Unfortunately, due to sickness during exams, I finished with a cumulative gpa of 1.98 and failed to reach a 2.0. I was on a probationary term at Cal and am planning for the worst in the event my appeal gets denied. My academic experience at Cal was dreadful, simply as a result of personal issues which I am working on. I just completed my second semester of my second year and am planning on going to a community college and transferring to a different university. I would like to start fresh and was wondering if I needed to send transcripts from Cal when applying to prospective universities. Would they even need to know I attended Cal for a short time? My hopes are to excel at my local junior college and find a university fitting for me as I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I am hoping that my time at Cal doesn’t restrict my options and opportunities to transfer to good institutions. I don’t mind not being able to transfer any credits attained from Cal and am willing to retake classes that I passed at a community college. Also, some prospective universities I am looking at claim they cannot accept students that have completed more than “two and half years (five terms)” at a different college for residential reasons. Would this even matter if I never mentioned my time at Berkeley? I’m sorry for this mess of a question. I would just like some clarity during this hard time. Thank you for the support in advance.
Unfortunately, you can’t wipe the slate clean and become a new freshman again.
The universities expect you to forward your transcripts. The transcript record doesn’t have to be perfect.
Universities use a clearinghouse of information to see if you have previously attended a university. If you neglect to include your previous university coursework, you risk not being admitted to ANY future universities.
Going from a UC to a CC to a university happens a lot. It’s not something that should leave you embarrassed; fit is important and can adversely impact students in their first year or two. The universities understand this.
So, please be aware that when you apply to another university, and electronically sign your name to the application, you are signing, as an adult, that your information is truthful. Breaking that trust, by choosing to omit information has dire consequences. Students do get caught and their records, at the clearinghouse are flagged, such that other future university targets will not accept the student.
The CC’s will admit you without issue. Use them to bring up your GPA and then transfer to another uni. Just remember to forward the Cal and the CC transcripts. Good luck!
(FYI, transfer funding is REALLY limited, so be sure to check out future university targets for financial aid policies.)
An FYI about leaving UCB and then possibly reapplying to another UC. Make sure you leave UCB in good standing so I would suggest you try to get a Medical withdrawl if possible.
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Students who left a UC campus on academic probation or not in good academic standing (last term and/or a cumulative UC GPA below 2.00) and wish to return to the same UC campus or apply to another UC campus must contact an advisor in the school/college in which they were previously enrolled at UC for guidance on any requirements for readmission.
Realistically, you will have to present a probably 2.low GPA if you are dismissed after four semesters of 1.98 GPA and take a semester or two at a community college (doing better than 1.98). The likely options:
- Try to get readmitted to UCB.
- Apply to non-impacted and/or slightly impacted CSUs (or those where you are in their local areas and they give local area applicants non-impacted admission). Or equivalently-selective universities in your home state if you are not a California resident.