HELP??? Non UC course and feeling like a failure.

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Hello, so I just finished my first semester of community college and I did not expect what was thrown at me. I am 18 and had a 1.8 in high school so I figured now that I am in community college, this was my time to shine. I decided to take hard professors because I wanted to learn a lot, but soon found out that hard does not correlate to actually learning the subject matter. I really want to be a math major at a really good UC. (thinking LA, and UCB, but if I shoot high then I am sure I will be able to go somewhere good)</p>

<p>I took 14 units this semester and here is how it all played out.</p>

<p>4 TRIGONOMETRY----- C+ (non UC transferable)</p>

<p>3 Economics-----------A- ( I actually really like econ and considering math/Econ)</p>

<p>3 Art History-----------B (hard professor, but this is just an excuse)</p>

<p>3 US History------------B (maybe a B+, hasn't come out yet. I literally learned nothing from this online course)</p>

<p>1 Intro to engineering-----A </p>

<p>UC GPA 3.31</p>

<p>Basically, do you think I can go anywhere good? Is it normal for my first semester to not be so good? Considering I had a 1.8 in high school I definitely feel accomplished, but at the same time I feel like this is not going as well as I need it to. </p>

<p>Also, is the C+ in math a indicator I should just give up on a math major? The Only majors I am considering are Math, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Economics and possibly like geology or something like that.</p>

<p>Next semester I am signed up for 16 units of Anatomy, Pre-Calculus, English, and Music appreciation (classical music).</p>

2

<p>I think you’re fine. I was in a similar situation as you and barely irked it out through high school, finished with a 2.1 GPA. My mind set heading into CCC was the same, and I didn’t know anything about ratemyprofessor. So, I did end up with extremely tough professors, but I gave it my best and for my first semester I ended up with 3.7 with 17 units I believe and the courses I took were Intermediate Algebra (B), Financial Accounting (A), Two political science courses (A,A) and a intro to physics course.</p>

<p>I also had aspirations to be a math teacher and it was crushing to receive a B in a non-transferable math course, but then I looked at what I had achieved before and what I had done now. So yes, you should feel great and learn from it. Although the instructor was hard and you didn’t necessarily learn much from him or her, think about what you needed to do to get that A, or B. To me, the difference has been understanding the material, but also trying to gauge at what the instructor wants to see in the tests, materials, projects that you turn in. </p>

<p>I don’t think that you should quit or entirely give up as a math major, but you need to start realizing that math is extremely tough and if you are struggling already then maybe you should look at alternatives. Not saying that you shouldn’t pursue it, but you should realize that math as an intensive major, especially at big-tier UC’s. </p>

<p>I have since been on a decent path and have got 4.0’s in the previous three semesters and have realized that as much as I want to be a mathematician my skills and abilities will better suit something else, for me that is being an accountant and a operations research major.</p>

<p>My turning point was receiving the B in the intermediate algebra course because it made me realize what I needed to work on, in terms of math, and I did end up finishing Calc 1, and Calc 2 with A’s.</p>

3

<p>I appreciate your kind words very much. I plan to use this as a learning experience. I am sure I can still get into a good university with this one bad grade as well, I just really need to learn to grow up a bit. I made too many excuses in high school for my bad grades and now I just need to try harder (I have studied more in one semester than I have ever in high school). But I realize it is not quite enough. With you getting A’s in your calculus courses are you considering going back to mathematics?</p>

4

<p>No, I don’t plan to go into mathematics. I’m in Berkeley’s TAP program and have a good chance at being accepted into UC Berkeley’s college of Letters and Science program and then I will try to get into there operations research, although I’m missing deferential equations and Calc 3, which is a pre-requisite to the program (I will be taking Calc 3 next semester), or economics programs. If possible, I might try to take accounting courses on the side at HAAS and hopefully attain enough credits to sit in the CPA exam for accounting. </p>

<p>But it’s always great to realize than to never. I’m not trying to show you the way, but I had a privileged life as a high school student and during community college it was the opposite. I’ve been able to get 4.0 GPA’s living out of my car for a bit and it’s all because of laying down a proper foundation for what you can do and being realistic to what you can achieve. I will be average in mathematics if I continue, but I know that I can be better at other disciplines while using my math skills as a complement. </p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

5

<p>If you want Econ/Math together you’ll have to take up to Calculus III, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and possibly Discrete Math before transferring. For pure Econ at every UC except San Diego you only need up to Calculus II. I don’t know what the requirements are for Physics and EE, but they usually require at least up to Calc II. Pursuing a STEM major might cause you to have to stay at CC for three or four years.</p>

<p>I don’t know what the circumstances were regarding your C+ in Trig, but if your grade resulted from genuine difficulty in understanding the material and not simply a lack of effort, you’re going to encounter a lot of challenges in the higher math courses.</p>

<p>With a 3.31 you might be able to get into mid-tier UCs (Davis, Santa Barbara, Irvine), although I haven’t really looked into their statistics, so you should do some research on your own.</p>

6

<p>If it’s non UC transferable it basically doesn’t matter they don’t count it</p>

7

<p>BEING VERY HONEST: If you had trouble with Trig, at this point, you may want to reconsider engineering. Even if it doesn’t count, most engineering majors are coming out of high school with AP CALC-BC grades of A’s. Trig is considered a lower tier of math and with a C grade, it still won’t look good and it wont help your precalc skills. You may want to consider Economics.</p>

<p>For engineering, it is ALL about math skills and physics. (DD and DH are electrical engineers). Lower division engineering classes tend to weed out those that can do the math and those that are just there because it’s a lucrative major. Employers at big engineering firms do look at GPA and some will ask you to submit your transcripts prior to your interviews. </p>

<p>My dh interviews new candidates and presents them with a worksheet to see if they can “number crunch” a calculus-based task. DD’s interview was similar: she had to figure out a problem using engineering concepts to complete a written questionnaire on demand. Engineering is an extremely tough major and beginning with a C in a very basic math class does not bode well for all of the circuits and differential diagnosis courses.</p>

8

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<p>This is very true. If you struggle with mathematics at an early point, then engineering is definitely not for you. And I’m not sure if earning a “C” in Trigonometry may or may not be an indicator of your potential as a math major - but if you struggle with higher math (calculus I, calculus II) then I would reconsider Economics.</p>