UC transfer admission with low GPA and extenuating circumstances?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
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<p>I started back to school in the fall of last year. The last time I was continuously in school (without failing or withdrawing from classes) was 2006, and 2009 was the last time I attempted some courses. My overall GPA when I started back at school was a under a 2.0. Through academic renewal and very, very hard work, I brought it up to a 3.1 by the beginning of this fall.</p>

<p>My GPA for the last three semesters:</p>

<p>Fall 2012: 3.5 (11 units) In November of this semester my husband was laid off from work, so I had to return to work full-time and my grades suffered.</p>

<p>Spring 2013: 3.79 (14 units)- I also worked full-time this semester. I probably would have had a 4.0, but the week before finals I witnessed a girl commit suicide by jumping from the 4th floor into the lobby of the library at my school. I was traumatized. Luckily, I had nearly perfect grades in every class and MOST teachers were very understanding. I couldn't bring myself to go back in the library to study so I just drove to UCSD every day to prepare, but I had to take my math final in the lab right next to where it happened. I couldn't concentrate and ended up only answering 3 questions on the 50 question final before just giving up and leaving in tears. I had a 96% in the class and the final dropped my grade to an 87%. </p>

<p>Summer 2013: 3.92 (6 units in 6 weeks)- I was also working full-time.</p>

<p>Here is a little more background: I married my husband 6 months after I graduated high school when I was 18. He deployed to Iraq for his second time a month after we were married and I started school at a CC. I attended that CC for a year (3.1 GPA) while he was deployed and then took a 6 month break when he returned from deployment. He was diagnosed with PTSD when he returned. I started again at a different CC when he left the USMC, but also had to work full-time because my husband was unstable and was having a hard time working. I earned a 2.3 GPA. I stopped going to that CC after a year. For the next 6 years, I cared for my husband and our daughter while working as a nanny and horseback riding instructor. In addition to his mental health issues, my husband had to undergo reconstructive surgery on his ankle for an injury he acquired in the Marine Corps. He could not walk and was on disability for almost a year. I tried to start back to school twice during this time but ended up with failing grades and a bunch of W's. When our daughter started kindergarten, my husband had finally been stable for a couple of years and I felt like I could go back to school without having to worry about either of them. </p>

<p>I also have a disability that impairs many of my cognitive abilities that are essential for full academic success (memory, attention, comprehension). I completed my first two years of college (2004 & 2006) without treatment or accommodations, as well as Fall of 2012. I began treatment at the beginning of 2013, and finally sought accommodations with the school at the beginning of this (fall) semester. This semester I am averaging about 75 study hours a week for 17 units of coursework (and still working part-time). I know that is about 20 hours more than the average for this course load, but that is what it takes for me to get A's ( I have above a 98% in all of my classes).</p>

<p>My question is, has anyone gotten into one of the better UC school with a low GPA? What do you think my chances are, and are my circumstances "extenuating enough" to be taken into consideration? I am a political science major. I have completed the IGETC, will have taken 3 semesters of German plus a conversational class by the end of next spring, and have completed all of the pre-req's. I got A's in all of the pre-req classes, as well as my language classes. I have applied for UCSD, UCI, UCR, and UCLA. I REALLY want to go to UCSD, my second choice would be UCI. I know my chances of getting in to UCLA are very slim, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. UCR is my "safety" school. </p>

<p>Also, if I only end up getting into UCR, would it possible for me to transfer to UCSD the following year if I have extenuating circumstances? My husband has a good paying job here in San Diego and our daughter is in a really good school, so I will have to commute to UCR (or UCI, which isn't quite as far). </p>

<p>I would appreciate any information or experience you can share! Thank you!</p>

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<p>I can’t really give you advice about low GPAs, but I got into Cal, UCLA, UCSB, UCI, and UCSC even though my second quarter of my freshman year my grades were: F, F, W, P, C. When I retook the failed classes and got straight A’s in everything else, my GPA went back up to a 3.94-ish. I explained in a few sentences that there was a medical reason and it was totally fine. Since yours is a longer story, maybe work your story into your essay. A good GPA in your prereqs and an upward trend is good. It’s hard to chance you, but I can tell you that the UCs do take things like work and life circumstances into account, at least to some extent. It depends on the UC. UCLA is really GPA oriented for transfers. I do have a friend who got into a few UCs, including UCSD, and I believe she had a low GPA with extenuating circumstances. You never know.</p>

<p>You can try to visit some schools and talk to a counsellor, by the way. I don’t know if UCSD will let you do that since I didn’t apply there, but giving a call can’t hurt, just in case someone can give you some advise.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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<p>

UCSD does not allow senior level transfers and if you spend a year at UCR you will probably hit that limit. See <a href=“http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/uc-transfer-maximum-limitation-policy-chart.pdf[/url]”>University of California Counselors; </p>

<p>Generally the UC’s send counselors to the CC’s in their area. If you live in San Diego then UCSD likely has counselors visiting regularly. See <a href=“http://admissions.ucsd.edu/events/fairs-socal.html[/url]”>http://admissions.ucsd.edu/events/fairs-socal.html&lt;/a&gt; or check with the xfer office at your CC. I suggest making an appt with a UCSD counselor to explore options they might have that aren’t on the website because they only have a few students eligible. </p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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<p>Thank you Mikemac! I actually just made an appointment this morning to see a UCSD adviser at my school in a couple of weeks.</p>

<p>I have a question that maybe you can answer, does the unit transfer cap only count if you have taken classes at both 2-year and 4-year institutions? It is my understanding that if you are transferring with only CC classes, you will only receive credit for 70 units, and anything in excess of that can be used for subject credit. </p>

<p>I will have 99 semester units by the time I transfer, but they are only from a CC.</p>

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<p>Never mind, Mikemac. I answered my own question. :)</p>

<p>And thank you, newsoul. I have been experiencing some serious anxiety about transferring. I think I am just going to have to come to terms with the fact that my circumstances are very different than most other transfer students and hope that the UC’s take that into consideration. :)</p>