What are my chances for UCSD transfer?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Basically i plan to apply this Fall for UCSD. My major is Mechanical Engineering.
My GPA right now is 3.34
The biggest obstacle I have right now that may prevent me from transfer is I got 2 C's in Calculus 1 and 2. I know, I'm such a loser. I got C in Calculus 1 is no excuse, I was lazy. The second C in Calculus 2 is somewhat an excuse since I taking it right now in Summer with my English 100. I basically don't have time for study for Calc while doing essays for English.</p>

<p>I try to apply for TAG program.</p>

<p>What do you guys think?
Honest and sincere answers only please!</p>

<p>How about UCSB?</p>

<p>For UCI, I don't even want to think about it. I live in Anaheim which is 30 minutes drive to UCI from where I live. So I don't want to drive myself like that everyday for 2 years. I rather move somewhere like UCSD or UCSB and live right in the campus.</p>

<p>I am still in my first year! This Fall would be my second year.</p>

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<p>Even if you do maintain the required GPA and get through your classes, I’d be a bit concerned about your ability to keep up once you transfer.</p>

<p>“I basically don’t have time for study for Calc while doing essays for English.”
I’m not sure about other community colleges, but the shortest English classes here are 6 weeks. I just took Intro to Sociology (SOC 300, if it means anything) and English Writing and Critical Thinking (ENGWR 302, if it means anything) and I never had to spend more than 2-3 hours the night before typing up essays. I had loads of free time and I regretted not taking Calc 3 as well, which was an 8 week class. Without personal experience, I’d guess that the workload of mechanical engineering at UCSD would be much greater than Calc 2 and English taken in the summer.</p>

<p>You know yourself better than any of us here, but I suggest you have a contingency plan. I’m not sure how many units per normal semester you’ve been taken, but take at least 15+ units and do well. I can’t pull up mechanical engineering for UCSD via assist.org (if it’s there, I blame insomnia) so I can’t talk specifics, but you’d probably be working on calc 3, calc-based physics, and perhaps some specific engineering requirements or simply general education classes. Based on my CC, calc 3 = 5 units, calc-based physics = 4 units (the first is 5, you probably should be on the 2nd or 3rd), and you can put in 2 3-unit classes. Again, I don’t know very many specifics, but you can get the general idea. Push yourself and see how it goes. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t be content with transferring and doing badly at the university.</p>

<p>Doing well with that plan would boost your confidence. If you don’t do well, consider other majors or staying another year. Some majors have only 4 required lower division classes. This specific advice depends on how driven you are to get the mechanical engineering degree, how enthusiastic you are about it, and other factors.</p>

<p>I’m a biochemistry and molecular biology + philosophy prospect, so you can attribute ethos accordingly. I thought I’d mention that I did calc 1 and 2 (the full 5-unit ones) and will be doing the calc-based physics.</p>

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<p>Anymore inputs on how can I improve?</p>

<p>I have one question. How many semester grades do they consider? If they going to consider the grade that I gonna get this Fall, I probably have chance since I gonna try and raise the GPA up.</p>

4

<p>As far as I know, you’ll be able to TAG with a GPA of 3.0 or above. According to [Transfer</a> Admission Guarantee: Fall 2011](<a href=“http://www.ucsd.edu/prospective-students/transfers/prep-programs/tag.html]Transfer”>http://www.ucsd.edu/prospective-students/transfers/prep-programs/tag.html), your major choice isn’t guaranteed. I’ve heard of specific colleges in TAG-able UCs having slightly higher required GPAs, but I don’t have the info to pull up right now. You’ll be reporting all of your grades, but the grades up to the fall before you transfer will probably matter the most. I think if you maintain your GPA and hopefully improve it over time, you have a solid chance of getting in your major of choice (admission alone is beside the point unless you have a backup in mind). “For impacted majors, a competitive UCSD transferable cumulative GPA of 3.20 and 3.40 in the major-preparation courses is recommended. Since acceptance is restricted to these majors, transfer students are encouraged to apply to more than one major degree program,” states [UCSD</a> Jacobs School of Engineering](<a href=“http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/undergrad/undergrad_adm/adm_tran/faqs.shtml]UCSD”>http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/undergrad/undergrad_adm/adm_tran/faqs.shtml).</p>

<p>My advice concerned how you’d do once you transferred rather than doing the transfer itself. I think it’s possible to get the required GPA for the TAG, transfer, and not be ready. By taking a challenging load, confidence and ability would both be improved. I don’t doubt your ability to go through the required coursework, however, the time in community college is only half* of the degree, and, arguably, the easy part.</p>

<p>If you’re planning on working, perhaps you may want to reconsider. A big load of science/math/etc. classes may not necessarily be that hard, but the schedules created by the professors tend to be absolute crap (particularly for lab classes), which may interfere with the schedule an employer would want you to work. Perhaps you can see how Fall goes and adjust Spring accordingly. Regardless, this advice is relevant only if you plan on or want to work.</p>

<p>Hopefully that’s the advice you spoke of. I can expand on specifics if you want.</p>

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<p>Yes, how you do after you transfer is what matters most. Transferring is the easy part. I personally know two people who transferred to UCSD with TAG and they both dropped out because the quarter system was too intensive.</p>

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<p>haha. Right now, my mindset is all about transferring. I feel like my life is in jeopardy. All I care right now is transferring. I would worry about after transfer after I get the letter of acceptance from UCSD. Everytime I think about transferring, my heart skips a beat. So much stress. I actually vowed that if I can’t get in UCSD or UCSB, I would join army.</p>

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<p>If all you care about if admission then this is what you do. Finish your IGETC by Spring prior to transfer with a GPA of above 3.0 and check off the little box on the UC app that says “TAG”. All you need is a 3.0 and IGETC for UCSD. They do not care about your prereqs. I know a classmate who got into the UCSD chem engineering program and he only finished calc 2 and chem 1b. Of course he’ll be totally screwed when he transfers but at least he is…</p>

<p>And I have never heard of anyone transferring and dropping out because the quarter system is too intense. I’ve heard of people changing majors but that’s it… You’ll be fine dude, just focus on your studies and finish your IGETC and you’re in. If hundreds of thousands of other people can do well after they transfer, so can you… </p>

<p>PS. Statistically transfer students do just as well as UC students right out of high school…</p>

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<p>@ lmendoza.012 By Spring you mean I should finish it in Spring and apply IGETC in June. Because I have 3 classes more for IGETC. I gonna take 1 this Fall and 2 in the Spring.
I know I probably gonna behind a few classes for prereqs, but I’ll try hard to catch up once I transferred.
I feel a little nervous now that you talked about your friends who is behind his schedule. I hope I not screwed.</p>

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<p>Here’s 2 scenarios for you: </p>

<ol>
<li><p>You finish IGETC and TAG in. BEST METHOD. Totally! Plus since IGETC classes are generally easier than physics and math are, your GPA should go up. :smiley: Bad side: Your GPA will get a nice hit in the UC because you get to take the hefty physics/math then ;)</p></li>
<li><p>You take your prereqs and duke it out. I got rejected from Computer Engineering with a 3.19 and they told me they would’ve taken me with a 3.23. Chances are the minimum for engineering will go up, but 3.3 is safe I imagine. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Still, finish IGETC if you can, TAGs are awesome!</p>

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<p>Guess what. My GPA 3.34 which is before I took English and Calc 2 this summer. Now I got my final grade which is A for english and C for Calc 2. It brought my GPA down to 3.26. More depressing now.</p>

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<p>Dude, I think you can TAG in. Do it if you want to get into UCSD.</p>

<p>You shouldn’t worry about it man, none of the other UCs really require IGETC for a TAG and I don’t really think UCSD is all that anyway. The admin peeps seem like a bunch of pricks. >></p>

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<p>My Friend:
What school do you go to first? Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College or… somewhere else? I ask because it betters. For I have experienced and known of how different institutions teacher’s difficulty vary by a lot. I think you should consider the words from Wrechfires @ Floor 2. Very well said I must say, and wise words, which did raise my next question of first how old is him and what school he goes to. </p>

<p>Nevertheless, I do want to give you some comforting news as to your Calculus C grade.

  1. You have to admit it will hurt because of your intend major, although I know little but by the word engineer it will sure relate to MATH!
    But remember, in part 3 of your UC application, you can give sufficient explanation of the reason. This I cannot help you my friend. </p>

<p>Listen to my story, I started at CC in horrible shape, week foundation and an ignorant mind, etc. Of intellgence, I am sure you are smarter than me because that always apply. I always have to study more as to achieve the same result. Sometimes I went mad at myself, but nature it is. Continue on, English, like your math, is very important for my major.</p>

<p>The first semester I started in ESL, got an C, same as yours, the second, I changed to Credit and NoCredit base, so a CR or pass, which still not look not as good, heard from my teacher. So imagine yourself starting from College Algebra, and with a C and geometry CR, because you don’t want to mess up any longer. Worse than an C in Calculus I would imagine. </p>

<p>With such knowledge I worked hard as of my other English classes. And like yours, Calculus 2 and English 1A I had in one semester along with a class of Business department, tired I was, yet I managed for As. The next year English 1B, I received another satisfactory grade. And the next semester, beyond the requirement I am taking English 1C. All in all, I want to improve of what I am capable. And as we human and CC student, we can improve and do better. </p>

<p>I said that as to tell you, look at your future and be confident and prove to them of what you can do and what lies deep in you that you have to dig to. Manage study group and go for 1C, Linear Algebra… I failed in the past, but look now. I don’t know if you guys have MathPass program, like one semester with 10 unit, composed of 2 math classes. I know a lot of people as of Engineering and Mathematics do that. But they are truly the greatest. One got actually into CIT, not a long of EC, no job, but a heart that purely LOVES math. </p>

<p>So take time now, since classes are over and ask and really examine yourself, “okay! where went wrong. My time management? My lack of patience? Rigorousness?” Learn it, and you will see change my friend. </p>

<p>Hope that help. </p>

<p>But what school do you go to? still.</p>

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<p>I currently attend Cypress College. I am not sure why it is important for what school i am attending now because UC pretty much considered all the CC the same.</p>

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<p>Not necessarily, because Santa Monica, El Camino, etc would be feeder schools to UCLA, while Saddleback, Irvine, etc would be a feeder school to UCI, etc.</p>

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<p>I think if you have 3.0+ then you are fine with UCSD. However, Mechanical Engineer is a bit crowded at UCSD. I was there at the Transfer Day, and here is something funny. When they tell all Mechanical Engineer major to stand up, more than half of the people in auditorium stood up Haha. Major with least people in Jacobs school is Structural Engineer :D</p>

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<p>Ahaha… I’m a structural engineer major at UCSD (I might change though hahaha)… Yeah but what I was referring to ktran is this: In the fall and spring take classes that both satisfy your prereqs and IGETC. If you finish IGETC before Summer 2011 you have completed IGETC and have successfully TAG’d into UCSD. That’s all… If you’re GPA is above a 3.0 and you finish you IGETC (which is very doable) you’re in. </p>

<p>However, I completely forgot that UCSD mech engineering is impacted effective this year so I have no idea how that’ll work itself out…</p>

<p>PS. I got into UCSD’s school of engineering with a lower GPA then you (I did finish all my prereqs and IGETC though… Tag’d in baby…)</p>

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<p>I hope so too lmendoza.012. I definitely going to behind my prereqs. I will behind 2 classes.
For Physics I suppose to finish 3 classes of the series. I going to start the first one this Fall which I cannot make it for the 3rd one.
For Chemistry, I only have to take 2 classes of the series, but I can only take the first one in the Spring next year.</p>

<p>I will be done with all my Calc classes.
So yeah, before I make this thread I pretty bumped out for transfer but now I think I am more stress out that I not going to finish all prereqs before transfer.</p>

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<p>Its not the worse thing to leave one or two prereqs behind. You can make em up at your UC. For example, chemistry is not a prereq to any upper division mech engineering class so that in no way will slow you down, just take the class whenever you have some space in your schedule. As far a physics goes, all you need is the first physics class which unlocks the roads to statics and dynamics which will then get you into more upper division classes. </p>

<p>I don’t think you need E&M or optics/waves/relativity before you can begin your upper division classes. Check out UCSD’s mech engineering undergraduate program and class list and details. It’ll tell you what are the prereqs and what you can afford to push off for a while…</p>

<p>Btw, most transfer engineering majors will need to do summer school anyways for the next two years after transferring if they want to graduate on time (4 year plan).</p>

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<p>Guess what, I think I get more stress now that I just found out that my eligibility chance has decrease more because of many factors I have not noticed before.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.26
Major: Mechanical Engineering
UC’s to apply: UCSD, UCSB
Got 2 C’s in Calc 1 & 2. </p>

<p>For TAG, you have to have english, calc classes done which I am but they also required me to have at least 30 transferable units above GPA of 3.0 before apply which I know that I am short of 30 units since I have a few nontransferable classes. If I take out non-transferable classes out, my GPA will below 3.0.</p>

<p>My major which is Mechanical Engineering is an IMPACTED major at UCSD which TAG only guaranteed a spot at UCSD but not for IMPACTED major.</p>

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<p>stay another year to raise your gpa/internship with something relating to your major</p>