<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>This is my first time posting here and I'm looking for answers that I am unable to find elsewhere. Before I go any further, I assume some background information about myself would be helpful:</p>
<p>I've been attending a community college for the past two years and will apply to UC schools this November. I share equal interests for Economics and Film Studies, but I rather stick with Economics. </p>
<p>My experience in school hasn't been an admirable one. My first few semesters were unimaginably abrasive, mostly due to the fact that I didn't care about my studies nor what major I would pursue in my collegiate life. In fact, all I cared about was the "engineering" of my grades. In other words, completing barely enough work to pass my courses with a C or B grade was all I cared for. </p>
<p>Fortunately, I was able to snap out of the foolish aforementioned situation just in time, which also led (or lead? I always confuse these two!) me to settle on the two majors I mentioned above and recover from my poor academic performance. Ever since, I've been a top student, but my old grades still haunt me. Restarting my collegiate life would be more than fantastic, but it is not one of my options. My current GPA is 3.08, and as low as it may seem, my grade trend over time looks highly favorable. If I were to maintain my performance this semester, on winter, and on next spring, my estimated final GPA would total to roughly 3.4-3.6. Unfortunately, my final prognosticated GPA won't be of much use for the fall applications.</p>
<p>That being said, my safety school is UCSB, thanks to the TAA program (thankfully I meet all the requirements). I would very much rather, however, attend UCI, UCLA, UCB, or UCSD. I do acknowledge the fact that my chances of getting accepted are from slim to none (especially UCLA and UCB). I plan on applying to UCLA and UCB as a film major, mostly due to the impaction of the economics majors. </p>
<p>Now, here is where my questions arise:</p>
<p>An experienced friend of mine said UCSB isn't at all as bad as I think it be. If I maintain my current academic performance I should obtain a degree with no problem, and that my transcript would look favorable! He also said that, assuming I have both a solid GPA in my records in UCSB and application, getting into a top graduate school should not be of much concern. (He's a believer that work experience greatly outweighs undergrad school prestige and grades when applying to grad school, but I'm not sure how true that is). </p>
<p>What are your opinions regarding the above? Should I be glad I can get into UCSB for sure, and not stress over the fact that getting into said school will affect my future (by future my mean my acceptance to grad school) significantly? Is it true that my undergrad school's prestige will be an important factor when applying to grad school?</p>
<p>Also, given my academic situation, what would be my chances of getting into UCLA or UCSD?</p>
<p>Now, don't get me wrong, I am in no way saying that UCSB is a mediocre school. Nonetheless, from the information I've extracted from this forum, the general consensus in terms of UC school ranking seems to be: 1) UCB, 2) UCLA, 3) UCSD, 4) UCI, and so on. My frustration emanates from the sheer fact that I would have high chances of getting into UCLA or UCB had I snapped out of my "situation" earlier. </p>
<p>Every action has a reaction, and I'm paying for my actions through the reactions. However, rather than contemplating the misery of early collegiate life, I am trying to get the most out of my current limitations.</p>
<p>Aaaaand, my sincerest apologies for the wall o' text. Thank you for reading, though! (If you did :D)</p>
<p>(If any of what I said is unclear or I need to post some more info, please let me know!)</p>