Hello there, my name is Sy. I am currently a freshman undergrad at the University of Illinois at Chicago for Electrical Engineering. I intend to apply to transfer to a different school, but I preferably want to go to UCSB. I originally could not get into UCSB for engineering, but I still want to go there as it is my dream school.
Regardless of where I go, I definitely want to get out of UIC by junior year and go somewhere else for the fall 2019 term. UCSB, again, is where I’d rather be at. Love the school and environment there, but more importantly, I definitely want options. This is why I’m fine applying to multiple places.
These include UCSB, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UCLA, USC, Northwestern, WashU, and Univ of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. I feel at UIUC I have a good chance of getting in mostly because I’m in state, but that’s a pretty bland statement to say. I still haven’t talked about my grades.
When it comes to grades, so far I’m doing fine. Finals are coming up, but I have a 96%-99% in all of my classes thus far. These include: Introduction to Electrical Engineering, English research, Calculus 1, and General Physics Mechanics. So far I have a GPA of 4.0, and I did calculate as long as I don’t get a 70% on any of my finals, I can keep that GPA. I do realize I am taking remedial classes, and later on, things will get very difficult. It’s good to start off well in college, I just hope I can keep it up. As for ECs, I hardly have any so far. I’m only in robotics, and I am admitted to this guaranteed paid internship program my school offers in the summer. I’ll have 2 years to build up ECs, but so far that’s all I’ve got.
I definitely understand engineering is a tough transfer. I need my GPA to be high, and have to have good ECs. I’m just not sure if my application down the line will be the same as it is right now. So far I love electrical engineering, it’s my passion. But, I am aware of the harder CS and EE classes I have to take. Oh well, I just hope I don’t falter and get below 3.8.
As far as planning goes, am I on the right track? UCSB is my dream school, I’d love to transfer there for EE. Let me know what adjustments I need to make as far as planning goes. For classes I gotta take in 2 years, I think I’m set. I made a plan for what classes I have to take, and they definitely do fit in under 2 years for EE transferring. I think I’m safe, but I’m not so sure. I don’t want to screw up like I did in high school, and I still wanna get into my dream school. I feel like it’s all worth it, but at the same time I hear people telling me not to transfer and just stay at UIC for 4 years, and then go to grad school at UCSB.
UIC is a fine school indeed, but it was definitely not a place I wanted to go firstly. It was a safety school, and I’m not thrilled to be there so much. I’d prefer to attend UCSB, or any other school I listed earlier than UIC. Doesn’t have much to do with prestige, as some may think. I don’t like being too close to home, as UIC is 40ish minutes away from my house. I’d prefer to be far, and UCSB is what comes to my mind. I love the campus, so pretty, and I have friends who are attending that place. As far as prestige goes, UCSB is a very good engineering school. Sure it’s not Berkeley, but it’s up there in rankings. I overall love the place, and would feel very happy if I could attend school there. At the same time, I’m also fine with transferring to UIUC, if I can get in. UIUC is 3 hours away from home, and is in state also. It’s just that I visited there, and still prefer UCSB over any other college I visited.
Thanks for reading this, and I hope you have a good day.