Junior-level transfer student from private to UCLA: possible?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

Hi, I’m an undergrad that withdrew from my fall semester of junior year (fall 2018) at University of Rochester due to health issues. I’m on medical leave right now in LA which is where I’m from.
I can’t go back to Rochester for health reasons, so I’m planning to apply to transfer at UCLA and the Claremont Colleges (Pomona or Pitzer).I also get almost all my medical care from UCLA Health so it would be really beneficial to go to school there for practical reasons as well.

I’m worried that because I’m coming from a private university, I won’t be able to get in. I can’t go to a CC because I will probably end up having too many credits to transfer to another school. I currently have 64 credit hours completed and it will be 68 soon after a grade from last year goes through. (Although to be fair, 12 of those credits are for private voice lessons required of my major). I’m a double major in music and international relations.

For my UCLA app I’ll be applying as a dual Musicology (BA) & Public affairs (BA) major.

I don’t have a lot of the general ed classes that UCLA would require of transfer students because Rochester has an open curriculum. I took a freshman writing class and have taken language. I might take a stats class at the local CC.

Is it possible for me to get into UCLA or is it too far of a shot considering my lack of GEs and high credit hours? See below for stats.

Thank you sm in advance!

Here are my stats:

  • In high school, I went to a prestigious private HS on scholarship; lots of extracurriculars
  • Graduated Cum Laude with a 3.74/4.2 GPA
  • SAT scores: 2240 (taken in 2014)
  • As a senior I got into Vassar College, University of Rochester, Chapman, Gettysburg, all with near-full scholarships, in addition to a couple music schools
  • Took a gap year before college where I studied with the head of the vocal department at a well-known music school
  • Current college cumulative GPA is a 3.61; major gpas are 3.78 (music) and 3.26 (international relations)
  • Extracurriculars:
    - Was active in a highly academic sorority;
    - co-founded a student organization that collaborates with University departments including the medical school;
    - was on the executive board for a social justice organization
    - was part of a Student Advisory Board (outreach program) for a research/policy department at the school
    - was nominated to be a diversity speaker for orientation bc of my campus activism (a big honor at UR!)
  • However, I withdrew from a couple classes and have incompletes in all my classes from Fall 2018 (purposeful so that I don’t have too many credits to transfer).
2

How many of the credits are upper division (junior/senior level courses)? For UCs, lower division (frosh/soph level courses) credits are capped at 70 semester units (= 105 quarter units) for the purpose of transfer credit and whether you have “too many units” to transfer.

http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/transfer/preparing-admission/transfer-credit/index.html
https://www.ucdavis.edu/sites/default/files/upload/files/f17tip_unitlimits.pdf

Be sure to check on what UCLA and your major there want to see from transfer applicants:

http://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/tradms.htm

Regarding college GPA for applicants, admits, and matriculants to UCLA, you can look at:

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major

3

Be sure to consider other target schools that may be less difficult to transfer to, such as UCR, CSULB, CSULA.

4

For the UCs, you will realistically need to go to a CCC. You’re missing gen ed, probably don’t have the required two English. You’re not bringing enough to the party to get in at a UC.

As @UCbalumnus said all lower division cap at 70 units transferred, no matter how many you take, so taking a lot at the CCC won’t jeooardize you. You just don’t want a lot of upper division as that gets added on top of the 70.

Re private colleges, that’s a different story. Each has its own rules.