GPA boost vs. major prep courses

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>I've run into a dilemma planning my Fall '14 schedule. I'm currently a CCC student hoping to transfer in Fall '15 as a Political Science major to UC Berkeley or UCLA. </p>

2

<p>What is your question? What do you need help with?</p>

3

<p>@2016Candles He is asking whether he should take classes that are easy, to boast his GPA, or whether he should take classes the fulfill major prerequisites. </p>

4

<p>Take your major prep courses. UCLA and Cal won’t admit you if you don’t complete the core classes. Polisci is impacted. </p>

5

<p>Two courses I was planning on taking during Fall '14 are only offered at the same time. One course is a major prep course for UCLA but not UCB, and the other is a course I got a D in a few semesters ago that isn’t needed for IGETC certification or major but will boost my GPA to 3.72. If I decide to take the major prep course, my GPA will be a meager 3.61. </p>

<p>Option A: Retake the course I got a D in, apply with a 3.72 GPA (which I have raised from a 2.4 over the past few semesters), and take the major prep course Spring '15.</p>

<p>Option B: Take the major prep course in order to apply with more major prep courses out of the way by fall '14, and apply with a 3.61. </p>

<p>Which one will make me a more competitive applicant?</p>

6

<p>I have all of my major prerequisites for Cal complete. I would only need to take this class for UCLA. Even then, I’d have all of my major prep courses taken care of by Spring '15. </p>

7

<p>If you’ll have all prereqs done by Spring regardless, then retake that course to make your gpa soar!</p>

8

<p>If that is the case, then just retake the class that you failed. In the UC application, it will ask you for the classes that you are going to take the spring of 2015, so you will be fine for UCLA. Plus the average Political Science admit at UCLA had a 3.77 GPA, so you need it to be competitive. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/adm_tr/Tr_Prof13_mjr.htm”>http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/adm_tr/Tr_Prof13_mjr.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>@Transfernator</p>

<p>I suggest you do Option A. You can raise up that GPA for the fall and finish your prereq (hopefully your last one) by the spring. I was in a similar situation as you, I applied to both Cal and UCLA as a polisci major this past year. I raised my GPA up in the fall and took my last prereq for UCLA in the spring and got in. I think raising the GPA to 3.72 will make you a more competitive applicant. </p>

10

<p>Thank you all for the advice.</p>