UCB - am I aiming too high? what about UCD?

<p>Hi,
I'm transferring from SFSU to hopefully UC Davis next fall, but I really want to go to Berkeley too. I have a 3.51 GPA right now (taking 18 units this semester), hopefully it'll be at least a 3.8 by the end of spring. I will be done with all of my lower division GE requirements by the time I transfer and have started on my major requirements (Biological sciences).. took calculus I, chem I, physics I, (B average on these courses) and will plan to take organic chem and bio I in spring. I work part time on campus as a work study student and plan on joining some clubs this year and hopefully volunteering at the UCSF cancer research center.</p>

<p>can someone please tell me what my chances are at these schools? and if I should even try to apply to Berkeley or is it just a shot in the dark and a waste of $60? I know I'm at a lower priority than CCC students.. but is it possible?! I'm kind of limited to these 2 schools because I don't want to leave N. California (personal and financial reasons).. which is a bummer but oh well.</p>

<p>any feedback is appreciated!</p>

<p>sfsu sucks, im glad ur looking to transfer :)</p>

<p>well my stats are a bit lower than yours and im still applying to berkeley, but then again im a CC student i do have that working in my favor.
i say apply, because if youre like me and you really want to go there you should at least try, because then youll never wonder "what if".</p>

<p>mojo: yes -- sfsu does suck, everyone here just WANTS to get lung cancer or something, i can't stand it! but aside from that.. the school itself just isn't for me anymore. I kinda fcked up in hs, lowered my standards and motivation, and never applied to any UC's. so now I'm giving myself a second chance :)</p>

<p>bobbak: thanks, I do really want to go and excellent point on never wondering about the "what if". i mean, its now or never for us -- I'd be regretting for the rest of my life if I don't try.</p>

<p>-- anyone know what my chances might be though?? I was looking at UC stats, and only two hundred or so 4-yr univ. students get admitted. it makes me realllly nervous..</p>

<p>def. apply. $60 dollars is worth the peace of mind of knowing that you atleast tried. how much would it suck to not apply and somehow find out later that your grades/ec's/etc could have gotten you in w/o a problem?</p>

<p>i think you have a shot. i transferred from a CCC w/ a 3.7 into a capped major (econ).</p>

<p>I think you have a greater shot at UC Davis than Berkeley. But definitely apply to Berkeley as well.</p>

<p>write killer essays and in your extra personal essay explain how you want a chance at a great UC.
thats what im counting on to give me the edge to get into cal because my gpa will be at best 3.5 after the SPRING semester, so im kinda f-ed haha.</p>

<p>jbo0gie,</p>

<p>Assuming a 3.8 is attained...</p>

<p>Cal/UCLA: Slight reach (closer to match), as long as you have done a significant portion of your lower div work
UCSD: Match
Anything lower: Match - safety</p>

<p>It's not impossible or even terribly unlikely. My cumulative GPA was somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.4. Granted, I am also an English major.</p>

<p>I spent a year at UCSC, one of the two (out of four applications) UCs that accepted me. I did terrible my first semester, and better but not great my second -- my UC GPA is currently 3.2.</p>

<p>I came home to save money and take care of my GEs at a school that wasn't as full of stoners and political radicals. I ended up at a community college in Riverside. I did much, much better there -- about a 3.72 UC transferrable GPA. </p>

<p>I had a 3.8, 3.9 in my major.</p>

<p>I was accepted into UCB (spring, which I'm attending in January) and UCLA.</p>

<p>So apply. It is definitely worth the try, and $60 is nothing next to the "what if" that would haunt you if you didn't put an application in.</p>

<p>based on undecided's situation, so if you finish a year at a 4-year institution, and then your second at a jc.. would you be considered a "ccc transfer student" or still a 4-year institution transfer? if that makes a difference, should I've started my sophomore year at a community college at home then? I already finished my first 2 weeks of class here so fall might be too late.. but if I go to a cc during spring, would they consider me to be a cc transfer and possibly give me a higher chance/priority? its kind've cheating though, haha.</p>

<p>-- after reading everyone's opinion, I will definitely apply to cal as well in addition to ucd. $120, sigh.</p>

<p>UCLAri: I'm not too familiar with the match - safety - reach terms you're using. can you please explain? and do you have any insight on my ucdavis chances? </p>

<p>thank you everyone for responding and helping me out. I appreciated a lot!</p>

<p>jbo0gie,</p>

<p>Safety means you're in the above 75th percentile range. It's the sweet spot.
Match means that you're right in the 25th to 75th percentile admit range. It's the creamy center.
Reach means that you're in the 25th to about 10th percentile or so. It's not so sweet.</p>

<p>As far as UCD goes, anything lower than UCSD is match to safety. I'd put UCD in safe match or safety even.</p>

<p>You CAN be considered a CCC student if you complete more than half your units, most recently, at a CCC.</p>

<p>My deal: I had 47 quarter units at UCSC and 30 (transferrable -- I hate that requirement, cheated me out of a couple units) semester CC units. I was considered, at least as far as UCLA told me, as a CCC student, though my own CC wouldn't give me IGETC certification despite fulfilling the requirements.</p>

<p>undecided, dont you go to Cal? and they accepted you without the IGETC certification? thats awesome!</p>

<p>I will be attending Cal in spring 2007, yep!</p>

<p>They actually admitted me assuming I was going to satisfy the GEs via IGETC. I completed the breadth according to ASSIST, and even according to my own CC. However, in a VERY well hidden caveat, I found out that I didn't meet the residency requirements -- no more than 30 semester units outside the college. I was over by about 8 semester units, and they absolutely refused to grant me the IGETC.</p>

<p>That caused me a huge amount of panic. The Conditions of Admission clearly stated "must satisfy ALL requirements," and IGETC was one of them. Lucky for me, I did satisfy the other GE slide-in, which was the "quantitative, writing and foreign language" requirement. But I still have to do the GEs.</p>

<p>So now this fall I am taking, yet again, more classes I could care a less about in pursuit of waiving the general eds. At this rate, I will be very well prepared in everything but my major. :)</p>

<p>I have 40 semester units now.. and taking 18 this semester, so i'll have 58 sfsu semester units. if I go to a cc next semester, and take, say 15 there, will I be considered cc transfer? whats the residency req?</p>

<p>Ask, but I don't think that you will be. I'm not entirely sure how I was considered a CCC transfer (or even whether I really was), but I'm pretty sure you need to spend the equivalent of one full-time year at a CCC, and it has to be the latest year before applications (mine was 05-06 for the 06 admissions).</p>