First Quarter Freshmen @ Cal Poly SLO failing - transfer to CC --> Top UC. NEEDS Help

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>So, I'm currently at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and I hate it here. I've decided I don't want to be a business major, and its super hard to change majors, im not motivated here, i dont like the people here, no diversity, personal reasons, etc.. I can go on and on.</p>

<p>And this is coming from an extremely happy and social H.S. student with a 3.4 GPA and a 2010 SAT. I'm very intelligent, but a little lazy at times.</p>

<p>Well, I'm about to end my first quarter with an F & 2Cs.. I ****ed up, I know. But I've realized this place isn't for me. I truly believe it's the college and not me. I was a successful leadership good student in HS. There's lots of reasons I don't want to be here anymore, I dont want advice on that. I've made my decision to go to a local community college to my house and get a job, and I just need advice.</p>

<p>First of all, can I start with a clean slate? Can I just not transfer my F and 2Cs? Just never send it to my community college and start fresh? That would be best for me. I'd rather just re-take all my classes.</p>

<p>How crowded is CC? Could I graduate in 2 years? I plan on going to Pasadena Community College.</p>

<p>Is this a feasible idea? I'm confident I can atleast pull off a 3.5 at PCC. Could that get me into UCLA? </p>

<p>Can you just give me general advice on transferring and what to know. I'm lost in the world. Thanks!</p>

<p>or is there a way to pretend this year didnt happen? and re-apply next year as a fresh to other schools and just say i did a gap year?</p>

<p>You can’t lie or hide grades. But you might be able to make that F up (not sure since I don’t know how CSU/CC classes articulate). You can’t retake Cs. </p>

<p>2 years is doable but depends on your major. Just work hard to show them that you’ve done much better since your first quarter. :)</p>

<p>I think if you go to a JC as a freshman with your high school records only, you don’t have to transfer your Cal Poly grades to the JC. </p>

<p>In essence, it is a clean slate as long as you never want to go back to Cal Poly or any CSU again. </p>

<p>So yes, you can treat it as you are starting JC in spring semester as a freshman. </p>

<p>And I am sorry you are having a rough time at Cal Poly.</p>

<p>Just a word of caution, you should reflect on what led you to do poorly in CP. This is because a school such as UCLA will be even harder academically.</p>

<p>It is not exactly a clean slate. When you apply to UCLA after two years at the
CCC you will need to submit a transcript of your classes taken at Cal Poly SLO. You can not avoid this since the UCs have a website that they check and it immedadiately tells them all the colleges and universities that any applicant has ever attended in the U.S.</p>

<p>The only way you can replace the F is by taking the exact same course again at Cal Poly SLO which you have made clear you will not do. There is a process known as Academic Renewal that can be used to remove the results of disasterous semesters such as you have had but could be somewhat complicated since there will be a CSU, CCCs and UCs involved.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>No! It’s true that you don’t have to transfer courses to your CCC, but on your UC application, you will have to submit information on all college courses ever taken, period. </p>

<p>The only exceptions are if you received academic renewal or if you retake the same classes and get better grades, canceling out the original Fs.</p>

<p>If you “just ignore” your SLO grades on your UC application and the UC then finds out, even after you’ve started classes, they will likely rescind your admission.</p>

<p>Edit: Darn, beat me, Lemaitre1.</p>

<p>ok thanks guys. what about private schools? could i do a clean slate there?</p>

<p>Unfortunately the grades you’ve received in college up to this point will stick with you forever, whether you plan to transfer or go to graduate school.</p>

<p>My oldest D did very poorly her first year in college - and frankly, not so great at the CC options either. However, not all was lost. She did a lot of maturing and went back to school on a somewhat probationary status and blew the lights out with great grades. She now has a year to go and maintains a solid B+/A- average. Things can turn around, but I do have a suggestion… </p>

<p>Do not just simply blame the school on your poor performance or bad decisions made a long the way. Take a hard look at yourself and decide who you are going to be going forward. You say you were a leader in HS? Great grades? Big flipping deal. If you’ve peaked in HS, that’s not exactly something to hang your hat on. It’s now a full year later and believe me, life flies by in an instant. Reassess and apply yourself. Don’t hide your past or bury it but instead use it to learn and grow going forward. If you have not yet mastered this thinking, I am not sure you are ready to move forward.</p>

<p>What happened with the whole episode where you pulled the fire alarm in the dorm? Was legal action taken?</p>

<p>everything you stated can happen, minus the blank slate. You’ll have to list every and all college grades you’ve earned no matter if you leave SLO, head to CC, then transfer to UC. You can make up those grades, though.</p>

<p>If you have the option of leaving SLO, and dedicate yourself to CC, then go for it. Go to a CC with a TAP with UCLA to up your chances of getting in. Depending on your major (we can count out business obviously), you will need a 3.5+. </p>

<p>And yes it is doable in 2 years. Just plan out all courses you need with IGETC, Assist, or UC reciprocity and if you want to add in getting an AA that will factor in. Planning is key, stay motivated, and dedicated! Good luck!</p>

<p>Thanks for all the information guys. Honestly, I messed up. I was working pretty hard in school, I could’ve finished off the quarter with probably something decent like a 3.2… But, 2 weeks ago I was pretty positive I would drop out, so started blowing off classes / large assignments thinking the grades and transfer units would not go through, and I could start fresh at a CC and get a higher GPA… Unfortunately I was very wrong and now I’m trying to finish off the semester the best I can. BIG mistake, that I take full responsibility for.</p>

<p>Fire Alarm- Talked to the dean of housing, presented my case, told her I was sincerely sorry and understood how immature it was, etc… etc… I just had to write some essays, actually not some, a ton of essays haha, and I’m on housing probation. So, it really wasn’t that big of a deal.</p>

<p>I’ve been messing around too much in college, I don’t find SLO inspiring, I’m not happy here. I think going home to get a job will help me mature. I need to figure out what I want to do with my life… </p>

<p>Going to CC & working at home sounds miserable, but I think its the best thing for me and the more mature action.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the advice people have been giving me, I appreciate it.</p>

<p>

Take a look at those two conflicting statements. Also consider the fact that there are thousands of students attended SLO who are doing just fine.</p>

<p>I’m not saying that to knock you but you asked for advice. Why do you think you’d do any better at UCLA, an even more selective U than SLO? The students at UCLA aren’t going to be radically different than the students attending SLO so why do you think you’d like the people any better? </p>

<p>I doubt the fire alarm prank endeared you to many fellow students (assuming they know it was you who pulled it) and it illustrates your maturity level to some extent.</p>

<p>Advice - you need to face your performance so far and determine what the issue really is. I can tell you that it’s not the school and given your statements it’s not your abilities. You just need to have the right frame of mind to succeed. You need to realize this isn’t HS anymore. Someone is paying a fair amount of money for you to attend this school and you need to realize that attending any school at all is entirely optional - it’s not compulsory like elementary school was. You’re the one in the driver’s seat now and it’s you who’ll determine whether you’ll be successful or not. You don’t have a parent hovering over you making sure you do the work necessary. If you’re determined to not make an adequate effort at SLO then it’s probably best you take a break from it and possibly even take a year off of any school to have a chance to mature a little and realize the value of putting an adequate amount of effort into school. If you think you’ve learned from your first experience at college and are ready to straighten up (and you aren’t the first to be in that situation! - make sure you understand this before you beat yourself up too badly) then you can consider - </p>

<ul>
<li><p>Stay at SLO. Retake the F to make it improve. Make an effort to get along with people and find some friends. There are thousands of people to be able to find a few friends from. Make the most of it there by taking a positive attitude to the opportunities you have.</p></li>
<li><p>Take a year off. You can work - see what it’s like to have to support yourself. If you’re living with your parents make sure you contirbute to the household if your not attending school and try to understand what it takes to pay rent, pay for food, health insurance, utilities, gas, car payment, car insurance, clothing, vacations, entertainment, etc. for the reality check.</p></li>
<li><p>Attend a CC and do the best you can. You’ll still need the ‘attitude adjustment’ and maturity level to succeed.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t count on being able to get into UCLA after the CC. You might get in but you might not. Make sure you’re comfortable with possibly transferring to some other U in the event you don’t make it into UCLA and make sure you’re comfortable with that.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Note that ‘maturing’ is a frame of mind and includes being honest with oneself. You have a chance to look back on the issues you’ve had thus far, learn from it, look forward, take a positive approach, and have a mature outlook.</p>

<p>If you can manage to turn yourself around and do well then your overall GPA at the time you finish your degree won’t take a huge hit from just one quarter/semester.</p>

<p>“Going to CC & working at home sounds miserable, but I think its the best thing for me and the more mature action.”</p>

<p>I thought it would be miserable too, and thought I’d rather go to csu. However, I am really happy I made this decision because you have sooo much more freedom. You’d think that a college far from your parents would be horrible and embarrassing but I got my own car so it’s the same as a normal college life but without the insane rent and living costs and tuition costs as well. I probably save more than $10k from not choosing to go to csu and going to a cc instead. The one problem I have with CC, though, is that the classes you want are very hard to get. You might want to take some summer courses, or random courses whenever possible because registration dates are given on a unit completed basis.(I emphasize “completed” because enrolled course units do not count.) So, the more units you completed (no matter what they are), the earlier your registration date, and the better your chances are of getting the classes you want. Before fall semester I had 12 units completed (from summer), most of them were useless and easy A’s but my registration date for spring was bumped down to 1 week from the first date compared to my summer registration date which was 3 weeks. Classes like the advanced bio and math classes are only easy to get if you get the first 3-4 registration dates. Otherwise, you’re out of luck.
Also, you can definitely finish cc in 2 years. I can finish my IGETC and all prereqs (econ) easily in 2 more semesters (total of 3 semesters), and I get to use that extra semester to take “fun” courses like abnormal psych. and law… and it barely costs what one course would cost at a UC. Plus, the teachers are so much more available/approachable unlike the crowded conditions at UC’s.</p>

<p>@LSkaiWalk</p>

<p>Pulling the dorm fire alarm may not have been a big deal to you but may have had very adverse consequences for others. My elder son who is a Sophomore at CSU Sacramento was taking Calculus I for science and engineering majors last year. He had a hard time at first and did poorly on his first midterm. However, he worked hard and on the second midterm had the highest grade in the class and was hoping to get at least a B in the course. He studied hard all day before the final exam which was at 8:00 the next morning. He finally got to sleep only to be awakened at 1:00 AM when some idiot pulled the fire alarm and the dorm had to be evacuated. My son was upset but finally got back to sleep at around 4:00 AM when some other moron pulled the fire alarm. My son had to take his Calculus final very upset, agitated and with no sleep in over 24 hours. He ended up with a C for the course. That C will be on his record forever and since he is a Geology major will put him at a disadvantage in applying for a job or graduate school.</p>

<p>Cal Poly SLO is an outstanding university. It is clear that the problem was not the college, it was you. You are immature, inconsiderate, dishonest with your original intention to hide your poor academic and disciplinary records and maybe even malicious. You do not belong at a fine school like Cal Poly SLO, should never have been admitted in the first place and will certainly not be missed by the students there trying to get the first class education that school provides to serious students.</p>

<p>In addition to your F you can also count on the fire alarm incident being noted on your transcript from Cal Poly SLO. Good luck getting into UCLA with that on your record in addition to the F which can not be replaced.</p>

<p>LSkaiWalk:</p>

<p>I think I remember you going back and forth last Spring trying to decide whether to attend Cal Poly or Santa Clara University. And, maybe another school. Was that you? I know you were on the fence almost to the point where you wanted someone on CC to make the decision for you. From the sounds of it, I’m not so sure you’re ready to attend ***any ***college. You sound a bit confused about what you want in life right now. I wouldn’t blame it on Cal Poly SLO.</p>