On the verge of breaking down, PLS HELP!!!!!matter of life and death.

Transfer Students
1

<p>Dear all,</p>

<p>I am currently situated in a very chaotic situation and I need some adivce and words of wisdom from you guys who have shown willingness to help others.</p>

<p>I was
born in Maryland but my family moved back to HK when I
was three. I then went to school in HK all the way
until form five. I studied in Belilios Public School
where I got to meet your other cousin, Mrs. Kung. Mrs.
Kung is my English teacher. After she left BPS, we
still keep in contact through emails. I went back to
Maryland after the HKCEE (Hong Kong public examination). My parents wanted me to go
to high school, however, the school placed me in
junior 11th. ( I should be in 12th). We all thought
that by getting good grades in high school, I would be
able to get into a university that I want to go to.
Yet, reality is not the same. Since I came to high
school in the middle of the 4 years, my GPA has to be
derived from both in HK and my junior year. Though I
worked hard to get straight A in school, my GPA didn’t
raise up a lot as HK has a different grading system
than in here. Provided that my SAT score (1300 for the old one and 1800 for the new one)isn’t as high
as the more competitive kids in my school, I started
to realize that my dream in getting to a UC school are
shattering. Applying as an out of state applicant is
even harder. I am afraid that I wont be able to get
into any of the more renowned universities that I want
to go to even if I stay in high school for another
year. This is why I planned to come to study in a
community college in CA then transfer to a UC school.</p>

<p>Should I stick with high school and get into University of Maryland, college park? </p>

<p>Is graduating from a better school, say like UCLA over UMCP do me good in terms of applying to a grad school even if i transfer from a community college?</p>

<p>and since my parents are not in CA, do anyone of you know people who are also from out of state and pay in state tuition after transfer to UC by proving being financially independent?</p>

<p>my stats: </p>

<p>unweighted gpa 3.6
weighted 3.8 (hk doesnt have honors classes)
SAT old one: 1300 new one 1800
SAT 2. math2c: 650 biology: 690
AP bio: 5
junior year's gpa: 4.0</p>

<p>I would appreciate if you guys can help me out a bit. I really want to get into a good university, but i am not sure if i am making the right decision. </p>

<p>PS: would studying in a cc for the first two years make me less appealing or competitive when applying for grad school?</p>

<p>THANK YOU VERY MUCH. may god bless u all.</p>

2

<p>I think you should be more confident about your stats. Although you might not get into Cal or UCLA, they should be good enough for UCSB/UCD/UCI, and what not. These UCs are all great schools and can help you more than you can imagine. University of Maryland College Park isn't quite as prestigious as the UC system, but its still a good school in its own right. Its ranked higher than even some UCs and I'm sure if you keep your GPA high there you can apply to a good grad school. However if you really desire to goto the higher UCs then I suggest going to a CCC. These schools have a great reputation, and are generally looked more favorably by grad schools. In addition, grad schools probably won't look down on the fact that you went to a CC before your university, a progression upwards is never bad. Also, I believe you have to have lived in california for about a year to be considered a resident, that way you might be able to pay the in-state tuition for your UC. Good luck.</p>

3

<p>...matter of life and death?</p>

4

<p>chill out, bud</p>

5

<p>Thanks for all. Thank you very much for the invaluable advice offered.</p>

<p>One more question though. Do anyone of you know anybody who came from oos and was sucessfully considered as being financially independent and pay for in state tution for UCs?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>