<p>Between Fall 2006-Spring 2007 I attended Orange Coast College where I received 2 F's and a D. (Completed a total of 12 units during my stay at OCC)</p>
<p>Then in Fall 2007 I started attending Santa Ana College where I took only 6 units (2 courses) and earned an F and an A.</p>
<p>Then in Fall 2008 after FINALLY doing some soul-searching and really digging deep within myself I moved to Los Angeles where I'm currently attending Los Angeles City College and West Los Angeles College where I've received 36 units of straight A's. I've received an A in every course I've taken at these two schools. However I looked up OCC's academic renewal policy and one of the conditions of academic renewal is: "A minimum of 12 semester units has been completed at any regionally accredited college or university with a GPA of at least 2.0 in all coursework subsequent to the coursework to be disregarded."</p>
<p>Since I received a F at Santa Ana College following my stay at OCC does this mean I'm no longer eligible for academic renewal?</p>
<p>Santa Ana College's renewal policy states that if I complete 15 units of coursework with a 3.0 or better then the F grade I received will not be counted towards my GPA. I just have to wait 2 years to apply. </p>
<p>I BADLY want to go to UCSB and it would kill me if I wont be able to because of 3 F's and 1 D. I've worked so hard since receiving those bad grades. </p>
<p>What do you guys think? The problem is I can't just move back to Orange County to make up those bad grades by retaking the courses at OCC. Any advice?</p>
<p>AFTER fall 2009, you’ll be able to do AR.
with AR, you won’t have to retake the classes.
the way i see it, you satisfy all of the stipulations.
don’t trip, and talk to a counselor if you’re still skeptical.</p>
<p>I’ve also just done Academic Renewal and Im filling out my Tag application for UCSD for winter 2010 right now and Im wondering how to show that on the application that I’ve done AR? do I still have to show the courses that were discounted or just not include them in the application?</p>
<p>When they review your application they’ll see your improvement. Just retake all the classes you got D/Fs in, and you’ll be fine. You can retake them anywhere, just take the equivalent, if you can. If you can’t, don’t sweat it. They’ll notice how long ago you took the classes, and may simply disregard them. There are human beings reviewing these applications, not robots. Humans notice improvement, and that will reflect well on you.
Academic Renewal doesn’t help as much as you think. The classes AND grades will still be listed on your transcript, AR just puts a little notation next to it. Those classes will no longer contribute to your GPA, but that’s only at your community college. UCs calculate your GPA their own way, so if they want to include those classes and give you 0 points for them, they will.
When you fill out your UC application, you’ll still have to list the classes, but instead of your grade you’ll put “AR” in the little box. They know the grade was a D or F.
Your poor grades may actually help you. They’ll notice you struggled in the past, but got your **** together. You can write about your growth as a student in your personal statement.</p>
<p>Don’t sweat it. Keep getting good grades and you’ll be good to go.</p>
<p>If he took those classes a long time ago and has since shown significant improvement, they’re not going to hold it against him in the same way they would if he received those grades in his final term before transfer.
I’m not telling him that’s what WILL happen, I’m saying that if they want to be dicks about it, they will. It’s not like academic renewal gives you a clean sheet and makes those classes disappear. They’ll still be on his transcripts (WITH the letter grade, albeit with a little notation), and he’ll still have to list those classes on his application and show a grade or AR, which is obviously a D/F.
I’m just trying to illustrate that academic renewal isn’t the cure-all that a lot of people think it is.</p>
<p>graduate/law/medical schools will incorporate any Ds and Fs into your GPA, dragging it down substantially. I myself have an F on my transcript. I was going to opt for a UC (USC doesn’t do academic renewal) until I found this out. Since this is the case, I decided to go to USC since that F will be there either way.</p>
<p>I ask myself that every time I see my transcript. It was from 3 years ago. I didn’t even know I wanted to transfer, much less attend grad/law school. I was stoopid.</p>
<p>@ bmop… if the crap grades were received the semester (or year…) before transfer, AR wouldn’t be applicable, anyway. </p>
<p>also, i’m not sure what you think retaking the class will accomplish, but the original insufficient grade remains on your transcript, surrounded by exactly the same parentheses that AR allows for. trust me…</p>
<p>You’re right.
I was trying to say that the application reviewer won’t give as much weight to a class he failed 3 years ago as they would to a class he failed 3 months ago, if he’s unable to retake the class or get AR.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Correct again, which is why I’m saying academic renewal isn’t as hot as people think.</p>
<p>larinaga, if you can retake your failed classes or get AR, do it. If you can’t, don’t lose hope. The people who will review your application are not Nazi robots. They’re not going to slam a REJECTED stamp on your application because you did poorly in the past. I’m not making admissions decisions, but I think if you can turn your 36 unit streak of As into a 60 unit streak they’d have a difficult time justifying a rejection.</p>