Hello, Political Science / IR major here.
Would you guys advise me if I’m competitive as a transfer student?
GPA: 3.5
Major: Pre-Political Science
Applied: All UCs except Merced. and Santa Cruz
Admitted: UC Riverside
IGETC: Will completed by this Spring. (Only 2 subjects were left when I submitted the UC Application)
Pre-Req.: Finished except 1 or 2.
Tag: N/A
Wish you guys the best of luck!
Thank you.
@iunique If this were a betting game, you wouldn’t have much money on your side. You’re below their 25th percentile.
But then again, it could definitley happen.
@iunique I honestly think it has to do with how popular your major is at the particular school. When I went to STOMP last year, they basically told everyone in the transfer seminar that there are 12 majors that everyone applies to and almost no one applies to the other ones. If your major is part of the 12, then I would be a little concerned, but not a lot since your GPA is good. If it’s not one of the 12, I wouldn’t be as concerned. I’m sure you can find a list online somewhere. At STOMP there was a woman who gave a speech about getting Ds in her classes and still being accepted because she was not in a major considered part of the 12, and all she was required to do was retake the D classes during the summer for Bs.
Edit: Here’s a list of 10/12: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/the-top-10-most-popular-majors-242975
Not to be a downer, but someone with D’s that weren’t replaced via academic renewal getting accepted to UCLA must be the ultimate exception. The student in question must have had other factors in her favor. UCLA allowing her to retake courses in the summer as a condition of admittance is quite remarkable.
The list provided above is from 2013 and shows majors that are/were growing the most. In the case of political science, it is absent from that list, but is incredibly popular at UCLA. One would be very fortunate to be admitted to UCLA under (pre) political science with a 3.5. It’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility, but it’s unlikely.
@041191 This post is not a knock against you, but just my view on the matter. You’ve been making some very good posts and I respect you and your perspective.
@solostish @041191 @Cheolf Thank you so much guys!
Does anyone know how much influence TAP has on an applicant who is applying to a non impacted major?
@Cheolf No big deal. I’m just reporting what I heard when I was at STOMP. I think there are cases where people slip through because of something else that was mentioned on their application–a personal hardship or something–that put those Ds in perspective. None of us know the admissions process and what goes on in that room where decisions are made. At this point, we’re all speculating. I won’t hold it against you. However, they did make it seem like UCLA admissions are really lenient. I don’t know if that was because they were talking to a room full of potential transfer students and were trying to urge them to apply, or because they are that lenient and we’re just holding them to a high standard because of their status as a university. They said other things, too, like if you have a bad grade on something that isn’t being used to fulfill a class on IGETC or for your major, they throw the class out to give you the best GPA possible. How true that is, I don’t know. I’m just telling you what I heard and wrote down while I was participating in their transfer seminar on their campus last April. 
@iunique @041191 @solostish @Cheolf 3.5 definitely doesn’t put one out of the running for Pre-PoliSci; one’s GPA only quantifies certain things. Grade improvements are taken into account by AdComs as well - I know Berkeley likes upward trends, and I’m sure UCLA views them similarly well. A 3.5 with an upward trend and everything completed makes one competitive, IMO.
That said, missing prereqs (along with a 3.5) will probably prevent you from getting into UCLA or UCB, considering how competitive PoliSci is for transfer applicants.
Hey guys, I’d appreciate it if someone could chance me.
GPA: 3.3 TAP Certified
Major: Music History
Applied: UCLA, UCB, UCD, UCSB
IGETC: Completed.
Pre-Req.: Finished.
Will admissions officers overlook my relatively low gpa due to TAP? Good luck everyone!
Thank you.
Hi everyone!
I’ve been looking at college confidential since my senior year, and although this site gives me anxiety, I thought it’s important to at least know for sure what my chances are based on my personal qualifications instead of ball parking in accordance to everyone else’s response. So if someone could take the time to chance me, that’d be super awesome! Hopefully, I get a little relieved.
Major: History (Pre-History according to UCLA)
Coming from: CCC
GPA: 3.6 (Fall) 3.71 (Fall and Winter) [I know they only count up until fall grades but my contact at UCLA said its okay that I updated since it makes the admission officer know that I’m continuing to do well]
IGETC: Will complete by end of spring
Pre Reqs: Will complete by end of Spring
Accepted: Loyola Marymount University
Still waiting: UCLA (duh), USC (I have to wait till june D:)
Anyone who was accepted as a History major or knows anyone who got accepted as a History major, please give me your insights!
Side note: This is my first year in college [so technically I’ve only been in school a semester and a half? (15 units-Fall, 6 units- Winter, 15 units- Spring)], and the reason I am able to transfer so early is because of all my AP credit. I didn’t get to do the TAP program at my school because I found out too late and like I said, I couldn’t take honors classes they didn’t offer in Spring. Do you think this puts me at a great disadvantage?
@anxiousmac I’m also a 1 year transfer! I have a ton of AP credit as well. I’m Poli-Sci and I applied with a 4.0.
Apparently, they don’t discriminate in number of years it takes to complete the “two-year” program. So we should be good! I don’t know much about your 3.6 for history, so I can’t really comment on your “chances”, but being a one year won’t hurt!
Gonna chance you at about 60%, based on:
Feel free to provide more details (ECs, essays, etc.) so I can give you an even more accurate estimate.
Hey guys!
If anyone can give me some insight on my chances of being accepted, especially to UCLA, I’d greatly appreciate it!
GPA: 3.3 TAP Certified
Major: Music History
Coming from: CCC
IGETC: Completed
Pre reqs: Completed
Applied: UCLA, UCB, UCD, UCSB
Will admissions officers overlook my relatively low GPA due to TAP? Good luck everyone!
Thank you.
Well with regards to EC’s:
I work as an administrative assistant at a Home Care company. Basic book keeping, answering phone calls, etc.
I’m a volunteer at my Tae Kwon Do gym, First Dan black belt and all
Part of a Filipino Cultural organization
Heavily involved with youth ministry at church
I also have done a few theater plays
Oh and I included the fact that I was an editor for my High School’s literary magazine (don’t know if that would really be a plus considering I graduated already lol, but it doesn’t hurt right? I mean its only been a year)
Essays:
So I wanted to be creative with my essays and did this whole thing on how I personified “history” and the story of how I fell in love with “him” while traveling along the east coast. Tried to be out of the box so I hope they don’t take it badly… lol probably (8/10- I’ve been told writing is one of my strong suits)
LOL I’m like describing my whole application. thanks for your help!
@ElevatedThinking It’s only on the lower end of the spectrum of admitted students - therefore, being around the 40th percentile of that range is no reason to believe their chances are low. Being within the range provided on the transfer profile (25th-75th percentiles) makes one competitive.
So, @anxiousmac - I think you are competitive, and have fairly good chances, given the fact that your prerequisites will be completed by the end of the Spring.
Link to the UCLA Transfer Admission Profile: https://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/adm_tr/Tr_Prof15_mjr.htm
Not being in TAP or taking honors classes does not put you at a disadvantage - you just lack those advantages. Plenty of other people do as well, though (myself included). Also, being a 1-year transfer is not looked down upon - you will have IGETC, prereqs, and the minimum 60 units all completed. Completion of those factors is all that really matters.
@goldencub thanks so much! being within that transfer admission profile makes me feel a lot better knowing I am competitive. hoping for the best!!
@dswiss123
I transferred through my school’s TAP program 2 years ago.
TAP helps a lot in nonimpacted majors. And in impacted ones as well. From what I’ve seen, it’s like having a .3~4 GPA boost.
TAP makes it easier to get into any given major because it’s an honors program(Gotta take some honors classes and maintain a certain gpa) that has a privileged agreement with UCLA that requires that they get priority consideration for admission before other CC students.
Thank you for the quick response and info Cayton. I have heard that TAP gives students a .3-4 boost but wasn’t sure how legit the info was. Hearing it from you has definitely eased my worries.
Is that UCLA’s TAP that you transferred through? And also, what was you major?
You guys, legit having a mental breakdown every two days stressing out about decisions. Doesn’t help that dad is an alcoholic with bulimia during this final countdown to replies from schools. Here are my stats, be honest, let me know what you think.
gpa- 3.84 cumulative
major- psych, alternate is anthro
tap- yes
honors- yes
major pre-reqs- all done, currently finishing two for my alternate major
miscellaneous-
-VP of honors society
-volunteer intern at UCLA hospital for 3 years
-currently working at clinical psych’s office 24hrs/week (help with administering diagnostic tests for personality disorders etc etc)
-worked as student tutor in learning disabilities center
- volunteered in Pets for Vets (finding service dogs for veterans)
-one of 23 ambassadors for the dean (competitive, get a scholarly stipend every semester)
-Miss Santa Monica title holder (worked with the boys and girls club promoting drug abuse prevention and awareness)
-co-founder of a UCLA charity group for fundraising art therapy projects for cardiovascular trauma patients (people who almost died of heart disease, recovering after intense surgery), worked with chief of cardiothoracic surgery
-volunteered at a nursing home for the memory impaired
-volunteered at VA hospital, guided dance therapy research groups
–>total: about 315 hours of volunteering, 275 from UCLA hospital, 40 from pets for vets, VA, and the boys and girls club.
High school activities:
-placed as finalist at ballet competitions
-won numerous piano festivals (Bach, Schubert, Chopin)
-varsity track
-captain of poetry club, we placed at state competitions
-ballet and piano for past 15 years
Personal Statement: wrote on how I developed skills of resilience and unconditional work ethic through my experience with pain. My grandma raised me so when she passed of a cardiac arrest 3 years ago while regressing in Alzheimer’s, my life felt like it split in half below my feet. Then in the second prompt I went on a nerdy-ass tangent of what I want to pursue in public mental health (want to study epidemiology of psychiatric disorders among childhood and adolescence) and how having a podcast program at the nursing home helped me learn of the comorbidity (simultaneous disorders) of neurodegenerative diseases (like alzheimer’s, huntington’s) and impulse-control disorders.
~~Additionally, I am pre-med. I’m first generation American= parents are immigrants.
APPLIED TO: UCLA, UCB, UCSD, UCI, got guaranteed transfer admission to UCD
@grimmghost You’re going to be admitted. You have a decent shot of getting Regents too, IMO.