<p>Hello all,
I got waitlisted at umass amherst with a 2.96 gpa and a 1230 SAT (M+CR). I was pretty destroyed. Most of the colleges I applied to didn't give me enough money (or wanted me to pay more money than I was willing to for that specific college).
As a result of this I will be attending an in state CC, for HOPEFULLY a year. Does anybody have any idea what sort of GPA might get me in? Obviously a 4.0 would be ideal, but in the case that isn't possible, what would you say would be the "deal breaker" GPA? Either "if you don't have ___ you won't get in" or "If you have a ___ you should be safe". I know this is all speculation of course, but I was just wondering.</p>
<p>Are you a Massachusetts resident? If so, you can get into UMass Amherst with at least a 2.5 if you are in the MassTransfer program at your CC. See [UMass</a> Amherst: Community College Connection](<a href=“MassTransfer : UMass Amherst”>MassTransfer : UMass Amherst).</p>
<p>Also, see this article from the Boston Globe. [UMass</a> expands outreach effort - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2011/03/23/umass_expands_outreach_effort/]UMass”>http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2011/03/23/umass_expands_outreach_effort/)</p>
<p>hi there. I actually went to a community college in mass (bunker hill) and participated in this program and have been accepted to Umass Amherst for this fall as a transfer student. </p>
<p>The previous poster is correct. BUT only if you GRADUATE in an APPROVED transfer program with a 2.5 or higher will you be guaranteed acceptance to Umass Amherst. Its a good idea to major in General Studies/ Liberal Arts @ a community college because those programs are approved. If you already know what you want to major in, you can check to see if it is approved at Umass…some of them are, some of them aren’t. This will give you what is called the ‘mass transfer block’ which means that all of your gen eds at umass will be considered completed even if they aren’t exactly what umass usually expects. </p>
<p>Another thing to note if you REALLY want to only do one year at a community college is that, if you have a high G.P.A (3.0+) you can still apply through the mass transfer program (which waives your application fees and gives you priority processing on your application). You won’t be guaranteed acceptance BUT they will probably admit you anyway. The downfalls of this process is that you still might not get in (the closer you are to a 3.5 the better your chances), the masstransfer ‘block’ is not the same,you end up paying more for your classes. If you had graduated with a 3.0 or higher you would not only had guaranteed acceptance, and masstransfer block but you would also had 100% of your tuition waived @ umass (only for 3.0+ w/ AS or AA degree) which would really cut down the costs for you. </p>
<p>I am graduating this spring, I have a 3.4, I have Masstransfer block (so i will be considered a junior @ umass) and i have free tuition @ umass (and paid very only about $10k for my Associates degree, which is half of my undergrad!), plus when I apply for even part-time student type jobs, its still helpful to be able to say I actually have a degree when those in undergrad that are juniors don’t even have one yet! Good Luck!</p>
<p>Way to go after your college degree mallory, great job!! I hope others see your posts – your path just demonstrates there are many ways to get a degree. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>thank you very much! yes I have found that there are many different pathways some of which come with great benefits. Free tuition is definitely a great incentive to keep your grades up past the the 2.5 of guaranteed acceptance. </p>
<p>When I was in high school, I was definitely one of those kids that scoffed at the idea of going to community college. I instead first went to a private school and paid $8k for a semester–and it was one of the only schools in the area (other than community college) that would accept me with my 2.5 hs gpa & without having taken the SATs. I ended up withdrawing from the school and thus lost $8k+ housing costs. When I finally went to community college I still felt inadequate and I was always jealous of my friends that got to have a ‘real’ college experience. I felt like I would never get to go to a 4 year school and felt embarrassed telling people I went to community college. Since I found out about these great opportunities I have had such a better attitude about the community colleges. Being a f/t student at a community college is NO JOKE and can be as academically rigorous as a 4 year school. Once you invest in your education and find a pathway you can take (even if you don’t know what you want to do yet) you feel a sense of empowerment that maybe your old h.s gpa doesn’t matter anymore what matters is what you are creating for yourself now. Community college has given me tons of confidence in myself academically, I was never an A + B student in high school, but I am now. Its really help me let go of my past. My best friend went to umass and i always dreamed of going there whenever I visited. I never thought I’d get to have that experience, I thought because of my h.s record maybe I wasn’t smart enough to pass science courses or get good grades. But I found that wasn’t true and discovered my love for science. Getting into Umass was one of my dreams and I made it come true as cliche as that sounds. I always wanted to be a good student but never thought I could be, community college helped me achieve that goal. As unorganized and poorly funded as CC’s can be, I am truly thankful for these pathways that the state has set up for those with little money or poor h.s grades. It really nice to see that the idea of the ‘American Dream’ is still occasionally real and rewards those that work hard. If it weren’t for these pathways I probably would’ve never believed in myself enough to find what I am truly passionate about: science. And I’m glad I did the whole 2 years, I wouldn’t take anything back, and I would suggest that anyone considering doing it should do it. Its totally worth it. Tuition @ umass is over $12k per year–if you got to community college for 2 years you will save approximately $20,000. Then your tuition discount will save you $4000. Almost 25,000 in student loans is NOT a figure that should be overlooked. Snotty people make look down on me because I went to community college, but I am technically richer and some may consider that smarter, than those that shelled out @ least $12k per year for 4 years!</p>
<p>Mallory that is great to hear! Congratulations! I know your will have a great experience at UMass, having really earned it.</p>
<p>I’m transferring from a Mass cc but I have only been there for a year. Is there still an advantage even if I am not a part of the Mass transfer program?</p>
<p>No, they will treat you like any other transfer student.
I don’t know if you are saying you are an accepted transfer student for next semester already or if you are planning to try and transfer but haven’t yet. </p>
<p>You need to graduate with an associates degree to get the tuition waiver. They will not award it to you until they get your final transcripts. I have not gotten my waiver yet, and I am graduating in less than a month. They have it set up this way so only those that qualify get the waiver. You also need a 3.0 cumulative FINAL g.p.a to be eligible for the waiver. </p>
<p>anymore questions? feel free to ask. not sure if i gave you the answer you were looking for.</p>
<p>I know its been a while since I asked, but I’m currently in my second year of college. I transferred to bunker hill after finishing my freshman year because of grades (very similar to you) and I am currently finishing up my second year. I applied to UMass Amherst back to January, but did not think I qualified for Mass Transfer ( I will need one more semester to finish my associates) for Fall 2012 so I did not. I have not heard yet, and was told by an admissions counselor I would hear in late may. What I am asking I guess, is could I have applied for Mass Transfer even though I will not have received an associates? I have above a 3.0 GPA, and I want to know whether I should be regretting the fact that I didn’t try to do Mass Transfer for priority admission and registration. I believe I have finished the Mass transfer block this semester though.</p>
<p>What you wrote is a little confusing so I’m going to try and answer it in several ways.</p>
<p>Would it have been easier to get in had you waited for your transfer block/associates degree to be done? The answer is yes. </p>
<p>But…if you are finished this semester with your associates degree and your transfer block will be done, and you have higher than a 3.0 which represents guaranteed admission----then there might be a problem with the office and you need to call and ask to get a call back from a transfer counselor in undergraduate admissions. Teri is the name of the woman that handles community college and masstransfer applications. She can answer your questions directly, as she makes the decision regarding your acceptance. </p>
<p>You do not need to have already finished your transfer block or associates degree before applying in order to get the benefits of masstransfer. You DO need to finish your transfer block & obtain your associates degree ( credits fulfilled…not necessarily a diploma) PRIOR to the start of the semester/ year you applied to start. </p>
<p>For example: I was not done with my associates degree until this semester. I applied in March for Fall 2012 acceptance and was accepted on the assumption that I would complete my current course schedule and be finished with my degree requirements prior to the start of the 2012 Fall semester. I got treated the same as somebody who may have already finished their associates degree a year ago and applied. The fact that I was not completely finished at the time of my application had no bearing of receiving the benefits of the program: priority processing, waived application fee, no essay (not sure if others need to write an essay!), and guaranteed admission.</p>
<p>I just reread again what you wrote…</p>
<p>I think they would see you as a masstransfer anyway…as I said all community college admissions are handled by ONE admissions counselor…this is because this person is highly familiar with masstransfer. </p>
<p>I highly doubt you are being processed as a regular transfer applicant because masstransfer applies to ALL community colleges. You should be able to take advantage of it at any time. As far as it taking this long to process your application…I think you need to #1. figure out IMMEDIATELY if your transfer block will be complete by the end of the semester/ or if you could finish it by the end of the summer. </p>
<h1>2 SPEAK TO Teri @ undergraduate admissions IMMEDIATELY. Let them know that you should have been processed as masstransfer and that you qualify for the benefits under the masstransfer program…find out whats going on with your app…it should NOT have taken this long. Masstransfer is not something you try to “do” it is just something that happens to anyone who has finished or in progress of finishing the block…there is nothing special you need to do to qualify for it. You just automatically do, and they should see that by immediately looking at your transcripts. If not, and your application was filed in a weird way you need to handle that ASAP by calling.</h1>
<h1>3 I don’t know if you just used a regular application and paid an application fee, but I believe you are entitled to your money back if you paid a fee. You might also want to explain to them that you were not properly advised. Bhcc is pretty notorious for this kind of thing.</h1>
<p>You are pretty much entitled to admission into Umass under masstransfer if you have finished this semester. So if you don’t get in, that is a huge problem and you need to call the mass board of higher education about that. You are guaranteed admission as long as you meet the requirements. Take a second, third and fourth look at the masstransfer requirements to make sure that you qualify. </p>
<p>Another thing is that maybe they are waiting out for final grades for transfer students or to see who does and does not accept their offers of admission. Freshman were supposed to pay the deposit for May 1st. Perhaps this gives them a better idea of what spots in which majors are available. You might be competing with others for a spot in a particular major and not acceptance persay. </p>
<p>Anyway good luck and let me know how you make out!</p>
<p>The only thing I am still wondering about is that there was a deadline for Mass Transfer that was back in February. Doesn’t this mean that there is a special application separate from the regular application with the fee. You said you applied through Mass Transfer, but did you fill out an application here: </p>
<p>[MassTransfer</a> / Massachusetts Department of Higher Education](<a href=“http://www.mass.edu/masstransfer/Students/Application.asp]MassTransfer”>http://www.mass.edu/masstransfer/Students/Application.asp)</p>
<p>Under Mass Transfer block on a separate tab it says this: </p>
<p>Completing the MassTransfer Block does not guarantee admission; visit the Department of Higher Education’s website for admissions information. (Doesn’t this mean I would be viewed as a regular transfer applicant)</p>
<p>I also am a communication major which requires you to take Intro to Mass Media and Interpersonal Communications if you are a student on campus at UMass trying to get into the program. I have only taken Intro to Mass Media so hopefully they admit me to the program despite not taking both which I guess they do for transfer applicants. This may also be why it is taking forever.</p>