Hi, I had a rough start during my high school years and ended up dropping out due to depression and suicidal tendencies. I tried getting my act together and acquired a GED. I started attending a community college and had As, but then my mother got very ill to the point I feared she was going to die. I had to drop out and contracted at least 4 Ws in one semester. During this time I also struggled a lot in Maths and never seemed to be able to pass Remedial Algebra by the way.
Anyways, my mother got better. The reason why I dropped out was because my family was going through a lot. No one was able to care for my disabled brother since my mother was also handicapped at the time. To this day I still care for my mother and attend medical appointments with her along with driving her anywhere she pleases. During this moment I had to set aside school to focus on these two. Once my mother got better and was able to care for herself, I started attending LACC. I decided to go back into school and my first semester there I ended up getting an A in Korean, B in Sociology, and a C in remedial math. I got an A in my winter semester in Political Science.
I’m doing my best at the moment to get good grades to eventually become an Occupational Therapist, but I’m scared my level of education is making it a struggle for me to get very good grades. If I continued to try to get at least a 3.7 GPA without the remedial courses, hold a part time job, and take care of my mother will I sound like a good candidate? My major is English, by the way. thanks.
UCLA is a premier institution and getting in will require very good essays on top of a good GPA so there is no definitive way to chance you. Have you looked at a school like CSUN if you are trying to stay in LA, if not look at the lower tier UCs for higher chances of admission.
Okay, good to know. I’ll still do my best anyways.
You have accomplished a lot putting the needs of your family first while trying to get through school. You certainly will have no problem with application essay prompts that ask if you ever had a difficult challenge that you had to overcome! Anyway, it sounds as if the main thing holding you back now is math grades. You need a tutor. I wonder if there is anyone who would be willing to tutor you for free, either because they enjoy it or need volunteer hours. Maybe someone at your local high school? If they could prep you with a practice book ahead of time before you start the next math class, that would be ideal.
If you can show you overcame your difficulties, you have a good chance. Show improvements in gpa and try to get good test scores.
Use Khan academy and start from the start - trouble in remedial college algebra often stems from not remembering much from middle school pre-algebra.
Apply widely once you’ve completed your classes.
I wonder if UCLA is even a good fit. A quick search surrounding occupational therapy says that the schools in SoCal offering OT programs are CS Dominguez Hills and USC (plus a few private colleges that I, honestly, have never heard of). Also, to be a professional OT, you need a master’s degree, and apparently there are schools that offer combined BS/MS programs. With your community college background this might be a good choice, i.e. get a BS/MS in three years of additional work maybe-- USC offers such a program, didn’t check CSUDH. Although your grades aren’t tops, you have a clear commitment and demonstrated ability to care for patients–I would think that could count for admissions to these programs. Do some research–maybe start with the California Board of Occupational Therapy to see what the profession looks like, and what college programs will get you there:
http://www.bot.ca.gov/applicants/ot_schools.shtml
Also, looking at the USC program, I don’t think English is the best major for you–you’ll need classes in anatomy, statistics, psychology, abnormal sociology, etc. Maybe it would be good to talk to the counselors at LACC and see if they can work with you to get the proper lower division classes to get some of these requirements taken care of, and to prepare for the rest.
Good luck!