<p>So i'm a freshman at a community college right now. Just starting my second semester...
I really want to transfer by fall 2012, but unfortunately my college GPA was pretty low my first semester. Where can i get in with these stats?</p>
<p>CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE: General Biology Major</p>
<p>3.12 GPA. Finished 17 units, currently enrolled in 13.
Calculus & Geo : C (this is where I got killed)
Biology: B (didn't do too well here either)
English: A
Western Civilization: A</p>
<p>Currently Enrolled In:
Sociology
Anthropology, Cultural
English (the next level up its like reading comprehension or something)
Biology 2
(I'm pretty sure I can get A's in all these classes. If I do, my GPA will go up to 3.52.)</p>
<p>HIGH SCHOOL STATS
top 25% of class
3.4 Unweighted
4.0 Weighted
2090 SAT, 760 Korean SAT II, 680 Biology: Eco SAT II, 710 Math 2 SAT II.
8 AP's taken, 7 Passed.
3 Years of Track and Field, 1 Scholar Athlete Award and 2 Letter Awards.</p>
<p>EC's:
Two years volunteering at a hospital.
one year volunteering internship at hospital. (this one is much more hands-on because we can actually help patients and assist nurses)
Awards in Piano. (Certificate of Merit.. I'm not sure if this is gonna mean anything)
Volunteered at a therapeutic recreation center for mentally/physically handicapped children.
Volunteer Teacher at a Korean School for two years. </p>
<p>While my dream school is USC, I'm really starting to get worried with these stats. I was really disappointed with my calculus grade, but my teacher was so hard. anyways, its my fault for not doing better. </p>
<p>Where should I apply... do I have a chance anywhere in the top, say 30 schools?</p>
<p>I have to be honest, I think you have unrealistic expectations.</p>
<p>How can you expect to transfer up to a to 30 university when you were not competitive for these schools as a HS student (3.4 gpa) and have just finished 1 sem at at CC with an even lower gpa?</p>
<p>Colleges will at most see a mid-term grade report, they won’t see final grades when decisions are made.</p>
<p>Stay at your CC for 2 years and do well, then transfer.</p>
<p>I appreciate your honesty. And thats why i’m here, to get straight answers.</p>
<p>I have a question though, what if my hs gpa was actually a 3.6? I’m not sure which it was, and i know the difference is hardly anything, but maybe it will change something?</p>
<p>Also, where would do you think i’d be able to transfer if I did apply with my current stats?</p>
<p>You are fortunate to live in CA where, despite the current budget crisis, you have an excellent system of public colleges. I know because I’m a product of it.</p>
<p>If you fulfill requirements, apply to some CSUs this year if you really feel the need to transfer.</p>
<p>However, I still think that you should stay at your CC and get a solid footing and establish a strong academic record.</p>
<p>One thing I have never understood is why students who have not yet demonstrated their ability to get top grades at their current school are so anxious to transfer up. Whenever you move to a more selective college, your cohorts will be that much stronger and more academically inclined, making competition for grades, opportunities, etc. even tougher. So why the push to move to a more competitive pool when you have yet to established your credentials in your current situation?</p>
<p>Maybe because you’re miserable and you know you can do better than you’ve demonstrated? I realize that’s a terrible reason in the eyes of adcoms, but it’s true - if you’re not challenged by your current environment, it can become really difficult to do your best work.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but we all have to grow up and enter the real world. You’re not always going to be challenged, satisfied with your lot, enjoying what you’re doing, etc.–but you do it and you do the best you can so that you can move to a better place. </p>
<p>The way a person shows they aren’t challenged by their current environment is to work hard and be at the top of it and ready to take on new opportunities, not to do passably and blame it on the situation.</p>
<p>I agree. I wasn’t saying that slacking off, even to a marginal degree, is the mature response. I was just pointing out that simply because someone doesn’t have a 4.0 at any given college does not mean that they are adequately challenged by their current environment. People might be anxious to transfer up, as you said, because they are suffering from a kind of intellectual malaise as a result of a LACK of competition. Now, I agree that those people cannot expect the best results out of their situation because they did not put their best foot forward initially. However, you seem to be implying that they are automatically less capable than those who were fortunate enough (and yes, I do believe luck plays a huge role) to have access to a more competitive environment, which I think is an unfair judgment call to make based on one semester.</p>
<p>And yes, I do realize that’s why you advise people to tough it out and improve their GPA - to effectively demonstrate that they have the goods to back up their convictions. However, if someone is truly unhappy where they are, what’s the harm in trying?</p>
<p>I’m concerned that a person tries to transfer up with one semester of an only OK gpa and cites lack of being challenged as their reason for wanting to change school. The transfer college is going to look at the essay and transcript and say, “this does not compute”. While luck may play a part in gpa based on 1 sem, the problem is that that is all the college sees, thus my recommendation to stay longer and establish a solid academic record.</p>
<p>I agree that if a student is unhappy with their situation it’s OK to send out some transfer apps. The harm is when a student does so without solid information and an understanding of transfer admissions, and as a result has unrealistic expectations.</p>