your studies at Cal State Northridge!</p>