<p>First off, im a Junior at a socal high school. This year i found myself getting a couple D's. In the end, i will have approx 2.6-2.7 GPA. I have taken 2 AP classes this year, 1 last year, and several honors before that. Will be taking 2 more next year. Im interested in automotive/mechanical engineering. I would really like to attend a UC, but my councelor says he can get me into Cal state LA for sure and would try to help me get into into poly san luis (my preffered) or poly pomona. I would like your opinions on what options i should look upon, such as transfering from a community college to a UC. Should i stick with a Cal state? thanks alot</p>
<p>-Josh</p>
<p>I think its better to go to one school for all 4 years so that you have a chance to really immerse yourself in the campus, build a good circle of friends, etc. As a xfer it is harder to meet people since many people have friends they have had for 2 years and you're a stranger to them; not impossible, of course, but not what I'd choose if I had an option. And in a program like engineering where lower-division courses prepare you for the upper-division classes, the advantages of going to a single school is that the classes will be more coordinated. </p>
<p>Also you should pick the school you'd be happy to attend if you're not an engineer. Nationally between 1/2 and 2/3 of all students who enter as engineers switch before graduating. Given your grades and that engineering is one of the most difficult majors, you should be concerned about this. If you have a C+ avg in HS, are you sure you're ready for college-level work? You should look at some books about improving study skills, and also talk to your counselor about this. One book I highly recommend is "What Smart Students Know" which is written by one of the co-founders of the Princeton Review prep company.</p>
<p>Lastly, I have to comment about a sentence you wrote: "This year i found myself getting a couple D's." This sounds like something random that happened in your life, like walking outside and finding yourself getting wet because it rained. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it sounds like you attribute a couple of D's to outside circumstances over which you have no control. Its a far cry from a kid who writes "This year I messed up a bit and got a couple of D's"; this kid owns the problem and recognizes its up to him to make some changes to do better.</p>