<p>Hey guys, this is something I've been trying to find out for a while to get a clear understanding of my transfer chances.</p>
<p>So my question simply is, how important are your grades in IGETC (I am doing IGETC), and/or Admission Requirements courses (English, Math, etc.), and 'American Institution and History courses required for graduation' when transferring to a UC?
My view is that your performance in them aren't weighted much compared to the completion of another major prereq course when transferring, because in almost all the descriptions regarding admission criteria for a specific major the listing is always something like 'Completion of IGETC will be considered' or so.
However, academic performance also is taken into account, and so is your GPA, but how much do they weigh compared to a 4.0 GPA in Major Prereqs?
I am quite depressed as I am currently having a 3.45 GPA (dropping to 3.1-3.3 this semester) composed of only IGETC classes due to a medical condition, but will start taking major prereqs for my CS major next semester. So if i obtain a 4.0 in my major Prereqs but only get a 3.2-3.4 cumulative GPA, what are my chances against another transfer student with a, lets say, 3.7 cumulative GPA but 3.6 Major GPA especially in a major like computer science?</p>
<p>Oh, and for a side question, will being involved heavily in Github and listing that as an extracurricular seriously help me in transfers?</p>
<p>Obviously bad grades in your major look worse than bad grades in GE, but GE GPA won’t just be thrown away. You should really aim for high grades in all your classes. You might want to mention that the bad semester was due to medical reasons when you apply, but the rest of your coursework needs to be stellar for that to make a big difference in decisions.</p>
<p>Github is a tool, it’s not really an EC. If you’re contributing to open source, or working on personal projects, those are great to list. But “I like github” isn’t an EC by itself.</p>
<p>Your overall GPA is very important. It doesn’t matter if you have a 4.0 in your major prereqs if you end up with a 3.1-3.2ish GPA. That’s just unforgivable. </p>
<p>IMO most igetc classes aren’t that important to your major or its preq, but i think it’s the best way to boost your GPA/ minimize the damage if you don’t do as well in your major preq. </p>
<p>Like what everyone else here have said so far. Get as high of grades as possible</p>
<p>It’s something you would put either in your personal statement (also mention how you somehow overcame that medical condition) or at the end where they ask you to write if you have something else you want to tell them. </p>
<p>I would put it in the PS though because I was at UCLA STOMP where all the representatives of UC’s came and one question was “how does PS factor in to admissions?” Everyone except UC Merced and Berkeley said they only use the PS to offer scholarships. </p>
<p>Wow, I didn’t know that PS would be used for scholarships lol.
But I most probably wouldn’t qualify for them since I am an international.</p>
<p>So regarding the medical explanation, by either methods, will you just claim straightly that you are having a condition or do you need to submit some documentation too?</p>
<p>Make sure PS is good. My PS was absolute monumental ■■■■ so I’m convinced I’m not getting regents (other reasons aside). </p>
<p>If you claim a condition, you’re probably going to added under their disabled students center, so you proooobably need to give some documentation. But really, I don’t know.</p>