<p>Hello everyone!
I have been reading college confidential for YEARS, and have finally decided to make an account and post, mainly because college, once again, is very stressful, and having all the help I can possibly get will hopefully remove some tension on my plate. So basically here are a few facts about me.</p>
<p>College: UC Santa Cruz
Major: Proposed TIM (Information Systems)
Cumulative GPA: Ended freshman year with a 3.62
Goal: Transfer to other (higher) UCs (CAL, UCLA, UCSD, UCD, UCI) Also looking into NYU STERN and USC MARSHALL</p>
<p>I know my GPA isn't that good, but I have tried my hardest to keep it up and plan to get it higher second year. But since the quarter starts in October, I will be applying for my transfer with the gpa of 3.62. I will be finished with all of my TIM prereqs by the end of Sophomore year.
I wanted to get some opinions on my chances of a successful transfer? Is it even worth it? I am devoting some of my summer to write good essays. I know that an intercampus transfer is much harder because UCs reserve space for CC students, but I also think that my 3.62 GPA at UCSC is harder to obtain than a 3.62 at a CC. I also know that all of my classes are going to transfer over, and I am not worrying about GEs because I am only about 2 or 3 in, and don't have time to worry about them untill summer sessions anyways. I would like any opinions or conversations (: Thanks you guys.</p>
<p>How are you so confident that all of your classes are going to transfer over? </p>
<p>First of all, whether intercampus is worth it is a highly personal decision. My recommendation is that you apply regardless and make the final decision after admissions is out. Generally people apply for IT (intercampus transfer) when there’s something in particular at another UC that you can’t get at your own. </p>
<p>Secondly, the idea that IT is any harder than normal transfer is not necessarily true (except for Cal). While the UC’s do reserve space for the CC students, the pool of IT’s is rather small. Usually the admit rates between CC transfers and IT’s is roughly the same. I believe that the reason that the IT’s tend to have a marginally lower admit rate is due to the inability to complete major prereqs for your destination UC. We don’t have an assist.org because we’re already UC students. Therefore, completing major prereqs for your destination UC can end up being guesswork trying to find classes that are roughly equivalent to classes offered at CC. When I applied, I kept in close contact with counselors at Cal and LA who helped me establish equivalency between my UCI classes and my required classes. Finishing major prereqs is a must so do get in contact with the admissions offices at the UC’s you’re applying for.</p>
<p>Thirdly, not all your classes will transfer. You will get units for everything because you are a UC to UC student but as for course equivalency there are no guarantees. I ended up picking UCLA over Cal because there was a substantial number of classes that Cal accept as equivalent classes. This is something to keep in mind, you’ll have a better shot at course transferability if you go from quarter system to quarter system. Cal, NYU, and USC are all semester system schools so if you’re dead set on any one of them be prepared to retake classes you’ve already taken in semester form. </p>
<p>Finally, if you write great essays, finish your prereqs, and scoot your GPA a little higher you definitely have a shot for transfer. You have to submit your Fall 2014 grades so use Fall quarter to your advantage and push your GPA as high as it can go. I just finished the process that you’re about to go through and I’m really glad I did it. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the process.</p>
<p>@calbruin Thank you for your information! All of it was really helpful and congratulations on UCLA you probably really deserve it (: . Can I ask what your major/gpa was?
I just calculated and if I get all A’s I would be able to bump my gpa up to 3.72 which is better. I am also nervous about writing my essays, do you have any tips?
Thanks once again! and I will definitely be taking you up on that offer 
</p>
<p>@tarrrrssss no problem, glad to help! Thanks haha, UCLA should be an interesting experience next year.</p>
<p>My major was political science and I applied with a 3.93. If you can manage to pull your GPA to a 3.72 you’re in great shape for transfer. Don’t stress about the essays; they can only help. not hurt your application. A lot of IT applicants have a really hard time with the essay because we’re already at a UC. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to justify your reasons for transferring. I didn’t and you’ll find that many successful applicant didn’t as well. The reason is, it’s difficult to talk about wanting to leave your UC without saying anything negative about your home campus. Remember that the UC is a system and we’re all sister campuses. If you choose to address why you want to transfer to another UC make sure you maintain a positive tone about UCSC.</p>
<p>Try to focus on why you have passion for your major. The UC’s always accept a fair number of IT’s (Cal to a lesser degree) but you want to make sure that you stand out. Give them a reason to take a chance on you by accepting you. Some people will talk about classes that inspired them to go towards their major, others will talk about extracurricular activities that made them discover their passion for their major, and others will talk about more unconventional means. Regardless, successful applicants must demonstrate passion for their field and the personal statement is the place to do it. Make a list of experiences that have inspired you to pursue TIM, if you really enjoy your field the personal statement should just pour out of you. </p>
<p>@calbruin Thank you for your great advice one again. I definitely was wondering about whether I had to explain my reasons for transferring or not. Also, i am wondering why you wanted to transfer out of UCI? I am just curious because it is on the list of the schools I am applying too. </p>
<p>@tarrrrssss UCI was a fantastic experience. Given the chance to do it all over again I think I’d still have gone to UCI with the options that I had out of high school. Actually, up until the end of May I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to leave. That’s the thing though, I kind of didn’t want to leave because I had such a great time but, I recognized that a degree from Cal or UCLA would definitely open doors for me that would have been harder to open with a UCI degree. </p>
<p>UCI is a friendly campus. It is competitive but in a cooperative kind of way; you won’t hear about kids pulling fire alarms before O-chem finals to sabotage the students. People are willing to help you. Some students complain that the campus is “boring” but I’d think a more accurate way to describe it is “predictable”. For me, that predictability to daily campus life was actually really nice because I like following schedules. And, if you’re the partying sort, there’s always something going on somewhere.</p>
<p>One thing that bothered me was the lack of school spirit. Most students on our campus attribute that to the lack of a football team, which is definitely part of it, but I think the bigger reason is that UCI wasn’t necessarily everybody’s first choice. At the age we’re at, it’s pretty foolish to let other people’s opinions affect us but I’ll admit that it certainly got to me. Occasionally I found myself in conversations about UCI and where somebody would ask “so what was your first choice university?”. I watched as my friends’ expressions shifted into longing, thinking of places they’d dreamed of being and of the people they could’ve been.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that UCI doesn’t set you up to be great. I just said goodbye to a few friends that are going from UCI to places like Harvard law and UCLA medical school. If you work hard at UCI, you will succeed. If nothing else, most of the professors at UCI are very fair and they are incredibly intelligent and approachable. Ultimately I chose to leave not because I didn’t like UCI but because there is a chance that my UCLA degree will help me in the future. Plus, I think IT’s are incredibly lucky because we get to enjoy “freshman” year twice. There’s nothing quite like your first year of college unless you get to do it again. But of course, the main point is, I really liked UCI, I just felt that for me personally UCLA offered me something that I was just missing at UCI. (Well, and so did Cal to an even greater degree but that’s a whole other story)</p>
<p>@Calbruin Wow, that is actually spot on about how I feel about UC Santa Cruz. I 100% agree with everything that you just said. I have never met such open-minded, kind people in my life, but I also feel like there is more out there for me. UCSC’s lack of school spirit, the fact that it’s a GOOD school but not a lot of people’s “first choice”, the amount of opportunities after graduating and more. Your reasoning for wanting to transfer makes a lot of sense and I am glad that everything worked out for you! :)</p>
<p>Also, if this isn’t too much to ask, and feel free to say no! But, do you mind if I read your essays? Just to get a sense of what works and what doesn’t work? </p>
<p>Thanks again Calbruin, you have been such a great help and are definitely giving me some faith!! </p>
<p>@tarrrrssss I’m glad that I could help! A lot of students in the UC system entertain the idea of applying for IT but very few actually follow through and do it. You have nothing to lose by applying and everything to gain. Even if you get in to another UC it doesn’t mean you have to leave. In the end you get to make the final call for whether you want to leave and if you decide not to go, you’ll at least have the validation to know that you were good enough.</p>
<p>In terms of my personal statement, I’m going to have to respectfully decline. I hope you understand but I addressed some obstacles in my life that I would rather not put online. However, I have helped a good number of college confidential users on their personal statements and if you ever want my opinion or suggestions, please PM me. </p>