I’m a junior in high school and unfortunately I didn’t do so well academically in my past years in high school. I’ve maintained atleast a 3.0(weighted) throughout the years but I’ve had a couple of Ds. Mostly in freshman year but I do have a reason for that (family problems and health issues) So my chances of getting into a UC aren’t so hot… So I’m planning on going to Santa Barbara City College and I want to transfer to a really good school after that. Would it be possible to transfer into a really good university if I can make up for my troubled years in high school during community college? Like joining clubs and volunteering and becoming involved? I didn’t do many extra curriculars during high school but could I make up for it in city college? Then what are my chances of getting into a good school like Columbia or NYU? I’m a Mexican-Middle Eastern Muslim Female, first generation child, and both my parents never spoke English very well.
Also what are some other good schools I could go to when transferring from a city college?
Your community college should have a Transfer Advisor who can give you information about where students from that CC have ended up. So try to get an appointment to talk about this. The short answer is that yes, places like Columbia and NYU do accept transfer applicants from CCs.
What are your test scores like, and how much can your family pay? There may be decent options for you other than the local CC. Look in the Parents Forum for threads with titles like “Good schools for 3.0 students”.
Bryn Mawr encourages transfers from CCs. So if you would be OK with a women’s college, check that out.
You’re still in high school. Have you taken your SAT or ACT? Even with a 3.0 gpa, I’m sure there are some UCs you can go to (I’m assuming you’re in California).
@mnm111: Not sure why you assume that. The UCs care heavily about GPA.
If you do well in CC, however, many UC’s, NYU, and Columbia GS (which requires a break in schooling) are possible.
But can you afford them? And why would you do better in CC than in HS?
@PurpleTitan Are you suggesting that she cannot gain admission into any UC schools? I’m from Florida, but just a cursory glance at the common data set information shows that 20% of the incoming class at UC Santa Cruz had her GPA. A good ACT score would bolster her application. Community college is also obviously a reasonable option.
- The bottom quarter of an admitted class typically have a hook or something else compelling about them.
- Yes, UCSC does take some people with a GPA below 3.2, but note that 96% were in the top 10% of their HS class. So I should have said that the UC’s weigh class rank heavily and also consider GPA a fair bit.
However, UC’s don’t consider freshman year for GPA calculations and being first generation may be a plus.