I am hoping @Gumbymom might have insight, or anyone else with detailed knowledge of the UC GPA, approved UC “a-g” courses and the UC application. If a course taken in 11th grade at a California high school is NOT on the UC approved “a-g” course list for that high school under the course guide (articulation) am I right to assume it is NOT used in the UC GPA calculation? The counselor seems to tell me that it is - -and I can’t make sense of this. I went on the UC app - and added that HS to test this, and the class is NOT under the courses that show up a-g. The only thing I can think of is to add it manually at the bottom of the coursework entry (a-g) where it says to “add any course you took that are not on the list above.” But, doesn’t this then defeat the purpose of the official UC guide if I can just add on a course that I don’t see listed? My thoughts were to add it under the Activities section - Courses Other than a-g. And, that it would not be added into the UC GPA. I just don’t know how to take the counselors word for it (that it is counted in UC GPA), if it is not on the official website for this particular California high school. Thank you for any help!
What is the course?
A foreign language class - Chinese
I see other area schools have this exact course set out in their approved UC list - so I am not sure why this school does not have the level 4 and 5 not approved. The lower levels are in fact on the UC course approved list. @ProfessorPlum168
Hmmm…I see my kid’s HS all the way up to Level 5 on the a-g list, and all the classes are even dual-enrollment classes. I would ask your GC about it when you get back to school next month.
First of all the UC application for Fall 2020 Freshman/Transfers will not be available until August 1 so you must be using the old version. The UC application is being revised so the old application should not be used and I would not rely on this version. I suggest you look up your courses on this website: https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist
The a-g course list is updated each year and each HS is responsible to submit their courses to be added. If it is still not listed on this website, then the HS did not send in their updated list of courses.
I would wait until the new application is available since there is no point in filling out the discontinued version.
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/redesign-2019/application-redesign-2019/index.html
If it isn’t listed on https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist talk to your school’s admin or even the district curriculum department. They might not realize that they course isn’t approved.
We had a similar circumstance when AP Seminar & Research were added. One was approved and the other was pending approval because some of the required paperwork was missing. No one at the school realized that one final piece of paperwork was missing.
@Gumbymom I know a new application is not available, I was looking under the old application and what was populated for that school year - it already happened. It was a class last school year (18-19) and that list IS on the UC application for last year. 2. yes, the list is updated for each school year, but last year (2018-2019) has already finished and ALL classes for that year are done with the “update” period. So if the class was not “approved” on last year’s list (which I can see on the articulation guide) it doesn’t matter if it is updated this year - that would only be for this year’s classes. As you know, you can’t go back retroactively. 3. Again, I am not filling out a discontinued version. I was looking to see if it was in the UC application from last year - even though it is not on the UC website of approved “a-g” classes for this particular high school. Trust me I am well aware of when new applications roll out each year - and I know that the UC application is being “refreshed” and will be “new” this year!
@ProfessorPlum168 the high school counselor has insisted that it is “a-g” even though it is NOT on the official list for that high school for last year (Chinese 4) and not on the list for this upcoming year (Chinese 5). He says that it is not on the list because it exceeds the requirements for the UC guidelines. I have never heard of this before??
@lkg4answers Thank you. It has been pointed out and the response was that it is a UC approved course. I am just not understanding this.
My guess is to add it at the bottom of the grade under “Add any Courses not on the above list” but again, not sure this is appropriate. I would add a note under the academic section that the counselor indicated that this is a UC approved course - again - still not clear on why if the head counselor knows it would not be investigated as to why this is not on the official UC list.
In any event - what is the purposes of that section “add any courses not on the above list” (that is on the bottom of each grade input on the application) - courses are either approved and on the pre-populated list OR not on the list for a reason. Any thoughts?
I would just add it in the section mentioned. I also have not heard that a course can exceed the UC requirements and still not be approved but maybe this is an exception?? Since other schools on the UC approved list have similar courses, I believe it should be fine. If there are any issues brought up by the UC’s after you apply, I would have the counselor send documentation/syllabus in regards to the course to show that it meets the a-g course requirements.
Thank you @Gumbymom yes, the answer about “exceeding” sounded a bit strange (almost absurd) to me. I am wondering if the school hasn’t had this approved and is treading lightly on this - other higher level classes in French and Spanish are on the approved list. I just don’t know. I always give the benefit of the doubt - and this one stumps me. I will wait to hear back from the counselor and let the student make the call on how to/what to report. The UC contact has said it is not an “a-g” course if not listed on the official UC articulation guide for that HS. I want to help as much as possible. Thank you again.!
@NewPoster123 For example at UCB there are 4 Chinese language courses for Mandarin - 1A, 1B, 10A and 10B which roughly corresponds to the 1-4 level taught in HS. At my kid’s HS it was pretty cut and dried since all the classes were dual-enrollment and the articulation between the CCC and the UC is very clear.
If ultimately it is not listed on a-g for your school, then you wouldn’t list the Level 4 class. You could put it in the “other” section if you wanted to. When my kid applied, he had taken a Robotics class in HS which is listed in the list of a-g classes for a couple of HS’s but not at his, so he had to put it in the Other section.
@ProfessorPlum168 thank you but I find the UCB example a bit off topic. When you say “other” section - why would he put Robotics under Other courses not listed - and include it as a-g? If this was not listed for his high school? It does not matter if it is listed for other high schools - some high schools have qualified to have certain classes officially a-g, and some high schools do not have the course curriculum, etc to qualify it as a-g. I know at my son’s high school, Health for anyone that took the class in 9th grade was NOT a-g…it was later updated and any kid who took it in 11th grade or after for his HS class it was an “a-g” I do not agree that you can mark it as “a-g” even if other high schools have it that way. If this was the case, then the UC would just have one big list of classes that qualify and others that don’t.
OR do you mean “other” - as in the section under the Activites that asks for Courses taken NON a-g??
I would email UC admissions and see if they can give you some advice.
E-mail:
ucinfo@applyucsupport.net
Why would it be off topic? It’s either listed or it isn’t. If it’s not listed in the UC a-g course list , you can list it in the Other class section. I never said to list it in the a-g section if it is not listed. You’re making this way way more complicated than it is. Check with the school.
@Gumbymom already did. They said that it can’t be reported as UC class a-g and doesn’t go in the UC GPA. I am waiting to hear from the head counselor. Again, I want what is best for the student - but also am a bit stumped on why the HS is so adamant that it counts - when it is not on the UC official course listing. Many thanks!!!
@NewPoster123: Please update when you get an answer one way or another.
I mentioned the UC Berkeley course listings because you mentioned that the counselor said that the courses exceeds the guidelines, which it doesn’t.
@Gumbymom Yes, I will. I appreciate your thoughts and I am considering what I received from the UC help line (not to include) and another UC contact I have. Just waiting to hear from the counselor. @ProfessorPlum168 I just meant that I really don’t care what the specific UC campuses have as far as their college courses - I am trying to decipher the UC course list and reporting requirements to ensure an accurate and truthful application. I don’t think I am making this way more complicated. If I was doing this the way I usually do - I would not include it and go about the rest of my business, but the student was told that it was a UC approved class - so now I need to understand how they were told this and what my advice is on how to report it. They look to me for guidance. Thank you
Maybe go above the counselor and see if there is was an administrative error. Most of the time the counselors (even head counselors) are not the ones in charge of submitting the required documents to get a course approved.
There are often extracurricular classes like robotics, yearbook, student council, band, vocal, drama, varsity sports, etc. that are not UC a-g approved.
@lkg4answers Thank you. But, I am not talking about the section for Courses not UC a-g approved. I am specifically talking about the last section under each grade level - after you go through and mark the a-g classes. There is a section at the bottom that says “Add any courses not on the above list” This is a place where, for example, a student would add a class that is a UC a-g and NOT on the pre-populated list that the student goes through to add their grade. It gives a space where a student can add the course and self-mark if it falls under a-g. (Look on the UC app under 9th grade (as an example) and scroll to the very bottom. You will see what I am referring to. So my original question above stands "What is the purpose of that question/section to add any courses not on the above list if - courses are either approved and on the pre-populated list OR not on the list for a reason. @lkg4answers what you are referring to are the courses that get listed under the Activities and Honors section - Courses other than a-g. Those I understand - typically student counsel, health, religion, yearbook, etc. That is not the section I was questioning. Go take a look at the UC app and you will see where a student can add a UC a-g course if it is NOT listed (pre-populated) on the application. Let me know what you think!