Hey guys, I’m wondering what my chances are of transferring to UCLA, as I will be doing 2 prereqs in spring. After spring, I’ll have my IGETC and major prep work all done, with a 4.0 gpa ATM. Still, I’m worried because I heard that UCLA doesn’t like it when students attempt prereqs in the spring, especially when the major is as impacted as it is with psychology. Does it significantly hurt my chances? And please, no “well if you have applicant A with the same gpa as you and has all his prereqs done before spring blah blah blah” cuz that’s of course a no-brainer. I just want to know how bad it hurts me, if there is anyone out there that has gotten in under the same situation?
thanks
Someone please answer this question, I am in the same situation! Thanks.
Due to competitiveness for transfers it is in your best interest to have all pre reqs done by the time of your application.
Thanks… it’s not like ucla says those exact words already…
Sorry I’m not tryin to sound like a smartass, it’s just simply reiterating the exact words from the insitution does little to help anybody. Thanks anyways tho
@8clap4sup from my research since this post, the responses have been mixed. It depends on what those classes are (e.g. Stats would be a very bad class to not have done before spring), the rest of your application (having a high gpa, rigor of courseload, ecs, essays might enable them to overlook it). In particular, having been able to achieve a high gpa with a relatively rigorous couseload gives them confidence that you’ll be able to do fine in those classes. Cuz basically that’s the whole thing. By not having those prereqs by the time the admissions committee looks at our apps, we don’t have as complete of an app as our peers who do have those classes done already. But if we’re able to give them a sense of confidence that we are able to get those classes done with high grades, they might be willing to let it slide. Honestly, I don’t see what the huge issue is with my situation, the classes I’m missing are easy intro classes. And ucla sends you provisions in your acceptance anyway that requires you to get at least a B in all prereq classes. But I guess the psych program at ucla is just so competitive they really penalize you if you don’t have em done by spring
Some good news tho: Ive seen some people get accepted just last year in our situation. Although it’s purely anecdotal and idk what the rest of their application was, there’s at least some hope. It’s not an auto-reject, like missing those prereqs after spring would be, or missing 3+ prereqs before spring. But they will definitely penalize us for our situation due to the competiveness of the major and the fact that there are only 5 Prereqs to begin with.
@8CLAP4SUP also, what are those prereqs you are missing if you don’t mind me asking?
Hey man, truly appreciate the response.
The final prerequisite that I will be missing by the time that we apply is Chemistry. What do you think? Bad?
I’m in the TAP program as well, with a 3.94. I’m scheduled to complete Biology this summer and Stats this fall.
Oh I thought you applied for 2018.
But it’s funny cuz chem is my prereq aswell. For me personally, idk if it’s that much of a problem just cuz I’ve been able to keep a 4.0 so far taking premed prereqs that are much harder than intro chem. So I think that they’ll get the sense that I am strong in the sciences. So it really depends, it’s all context.
If chem is the only thing you have and you’re TAP certified and you’re still able to keep the high GPA I think you’re still a strong candidate. I saw on last years forums where people in your situation who were also TAP certified got in. But I also saw a couple who got waitlisted. It seems random when it comes to our types of situations, it’s pretty inconsistent and it just depends who you get for that day to read your app. You might get some1 that cuts you a break or some1 that rejects you completely for it. But since you still have a whole year left, I would really try to get that chem class done man. Psych is one of the few majors where it says prereq completion by fall is HIGHLY encouraged, in bold print too lol. I wish someone had told me beforehand, or had done the proper research myself, otherwise I would’ve definitely got it done by fall… I naively thought that they didn’t care as long as you finished by spring.
I’ll let you know my results in April tho
To anyone reading this now or in the future, in a similar situation, to provide you with some information I got into UCLA’s psych major with 2 prereqs in progress (philosophy and chem). A lot of people told me I was gonna most likely be auto-rejected, but obviously that was not the case. Just thought I’d let anyone know, cuz there’s not a whole lot of info on this
That being said, if you can do your prereqs, do em asap.
I was kind of in a unique situation cuz I had a medical emergency that kept me out of enrolling for an entire semester (fall 2017). Also I had some med school prereqs done, which probably gave them confidence that I would do fine in the chem prereq.
Dude, that’s sweet! Thank you for this. Although I am not in any situation that deals with medical attention, I hope I can receive the same luck that you had as well. As much as I would love to complete chem this year, I am not sure that I will have the time because I have general ed’s to complete for TAP and I also want to maintain my GPA, rather than compacting my schedule with core classes that are pivotal to our major.
Do you mind sharing your EC’s and how your essays were? I am glad that I can use you as a resource, and I hope you will still be available to answer any questions in the months to come in case I have any.
@8CLAP4SUP Thanks man, I’m wishing the best for you. I’ve talked to multiple UCLA admissions counselors and they said that if you have at least 4 prereqs done by the end of fall, you’re qualified into the “most competitive” category for prereqs. So I think you’re fine without the chem prereq by fall, as long as it is your last class. I only had 3 done so I was in a worse position.
My ECs weren’t good at all. I know on this site, we’re accustomed to seeing people with 20 clubs and curing cancer on the resume, but mine were extremely weak compared them. I only had one true EC, which was my job working as a manager at a pharmacy. I should’ve definitely volunteered more and at least joined a club, but the UCs don’t really care about ECs for transfers. I had a strong GPA which probably made up for it.
And my essays were alright. I did them in a few days because I originally wasn’t even going to apply, until my dad convinced me to the week before the UC app was due. In a way tho, I feel like being in a time crunch helped me. My essays we’re all genuine, from the heart. I tend to be a overthinker, and if I had months to work on my essays, I would’ve been overthinking it and I probably would’ve tried to build up this character in my essays. Instead, I just talked about me. There’s a mandatory section that requires you to talk about your major prep, and I just explained how my interest for the brain and the human body developed. And how I hit a obstacle due to my health issues, but I still managed to overload on my units and put myself in a position to be able to transfer in spite of it. I also talked about my leadership position at my job in another section, and talked about how I produce hip hop music to channel my creativity in another section. Nothing special, and I actually made grammar mistakes when I looked back at em. But these people who read your essays only spend like two mins on them, so you really have a few seconds to get them interested. You just gotta be straight to the point. Talk about your passion for psychology and any leadership positions you had. And there’s also a section that asks about any struggles you went thru. I talked about my medical emergency there
In short, I wouldn’t say I’m the best example, with my lackluster ECs and rushed essays. But hey, I managed to make it work and I feel like my acceptance shows how UCLA doesn’t care too much about the “extra things” as they do with high schoolers. Lmk if you have any more questions.
Dude, you’re really awesome. It is such a sigh of relief to read the things that you have said, you very much so made it easier for myself. I will make sure to keep in touch within these next coming months on this thread, whether it be advice or questions that I need to inquire about, because it is somewhat difficult to find accurate and recent threads that regard transfer psych majors.
To give you an update of where I am at, I will be taking Bio in the summer, and hopefully will attend the UCLA CCCP program in August if I get in. I literally just completed my application for that. Maybe that will also improve my chances.
@8CLAP4SUP Yeah I am thinking about making a thread for psych transfers specifically. It seems that there are a lot of people in the major, just by looking at the transfer thread, but not too many people want to divulge information. Maybe it just me, but that’s the feeling that I’m getting.
I’m not aware of what CCCP is. All I know is that TAP is the program that helps you for sure. Just keep your grades up man and you’ll be good. The average admit gpa for psych is high. There’s really not much else to it. Grades, prereqs, and IGETC and you’re golden
@ericbadmon Hey, Eric. How important is it to complete Philosophy?
@8CLAP4SUP Complete it period or complete it by fall? If we’re talking completing it at all then yes it is very important it’s a prereq but if thats the only prereq you’re leaving for spring then you should be fine
Hi! I know I’m late to this thread but I couldn’t find anything else related to this especially because I am in the exact situation. So I’m a one year transfer and I don’t know how but I completely overlooked the fact that UCLA wants you have all your pre-reqs done by fall. I have one left which is chem which I will be taking in winter quarter. Because I am a one year transfer, including my fall quarter and AP units, I will have 47 units done. So combined with not having Chem done, how are my chances looking? So far through my summer quarter, I have a 3.9 GPA. I also work two part-time jobs. And I am expecting to do really well in my classes this quarter.
@npound Hi, 47 units done by the time 2019 Spring is over? If that’s the case, I am not sure how that will work out for you because Junior’s are to have 60-90 units completed by spring before transfer. Not too fond of 1-year transfer’s.
I noticed you mentioned quarter. Where exactly are you from?
@npound It’ll help if you can get the winter grade in before the transfer academic update deadline, which is 2/1 if I remember correctly. This is basically a second part of the application where you get to submit your fall grades, and winter if possible, along with updating your schedule for the rest of the year if necessary.
The situation is a bit different for you b/c you’re a 1-year transfer. I’ve heard in situations like these they tend to be a bit more strict with 1-year transfers. How many units do you have done at a community college (so not including AP)?
Also, while having all prereqs done by fall is highly encouraged for psych majors, multiple admissions counselors from UCLA informed me that 4/5 by fall is what they look for, not NECESSARILY all five. Again, b/c you’re a 1-year transfer they might be more strict, but i really dont know.
@8CLAP4SUP Hi! Thank you for the reply! To clarify I would have 47 done by this fall by the time I have to apply. I will get the 90 units quarter units done by Spring 2019. I go to De Anza.
@ericbadmon Do you know how certain you are with how strict they are with one year transfers? If anything UCLA is my absolute reach, I would be completely fine with UCI. Do you have a estimate of my chances for UCI? I’ll also only have 37 units done without AP credit.