Transfering to UCF... what are my chances?

<p>Right now i am attending my local community college in Florida & i would like to transfer to UCF in the near future. By the time i transfer i will probably have around 40-50 credits with around a 3.6 GPA having taken CHEM 1& 2, Calculus1& 2, english comp 1 & 2, etc.. I'm trying to get into their Aerospace/Mechanical engineering program and was wondering what are my chances or should i look into another school? Also even though i was in honors & AP classes during high school, i didn't really take the time to do well so i got a 3.1 GPA for my entire HS career... i don't know how that would affect me since i've taken hard college classes and done well in them but for what it's worth there it is.</p>

<p>Any help would be appreciated. :)</p>

<p>Hey Claud05 i just got accepted two days ago (applied 6 weeks ago), i’m also trying to get into the Aerospace engineering program, this semester (Spring) I’ll be getting my AA from miami dade college (I have about 65 credits). I have a 3.23 GPA, I have also taken Calc I & II, Chemistry, Physics with Calc, and will be taking Calc 3 and Physics II and differential Equations in the summer @ Miami dade college. My high scholl gpa was dreadfull 2.7, but they dont care about that. The only thing that i think will prevent you from getting in (hopefully not) is the fact that you haven’t finish the AA (60+ credits). Good luck, Hope to see you in one of my engineering class</p>

<p>Claud, I would wait till you get your AA Degree and then apply. I originally applied a few months before getting my AA and was deferred until my AA Degree was awarded. I had a 3.73 GPA. All I know is UCF is getting more and more competitive. If you were to apply from high school, you would need 4 years of Math starting in 2011.</p>

<p>Finally some replies! thank you for the feedback guys! Anyway, does getting your AA mean you get over 60 credits? or could it take more? I am in my second full semester of college (freshman) and after this semester I’ll have 30 credits hours completed… so if I have to wait for my AA that would mean that I still have at least 1 and a half year left before transferring? bummer. Is there really no chance of being accepted without your AA? even with a strong GPA? :(</p>

<p>To my understanding, getting your AA means you have at least 60 credits, this covers your general education and electives (usually take classes that are prerequisite to the bachelor program you would like to join). Based on what i read in other forums i’ve is harder to get accepted without your AA but is not impossible. I wish I could help with some facts & sources.</p>

<p>An AA Degree is usually 60 Credits as previously mentioned. 36 of which will be General Education (Math, Science, Humanities, English, etc) and 24 of which will be Electives (usually the Prerequisites needed for you Degree, also previously mentioned). Now, I would strongly encourage you to get your AA first before coming to UCF or any State University in Florida. (1) Tuition is usually cheaper with a Community College than a University; (2) Free Rent, who enjoys living with their parent(s) :slight_smile: ; (3) Smaller Class Sizes; (4) It prepares you for the University. Here’s some more information regarding the AA Degree I found from a local Community College located near UCF:</p>

<p>Associate in Arts Degree
Community College Associate in Arts Transfer Guarantees</p>

<p>Community College Associate in Arts graduates are guaranteed certain rights under the statewide Articulation Agreement 6A-10.024. This Articulation Agreement governs the transfer of students from Florida public community colleges to the state university system. The agreement addresses General Admission to a state university and Program Admission.</p>

<p>General Admission to Florida State Universities</p>

<p>Guarantees</p>

<p>The Florida Articulation Agreement designates the Associate in Arts degree as the transfer degree to Florida state universities. In doing so, the Agreement guarantees that:</p>

<p>Community college A.A. Degree holders will be granted admission to one of eleven (11) universities but not necessarily to limited access programs.
Upon transferring to a state university, A.A. Degree graduates will be awarded at least 60 credit hours towards the baccalaureate degree.
The university catalog in effect the year the A.A. Degree student first enrolled at the community college will remain in effect for the student’s program, provided the student maintains continuous enrollment as defined in that catalog.
Once a student has completed the General Education Core and this is so noted on the transcript, regardless of whether or not an A.A. Degree is awarded, no other state university or community college to which the student may transfer can require additional courses to the General Education Core.
When transferring among institutions participating in the statewide course numbering system, a receiving institution must accept all courses taken at the transfer institution, if the same course with the same course number is offered at the receiving institution.
Credits earned through acceleration mechanisms (CLEP, AP, PEP, early enrollment, International Baccalaureate, and dual enrollment courses) within the A.A. Degree at the community college will be transferable to the state university.
Students without an A.A. Degree who are seeking admission to a state university do not have all the guarantees provided by the Articulation Agreement and may be denied admission or lose credit when transferring. In most cases students without an A.A. Degree will have to meet freshman admissions standards.</p>

<p>Admission to Specific Programs at Florida State Universities</p>

<p>The universities determine the courses and prerequisites that must be taken in order to receive a baccalaureate degree for a chosen program. Although all credit earned towards an A.A. Degree will transfer to a university, not all credit may satisfy the program prerequisites or the course requirements for a baccalaureate degree. Therefore, it is important to know the program requirements and to take as many courses as possible at Valencia while completing the A.A. Degree.</p>

<p>Limited Access</p>

<p>Due to limited resources, some programs have limited enrollments; in order to select students these programs may have additional admission requirements which are more restrictive than the university’s general admission requirements. These requirements include one or more of the following: completion of specific courses, grade point average, an interview, test scores, auditions, and submission of a portfolio and deadlines.</p>

<p>Guarantees</p>

<p>A.A. graduates are not guaranteed admission into limited access programs but are guaranteed that:</p>

<p>The community college student will have the same opportunity to enroll in a university limited access program as the native university student.
Selection and enrollment criteria for a university limited access program will be established and published in catalogs and appropriate publications. Notification of any changes in a program will include sufficient time for prospective students to adjust to meet program criteria.
Resources are available for planning your transfer to a bachelor’s degree program. Counselors and advisors are available through the Advising Centers on each campus at Valencia to help you plan your individual transfer program.</p>

<p>Appeals</p>

<p>Should any of these guarantees be denied, the student has the right to file an appeal. Each state university has established appeal procedures. Students may contact the state university articulation officer for information about these procedures.</p>

<p>Wow Thank you for posting that Frank… I think I’ll just get my AA and then apply like you guys have suggested me… another question, should I apply the semester before getting my AA or after? how does that work? do i have to wait extra time for me credits to show up in the application?</p>

<p>I would apply at least 4-6 months prior to the Semester your AA Degree will be awarded. So, if you think your AA Degree is going to be awarded in April / May 2011, I would apply in November 2010. They will probably defer you until your AA Degree is Awarded. Make sure you go to the Admission’s Office of your Campus and have them send out your Transcripts AS SOON AS your AA Degree is posted. Most schools do it Electronically. DO NOT Wait! I’m serious, we have about thousands of Students that apply and you want to be ahead of them. It gets more and more competitive each year.</p>

<p>Best of Luck and Keep me Posted if you want,</p>

<p>Frank</p>

<h2>Please disregard my previous message</h2>

<p>Here’s what I was trying to say, but it wouldn’t let me edit my Post.</p>

<p>I would apply at least 4-6 months prior to the Semester your AA Degree will be awarded. So, if you think your AA Degree is going to be awarded in April / May 2011, I would apply in November 2010 for Fall 2011. They will probably defer you until your AA Degree is Awarded. Make sure you go to the Admission’s Office of your Campus and have them send out your Transcripts AS SOON AS your AA Degree is posted. Most schools do it Electronically. DO NOT Wait to see your Admissions Officer! I’m serious, we have thousands of Students that apply and you want to be ahead of them. It gets more and more competitive each year. I believe on your Application with UCF (I’m trying to remember), I believe you can put down your Degree Expected or Earned and the Year, so do put that! Since you are currently at the Community College, there’s a part where you can list all Courses you are currently taking or expect to complete prior to entering UCF. “Admission decisions are made with the expectations that all courses in progress will be successfully completed”. So, you might get a Decision of Accepted by your AA Degree is awarded if you apply early, BUT if not, I strongly encourage you to have your Admissions forward those Transcripts as soon as your Degree is awarded. I had a friend that waited to apply after his Degree was awarded and took about 4 months to hear back. If you apply early, put your going your AA Degree down and have the Community College send over your transcripts as soon as your Degree is awarded, then you shouldn’t wait a long time, maybe 2-3 weeks, possibly a little longer depending on how many students apply. To answer one of your other questions, usually as soon as your Grades are posted by the Professor, it might take 24-48 hours to post on your Transcripts, but since the majority of everything is going Electronic, it might appear on your Transcript almost instantly. When you come to UCF, get Involved, have some fun :)! You will really enjoy the atmosphere. I didn’t think I would enjoy a fast-paced environment, but it grows on you and it’s exciting. You had to line up for this, but if you were one of 12,000 Students on either of the Campuses, you would get a Free Universal Studios Ticket, complementary of our Student Government.</p>

<p>Best of Luck and Keep me Posted if you want,</p>

<p>Frank</p>

<p>Hello there! Im graduating from UCF this week and I was a transfer student. I deffinitly would say wait until you have your AA, which you are right is 60 credits but its 60 specific credits. Meet with an advisor at your school to determine which classes you need to take to get your AA at your community college. The basics are 2-3 english, 2 maths, science and so on. Once you have your AA the college will only determine admission based on your 60 college credits (not hs). If you apply before you have your AA then the school will also need your hs information (and no offence, but they probably wont take you with a 3.1 gpa- UCF is getting a lot more strict with grades). Oh and you can apply a semester before you anticipate transfering. For example, if you continue taking classes at your community college this summer and fall… after your fall grades are posted and you have signed up for your FINAL spring classes AND filed your intent to graduate with your community college… THEN you can apply. UCF will want to see at least 45 credits completed with grades and then you need to be registered for your final 15 (or less) credits. Good Luck!</p>

<p>bad news…
I am currently failing one of my 4 classes. I am doing very poorly in my Organic Chem II class and I am getting very discouraged to say the least. This F will drop my GPA to a 3.1 with 32 credits in the bag already :frowning: I have been SO busy/tired with work, plus I had a family emergency which made me drop 2 of classes. So to summarize this semester= 2 withdrawals, 1 possible F and an A in Calculus II.
Should I just give up in trying to get into UCF’s engineering program? I have 2 Ws and an F now after such a great start… ugh.
Also, because I did not know what I wanted my major to be, I’ve taken classes such as the Organic Chem classes that don’t even count towards my AA, which will more than likely set me back a semester or two. What if you have more than 60 credits but you haven’t completed your AA yet? Does that count?
Sorry for my rant but it’s been one hell of a semester.</p>

<p>PS- I can probably get my GPA up again since I still have 2 semester left at my local CC, and most of my classes aren’t as difficult as the one’s I’ve taken so far such as Calc, Physics etc. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any advice.</p>

<p>Sorry to hear about your chem grade. Honestly I think if you explain the circumstances it won’t be a major issue. It happens. I had a pretty crappy semester myself. So I feel your pain.</p>

<p>Everyone on here isn’t exactly correct in saying that it’s super hard to transfer without your AA degree. I transferred summer of last year from a private liberal arts college (incoming sophomore) and I only had a 3.1 at that school. I don’t know if that was just because I applied for summer session as opposed to fall, but I made it here. I got a few Cs which brought down my GPA. But I did have a decent HS record because I was in IB had around a 3.5 GPA and a good ACT, extracurricular list. I had 55-60 credits coming in from just IB/AP classes alone. That helped alot with my gen ed program. So I don’t think transferring without your AA is an impossible task. It might make things a bit easier for you, but it’s definitely not impossible.</p>

<p>Don’t give up if that’s really what you want to do. Although the F and Ws may seem devastating right now, I can guarantee they won’t matter once you have your Engineering degree. I think if you went and talked to some Engineering students and professors at UCF you would better be able to see if that program is a good fit for you. I would also suggest looking into internships or summer job programs at Siemens (engineering firm, right across the street from UCF). If they see how dedicated you are and how badly you want to be an Engineer that is definitely going to help your chances. </p>

<p>To be safe about that whole AA thing I would first check the catalog on UCF’s website and see what it says under the Engineering transfer section. If you’re still confused I would call the department or admissions and see what they say. It couldn’t hurt.</p>

<p>Hey sorry to hear about what happened with your grades. Happens to the best of us. As far as you getting into UCF without getting your AA, I’m Currently doing the same thing. Im currently enrolled in my community college and getting all my general education classes done and and electives. Id like to major in sports medicine. What im planning on doing is taking taking 12 credits every semester for 1 year, then finishing 1 semester at valencia, which is The Community college right next to UCF. After i plan on applying to UCF, as long as your grades are decent you shouldnt have a problem getting in. I know many people who have done this and been accepted. Hopefully we can both be enrolled there in the near future.</p>