Help me out here, please. I want to know my options.

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Alright, a little background about my first.
My family and I moved here from Brazil in 1999, graduated high school in 2007.
In high school, I graduated with a 3.0 GPA, even though it could've been much higher but I slacked off because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, I became lazy and all I ended up caring about were girls and just doing the bare minimum to pass.
Sadly, that carried over into my first couple of semesters at CC.
- My first semester at CC was a disaster - I took 4 classes, and I ended up getting 2 Fs, 1 D and 1 A. The following spring I signed up for 4 classes, but ended up dropping them all because I wasn't taking it seriously, and I was lazy. All I cared about was partying and playing games. Childish, I know. My GPA for that first year ended up being 1.33. I got a college dismissal e-mail, basically telling me I needed to pick it up. I panicked, I had one of those 'oh, crap' moments where I realized I was messing with the rest of my life.
- Come second year of CC, and I ended up signing up for 4 classes again: I dropped one, got a D in the other, and passed the other 2. My problem was that I became lazy again, and apparently didn't grasp how serious my situation was turning out. It also doesn't help that during this time, my father was laid off and my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite all of this, my GPA went from a 1.33 to 1.92. Progress, but still had a long way to go.
- Spring of that year rolls around, and I signed up for 4 classes again. Ended up getting Cs in all 4 of them, mainly because I slacked towards the end.
- Summer after I decided to change my major from Undecided to History, and I took a history course during the summer. I got an A.
- Fall of that year (3rd year of CC) I ended up taking 4 classes again, and got a 3.0 GPA. These were all history classes. Come spring, I took 3 classes and got 2 Bs in my history classes, and a C in my psychology class.
- Spring of that school year, and I took another 2 classes - got Bs in both. Come summer, I took my 'last' history class and got an A.
- This fall I ended up taking 3 classes, all of which were the final classes to finish my pre-req's. I'll be finishing with 3 As. </p>

<p>My GPA went up from a 1.33 to a 2.6 (by the end of the semester). My childishness at the beginning of all of this is what has messed up my GPA.
What are my chances of getting into a UC with this? CSU? </p>

<p>Also, another thing. I want to change my major from History to Computer Science because there's much better job openings for CS majors rather than History majors, and they just sound more fun to me. Computers is something I've enjoyed since I was little - it's a wonder I didn't choose CS to begin with. However, this is my question: if I change majors now, I want to take some classes for it. I'd need to take Trig and College Algebra, which I took in high school and got As, but I don't particularly remember most of it. I'd also like to take Calculus with Intro to C++ before transfering. Is it worth it to wait another year?</p>

<p>In the end, what should I do? As far as going somewhere, what are my real expectations? Be harsh. It's taken 4 years to really figure out what I want to do, all the while messing up my GPA. If I could start over, I would. So, thoughts?</p>

2

<p>From my amateur advice i’d recommend that you

  1. decide whether or not you want to do History or CS as a major. That is the most important
  2. Decide the schools you want to go to
  3. Go on [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://www.assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.assist.org) and do all the prerequisites for the major and school you’re planning on transferring with and DO WELL in the classes.
    *<em>if you find yourself slacking and know you won’t do well in a class, drop it in the period where you still can without a W and take it next time. Your GPA is important and if you know you’re going to do bad, no need in staying in the course
    *</em>what you wrote here could be a good personal statement, but you don’t want to make yourself seem like a slacker or bad student which was the feeling I got after reading it. Make it more like you were faced with complications ABC and grew from it. (prompt#2)
    **see a school counsellor to help you with this plan.</p>

<p>I don’t think there’s a way you can transfer this fall since you might not have all the prerequisites listed on assist and you haven’t decided on a major. Do what you can to improve your GPA as well. Only C’s and higher will transfer over though UCs don’t like anything other than As and Bs so you’ll only want a few Cs. The goal gpa you want is above 3.00 of you can manage it. This will take a lot of self determination so you should see someone at your college who can help plan out a path. Also, look at IGETC too if you haven’t already.</p>

3

<p>@talludwig718: I know, I wouldn’t put that in my personal statement. As far as that goes, I have it pretty much figured out. And yeah, I was a slacker/bad student, but that was in the beginning - it’s just a shame that my mistakes then haunt me now. </p>

<p>And I have decided on my major. I just feel like I’d do much better at Computer Science because it’s something I’m much more interested in, rather than History.</p>

4

<p>So what then, history or CS? </p>

<p>I understand how you feel because I’m trying to develop study habits at home which exist little to none though I am a good in class student… =\ gotta get that down before I transfer of I get accepted.</p>

<p>What else are you confused about?</p>

5

<p>CS, definitely. </p>

<p>How high should I get my GPA before I think about transferring anywhere? These are the schools I was looking into: </p>

<p>cal state fullerton
cal state long beach
san diego state </p>

<p>uc irvine
uc san diego
uc santa barbara
uc riverside</p>

6

<p>The CSUs generally require a lower GPA to transfer. UC Riverside would probably take you with a low GPA as well. low meaning 2.5-3.0, closer to the 3.0 though, you might not get in with a 2.5. UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine are mid-tier UCs so they’ll want 3.0-3.5ish UC San Diego is a upper-tier university. that might be out of your reach. Just do as many pre-reqs as you can. with the GPA you have now, UC RIverside and the CSUs seem the most realistic unless you can get it above 3.00. Just try your best though.((SDSU and UCSB are huge party schools btw, hopefully that won’t hurt your grades once you transfer if you choose one of those two to go to.</p>

7

<p>I think you’ll find that any school can be a party school if that’s what you’re looking for but be warned, as TalLLLuDWiG718 said, SDSU and UCSB are pretty well known as party schools so if it’s something you know you struggle with, you might not want to put yourself in that type of a situation.</p>

<p>My only concern with you staying another year would be going over the unit cap for UC’s. I’d say if you work hard and do well in your pre-reqs then all of the schools you’ve listed are plausible except for UCSD but should you get 4.0’s from here on out the probability still exists.</p>

<p>Good luck and feel free to ask any more questions</p>

8

<p>Yeah, I know the CSUs require lower GPAs - would any of the CSUs I listed above be possible? I mean, my GPA is only going to go up within the next 3 semesters, I just don’t know how high considering the ‘dent’ I already put on my GPA with my first couple of semesters. Is there any way I can retake the courses I got Cs in?</p>

<p>What is the unit cap? I’ll barely be reaching the lower 60s come end of next semester, and after that I’d only be taking Intro to C++ 1 and 2, as well as Calculus 1 and 2.</p>

9

<p>There’s no point asking for chances yet if you plan on taking additional courses. Come back next year and ask that when you’re actually ready to submit your application. Tons of students claim that they’re “only going to get A’s from here on out” but that is rarely the reality. Additionally, CS classes are probably going to more difficult than the liberal arts courses you’re used to. You are also probably going to need more than just the 4 courses you listed. </p>

<p>The unit cap won’t apply to you.</p>

<p>Believe it or not, a 2.6 isn’t really THAT bad. I had to work myself slowly from a 2.0 to about a 3.6 to get to where I am today. It took many years (I’m almost 26) but we’re talking about a career that you’re presumably going to have for 30+ years. Another year of preparatory coursework is so minor in the long run.</p>

<p>My suggestions:

  1. Retake the courses you received a D or F in. It doesn’t matter if you no longer need them for your major, this is something you need to do. Check with your CC for their policy on repeating courses/replacing grades.
  2. Make an Excel sheet with the schools you’re interested in Vs. the assist.org required (and recommended courses) for CS. This should take a while. See what additional required CS courses you can complete that may be semi-ubiquitously transferable.
  3. Begin taking Calc 1 next Spring! Try to see if there are still open courses at your CC. Even if they allow you to transfer with only 1 year of Calc (the rest to be completed when you transfer), a lot of the upper division CS courses will require additional math. You don’t want to get stuck at your CSU/UC for 3 years because you only completed minimal pre-reqs.
  4. Be open to taking courses at other CCs within your area. Sometimes with CS, it’s hard to find certain classes. Start looking at Fall '11 current schedules to get an idea of what may be offered nearby next Fall.
  5. Make a plan for the next 3 semesters. Try to take courses over the Summer also. Since admissions won’t see your Spring '13 grades, you would technically only have 2 semesters to “improve” your GPA. Personally, I like to make actual schedules that include the likely times my classes will be offered since these don’t change much from year to year. Also decide which semesters you will be taking and retaking which courses. Stick to this.</p>

<p>This is your future. Start taking it seriously. Good luck.</p>

10

<p>I’ve already re-taken the classes I didn’t do well in. I’m pretty much done with my pre-req, save for 2 classes, after which I could up and transfer. However, I want to get my GPA up, as well as take the courses for CS. My plan for the next 3 semesters is this:

  • In the spring, take the 2 classes I need as well as College Algebra.
  • In the summer, take Trigonometry.
  • In the fall, take Intro to C++ 1, as well as Calculus 1.
  • Next spring, take Intro to C++ 2, as well as Calculus 2. </p>

<p>However, I don’t think those classes alone will be enough to get my GPA as high as it could go. Would it benefit me to take 1-3 more classes per semester, work my ass off, and get great grades in them? It seems as though the more courses I take, provided I do well, the faster my GPA will rise. Thoughts?</p>

11

<p>Completing pre-reqs is just as important as GPA. Focus on that for now.</p>

<p>You should try to retake the math placement exam and see if you can get out of at least one of those math classes. You need to follow step #2 on my suggestions. CS is impacted/competitive at a lot of schools including CSUs so you need to complete more pre-reqs. You’ve retaken ALL the courses you had a D or F in?</p>

<p>For example:</p>

<p>CSUF requires…
Calc 1
Calc 2
C++ 1
C++ 2
Data Structures
Java 1
Course eqivalent to CPSC 240
Discrete Math
Linear Algebra
Physical Science course (more specific list so make sure your IGETC one is listed here)
Biological Science course (same as above)
… this is not a complete list…</p>

<p>UCR requires…
C++1
C++2
Physics 1 (calc based)
Calc 1
Calc 2
&&&& AT LEAST 3 of the following &&&&
Physics 2
Physics 3
Calc 3
Discrete Math
Data Structures</p>

<p>Even by just looking at these two schools, you have a lot of courses you should still take. A lot of them require Calc 1.</p>

12

<p>As far as finishing my pre-req, as mentioned, I’m 2 classes away from finishing that. And as far as getting out of those 2 math classes, I would but I don’t want to. I’ve taken the courses in HS, and I want to refresh my memory on them before plunging into Calculus. And yes, I’ve re-taken everything I’ve needed to re-take. </p>

<p>My situation is this: after this spring, if I continue with History, I’m basically done. I can transfer. However, I want to change majors to Computer Science. Choosing History was more of a knee-jerk move when I needed to pick a major. I like it, but I know I’ll regret it if I don’t take Computer Science instead. Obviously, I know it’s a lot more work but deep down I definitely think it’s worth the change. </p>

<p>Now… do I need to take all of those courses before applying, or is it just a recommended outline that will give me a better chance? I thought it was the latter.</p>

13

<p>I feel like you’re confusing pre-req with IGETC class or something. I’m referring to the CS pre-reqs, not history. If you already don’t like history, don’t major in it. It’s as simple as that.</p>

<p>If you want to major in CS, you need to use assist.org to look at what classes you need to complete before transferring (by the Spring semester prior to your CSU/UC Fall enrollment). You don’t need to have them completed by the time you technically apply (November) but by the end of that Spring semester (May). The UCR list is of required courses that I literally just took from their assist.org page, not a recommended pathway. You would need to also complete Physics and 3 of the additional courses I listed in addition to C++/Calc. Most schools require more than just C++, I’m not sure who told you that was all you would need to transfer.</p>

14

<p>I did get it mixed up. My apologies. </p>

<p>It’s not that I don’t like history. On the contrary, I enjoy it. Problem is, I don’t see what fields I could get into and actually enjoy it, where as with computer science the possibilities are huge. It also doesn’t hurt that starting salaries are 50k+.</p>

15

<p>Also, that’s not a list of requirements/classes that I need to take - it’s just a list of credits that will carry over if I transfer to said college.</p>

16

<p>What? Yes there is. Can someone explain assist.org? I need to go to class.</p>

17

<p>Disregard that. I got it.</p>

<p>How viable is it to transfer as a history major now, and switch majors once I’m at my school of choice?</p>

18

<p>Okay, I just did an Excel Spreadsheet of the following schools</p>

<p>CSU:
Fullerton
Long Beach
San Diego
Pomona
Northridge
Dominguez Hills</p>

<p>UC:
Irvine
Los Angeles
Santa Barbara
Riverside
San Diego
Santa Cruz
Berkeley
Davis</p>

<p>This by no means I’m applying to all of these, it’s just something to go by. Also, assist.org doesn’t have any out of state schools so I couldn’t compare.
In any case, almost all if not all schools required the following:</p>

<p>CSCI 123 (Intro to C++ I)
CSCI 133 (Intro to C++ II)
CSCI 241 (Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming)
Math 150 A (Calculus I)
Math 150 B (Calculus II)
Math 250 A (Multivariable Calculus)
Math 250 B (Linear Algebra and Differential Equations)
Phys 221 (Physics I)
Phys 222 (Physics II)</p>

<p>Now, about half of these schools require these:</p>

<p>CIS 226
CIS 228
Math 171
Math 172
Math 250 C
Phys 223
Biol 101</p>

<p>Obviously I’m going to have to take all of the classes I listed in the first column. But what about the second column? Do I just ignore those…? Do I take them, too? If I have to wait to take the classes in the second column, I won’t be leaving for another 2-3 years, depending on the course.</p>

19

<p>Sorry about this - bump</p>

20

<p>I don’t think we can give you a definitive answer to your questions and problems. I think its best that you see a counselor to have them make an educational plan for you. If you don’t want to do that, you can talk directly to the universities of your top choices for more information. In fact, contacting the california state colleges and universities is actually something you should be doing right now.</p>