@nerdbomb seems like @pugzandhugz is in the same boat. Average GPA admitted in 2014 was a 3.94, but I’m sure UCLA TAP could probably sway things in your favor for Business Econ, though. I think UCLA weighs TAP fairly heavily. Suppose you got straight A’s this fall - what would your GPA be then?
@goldencub In between 3.83-3.86 depending on the classes I take. I might just consider applying to Econ as main choice under TAP since I don’t believe UCLA to be as holistic as Cal and private universities. Even then, getting in would be hard.
@nerdbomb Judging from your EC’s, you should be fine. They will account for what you do outside of school, even if they aren’t as holistic as Berkeley - I could be wrong, but I think EC’s count for additional points on your application. I’m not sure, but they are definitely considered in regards to your app. Is BizEcon your ideal major?
@goldencub BizEcon kind of sets an easier path for me to land into IB/Strategic consulting, thus it is the ideal major for me; not saying that I can’t break into the above two as Econ but OCR and networking would definitely be harder for Econ major compared to BizEcon majors.
@nerdbomb Do you know where you would prefer to attend? If LA, then perhaps an Econ major would be better to have a more solid chance at a spot. If you don’t have a huge proclivity towards LA, then perhaps it would be a good idea to apply to UCLA as a BizEcon major and PoliEcon at Cal? My guess is that LA would be a maybe and Cal would be a probably - if you were to get LA, you could have your ideal major/situation there, and if not, then Cal isn’t a bad backup at all.
If you would really like to attend UCLA over Cal, though, I’d suggest applying as an Econ major and minoring in something that could help with your future career path. Just my opinion.
@goldencub I’m veering more towards Cal, their Economics department I believe is slightly if not better than UCLA’s.
I might be taking a big risk if I go to Cal as a poli econ major, because my main idea would be to transfer in as poli econ and “hopefully” enroll in Calculus II, Econ 100A/100B, and Stats 20/21; with that I can declare as Econ major. But that is probably wishful thinking based on how econ 100A/100B is prioritize towards econ applicants
Hi everyone 
I’m an anthro BA major at smc, I’m a bit worried about where I stand…I have a 2.8 GPA that should go up by the end of the summer session to a 3.0 when I apply in the fall. By the end of the spring term however, it should go up to a 3.4-3.5 ( I’m pretty comfortable this can be achieved). I don’t have tap or tag or anything, mainly because I was just unaware of what it was; I’m first generation in my family to even consider college, by the time I found out about it it was too late. I work 25-30 hours a week and do volunteer work through my job and I’ve applied for a volunteer position at a local hospital.
I feel unsettled for some reason and would appreciate any honest feedback!! Thanks a ton
@nerdbomb Ah, I see. I’ve heard the Econ departments are comparable at both schools - I think any difference would only really matter in graduate school.
@sittle119 I suppose it’s possible, but I wouldn’t count on it. A 3.0 is low, although it would likely be what, a 3.2 by the end of the Fall? It’s possible, but unlikely. If you got your GPA up this year and reapplied next year, you could probably get in with a 3.4/3.5. They only count your grades from the end of the Fall 2015 semester for this coming application. Good luck, though! Have you completed IGETC/breadth, and all of your major’s prerequisites?
Look into TAG - you can still apply and get a guaranteed acceptance to some UC, I’m sure. There is a minimum GPA requirement, but I think you should make the threshold for one or two of the schools (UCM or UCR, perhaps?).
Hello guys, I have been stalking the College Confidential forums for years now, but never posted before.
I am a second year community college student looking to transfer to the University of California.
Particularly, I am interested in UCLA and UC Berkeley for Business Economics and Business Administration, respectively.
I was wondering if you guys could chance me:
Major: Business Econ/Business Administration
GPA: 3.90 (71.5 Semester Units)
Major GPA: 4.0
EC: Full time Math & Science tutor (Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, etc) , senator for Mathematics & Science at my CC, Started an online business, president of a “business & professionals club” on my campus
Essays: 7/10 at the moment (I still a few months to make them better)
The reason why I have a 3.90 GPA instead of a 4.0 is because I got a B in a health class which I took the summer of my freshman of highschool year (I was 13 years old and that was my first college class… which was overwhelming and intimidating)
And also, I got a B in my programming class last semester. I also have a W on my transcript because I thought I could handle Calculus 2, and psychology in one summer semester. (Dropped the psychology class with a W, but got an A+ in calculus 2)
Which GPA do the UC’s Look at? Do they look at the Highlighted GPA on the TRANSFER ADMISSION PLANNER? Or do they look at the Major GPA (The ASSIST listed Courses)?
Lastly, Does It look bad to take a lot of classes in the Fall semester? I ask this because I am going to take 26 units. (They are super easy classes like econ, Accounting, stats, music, english to fulfill the IGETC).
Thank You guys!
@hardworker223 I wouldnt worry about the grades, you could always elaborate in the comments section of the application to explain, if you felt the need to. In general your app looks competitive
@MikeSauce Thank you for your response. I have seen your name before on the forums, are you applying this fall as well? And do you think it looks bad if I take a lot of the major pre reqs in the same semester instead of spreading them out evenly? I did this because I was originally a computer science major, but I changed it as it was just not for me. I will be taking 26 units (but they are easy classes like stats, music and accounting).
If you are applying, what schools are you going to apply to and what is your major?
@Hardworker223 In addition to your major GPA, UC’s look at your transferable GPA (which isn’t necessarily calculated through the TAP - I have a non-transferable course that is factored into my gpa, in the planner, but my actual, transferable gpa doesn’t include it) - if the health class you took is not transferable, then it will not count against you. UC’s also don’t care about W’s. Overall, your application seems solid. Make sure your personal statements are excellent, though.
Are you sure you want to take 26 units in one semester? That’s a huge amount of courses, and it may negatively affect your GPA. If you can’t handle two courses in one summer session, why would you want to take 26 units at one time?
I’ve completed most of my IGETC but I’ve reviewed everything and I’m deciding to apply Fall 2016 just to play it safe. I plan on pursuing optometry after undergrad so another year will really help me boost my gpa + get the pre-reqs done for anthro BS. But thank you for your help! Best of luck to everyone on this thread!
@goldenclub thank you for your response. How do I calculate the GPA that the UC’s look at do I just factor in the classes that say they are “CERT” on the TAP. I took a trig course in college and it does not say yes on the “Cert” and “UC Area” columns, does that mean that course is not transferable and will not affect my GPA?
@sittle119 Good luck!
@Hardworker223 Not necessarily. CERT means that they are assist certified. There are some courses that are not UC transferable - for example, I took a lower level math in high school, Intermediate Algebra, that is not transferable. You should be able to see if a course is transferable or not on your CCC’s schedule of classes / course list.
It COULD not affect your GPA, or it could just not show up as certified on assist.org. Check this, and the regular assist page: http://web1.assist.org/web-assist/help/help-transferable_courses.html
I think recognizing if a course is transferable or not is done by admissions.
I also just checked, and Trig does not transfer at my CC. It’s very possible that you will not get units for that course, and it will not factor into your GPA.
When you look at TAP it list assist certified courses GPA, that is basically your transferable GPA. If you have classes from any non California Community Colleges then that makes it more complicated, but if youve only been to a CCC then thats a good way to see. At my school trig transfers to CSU’s but not UC’s.
@hardworker223 I would agree with goldencub, 26 units is more than two times what a full time course load is. I think it would only look bad if you didnt do well or if you ended up dropping a lot of them as that would show a lack of time management. Im sure you have the potential to handle the load, but I seriously doubt you would have time to do any EC’s. Haas doesnt do any recalculation of GPA, and they do consider patterns of GPA manipulation, they look at everything, go to some workshops and hear for yourself.
And yeah im applying F15, a lot of private schools plus UCB, and tagging to Davis as a safety.
@hardworker223 26 units? Any flaws Haas will not let it slide. I would reassess that plan. Oh, how the mighty have fallen up here by planning out a similar strategy.
@MikeSauce what do you mean Haas doesn’t do recalculations of GPA, sorry I am new to all this. And I reassessed my fall semester and I will be taking 23 instead… I know that is a lot but I can handle it because at one point last semester I was taking calculus chemistry comp sci and physics whilst tutoring full time. I am just taking 23 units of GE and easy pre reqs like stats and accounting
They look at the gpa when we update our application in January with our fall grades right? And what is your GPA mike? I am also tagging to UC Davis as a safety. What major are you going to put for Davis?