Got a C in an engineering course, but I still want to transfer to UIUC's engineering

Transfer Students
1

<p>Last semester as a freshman I had all As in 17 semester hours worth of courses, though I did take a gen-ed (rhetoric) and mandatory engineering introduction courses.</p>

<p>This semester I had a B in Matrix Algebra and Physics I, B+ in Engineering Math II (Calc 2 and Calc 3 combined) and Intro to programming, and a C in Statics. 15 semester hours of only engineering courses.</p>

<p>I underestimated the coursework load required by the engineering courses, but I attempted to compensate by frequently attending engineering tutoring and TA/professor office hours, studying on weekends, and cutting back on student engineering organizations I was involved with (SAE Baja, AIAA, and ASME).</p>

<p>I barely hanged out with other people, unless if they just happened to be in the same area that I'm studying in, then I talk for a little bit. I did not spend any of my time partying, gaming or watching TV.</p>

<p>During April, on the second week, I had an exam and a major programming assignment due on Friday. On the third week, I had two midterms on a Monday night, and then another exam on a Tuesday night. I also just happened to have the common cold, during the period from second week of Thursday through the third week of Wednesday or Friday, coincidentally when I needed to study or take the exams.</p>

<p>My performance on the midterms were... poor. But I fully understand that it was still my fault for not being able to perform well, and I won't dispute the grades that I got.</p>

<p>UIUC admissions made it very clear to me that they want to see at least 3.5 GPA, and they will ask questions if they see a C, especially if it's an engineering course and I want to apply for their engineering program.</p>

<p>I will be retaking Statics during this summer, though I know UIUC will still frown upon a C, even if I get a B or an A in the summer Statics course.</p>

<p>What can I do?</p>

2

<p>I should mention that I spent a significant amount of energy and time into applying for internships and research positions during the second semester. Perhaps this may have distracted me from academics.</p>

<p>I had four interviews, and in one of them, the manager told me that he would’ve hired me, but I only had my driver’s license for 1.5 years when the hiring policy requires 3 years due to the facility’s liability insurance policy.</p>

<p>In another interview, the interview was scheduled about 3 hours before an Engineering Math II exam. So right after the internship interview, I had to make a run for it to the lecture hall to take my exam.</p>

<p>I was also told by three professors that they would’ve liked to hire me as their undergraduate research assistant, but they already hired enough people.</p>

3

<p>Part of being a successful engineer is understanding the limits of a given system and finding ways to optimize it. Or you can simply learn to be satisfied with a B average and keep doing what you’re doing. As a general rule, I found that I could handle my personal and extracurricular loads as long as I didn’t take more than three technical courses per semester–limiting to one lab within that set, and no more than 16 credits. I realize your constraints will be vastly different than mine (time, money, etc.), but I’m just pointing out what you already know, that you took on too much this past semester and ended up having your whole system’s efficiency drop below your acceptable level of success. </p>

<p>You have already gotten A’s in some technical courses I assume (Calc I?), so you should have an idea the level of mastery and effort it takes per class. You can only account for sudden illness/emergencies by having slack built into your schedule. I recommend the 3*credit estimation, where for every credit hour you sign up for, plan to spend 3 hours per week either in lecture, doing hw, or reading. So a 15 credit schedule means you should be dedicating 45 hours per week to your schoolwork. If you’re finding that’s too much time or not enough, you can adjust your modifier as needed. If you’re willing to “work” 60 hours per week, that leaves you with 15 hours of time per week to dedicate to clubs or volunteering for a professor.</p>

<p>edit: since you’re planning on taking a summer class, the estimation for a compressed semester is generally another factor of 3 (15 weeks squeezed into 5 for example), so a 3 credit summer course means 9 hours per week.</p>

4

<p>One of my concerns is how would UIUC interpret my transcript, seeing that I got all Bs and a C in the second semester. I’m concerned that they might reject my transfer admissions upon seeing a C even if I retook Statics and got a higher grade.</p>

<p>For the summer semester, I’m taking an intro to microeconomics and Statics.</p>

<p>For the fall semester, I plan on taking 4 engineering course (Circuits, Physics II, 2nd level of programming, and differential equations) and an upper level microeconomics course that counts as a gen end. 16 semester hours.</p>

5

<p>You’re asking to read the minds of people, a folly venture. You can’t change how they will interpret your transcript, if they even bother to interpret it at all (and just go by the numbers). I would focus on what you CAN affect, which is your GPA. If you’re not certain about admissions to UIUC, there are other schools you could apply to, or continue to try any raise your gpa and apply again later, or call it good at an associate’s degree and get a job as a tech somewhere. The options are pretty simple.</p>

6

<p>I wanted to transfer to UIUC because I’m an Illinois resident and a parent is an employee there, so there’s a 50% student tuition discount. Compared to Uni of Iowa’s out of state tuition, it saves quite a bit of money per year.</p>

<p>I’m at University of Iowa since UIUC did not offer admissions to their engineering program when I applied as a high school student.</p>