So I am entering my final semester in CC in the Spring and applied to UC Berkeley and a few other schools. Two years ago, when I was a high school senior it was my dream to study Mechanical Eng at Cal. I love engineering and I’m used to the campus because the school plays a huge role in my family: my parents met in there as students in the early 90’s, as my father was an international student from UK, my aunts went there, my grandfather (dad’s father) was an international student, from Glasgow, there in the late 60’s, my other grandparents live near the Bay Area, lots of my parents friends (family friends) went their, and currently their kids, along with my older sister go there. I was obviously rejected because my GPA in high school (4.2) and SAT score (2010) were pretty much low since the engineering school is extremely competitive. My rejection was embarrassing for me since my parents, who are now professors in the UK, and family had high hopes I’d get in. But I have worked harder now in CC to try again. I’ve taken Calc 1,2,3 Chemistry with a lab, Physics 1 and 2, both with labs, and 6 humanities GE’s, and have received an A grade in all of those except for Physics 1 that I got a B- on. I’m worried that the my low Physics 1 grade which brought my current GPA down, may ruin my chances. Currently I am taking Linear Algebra w/ Diff. Equations and 3 other GEs to hopefully bring my GPA up. Can anyone give me any last pointers or opinions as to what type of chance I may have or maybe anything to try differently when/if I get into a 4-year for engineering?
It looks like your doing a good job - keep up the good work! Sorry I’m not sure I can offer much else. From what I’ve read you have a good chance. Have you taken any of the strongly recommended courses?
If you got an A in Physics 2, they’ll recognize that you improved. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. You seem like you have a good shot. Are you applying right now, or next year?
@sugarbabies3 My CC doesn’t really offer as much STEM-type courses so it’s basically whatever I can take. Going off of the recommended course list for engineering transfers at UCs, I’m doing well with having taken the maths, sciences, and certain humanities GEs, so basically yes, I’ve taken the recommended courses. As for engineering ones that engineering majors would take in their first or second years, I’ll just take them when I transfer.
@goldencub I already applied for next Fall. I will be hearing back in the Spring. I’m praying I’ll have a better chance of getting in this time, yet I always hear about how the competition isn’t much better than when applying as a freshman so I don’t know.
It’s much less competitive. My cousin got rejected from Berkeley’s ME and attends an Ivy now. Getting admitted as a freshman in engineering is insane.
@JC1900 I’m also coming from a community college that doesn’t offer any of the “strongly recommended” lower division engineering courses. Back in October I visited the campus and spoke to a mechanical engineering transfer advisor which told me that although those courses wouldn’t count against me, my application may still be looked at as less competitive as those from students that did have them done. But hopefully my GPA and personal statements will make up for that 
Same here. None of the two CC that I attended offer any of the strongly recommended courses. I don’t think it will hurt us that much, since it is only a small number of CC that actually offer those courses. Good luck to all of you!
I have heard of numerous instances of students getting into transfer engineering without the engineering courses, but I hope my GPA won’t be what ruins my opportunity. Yeah, hopefully this time will be a WHOLE lot different. I have a friend who did get in for Computer Science at Cal; he was in my grade and what made his acceptance kinda embarrassing was that we were both at my house with my parents and grandparents visiting, from Oxford and Edinburgh, my family in San Francisco and it was the day Cal notified applicants their admissions status. He found out he got accepted right before I was rejected in front of all my friends and family. It’s just the waiting that makes it more nerve-wracking