Hello, I’m a Californian community college student that is planning to transfer this coming fall. My gpa is a 3.9 with IGETC finished, and now working on major transfer courses. As well I’ll have at least five honors classes finished. I’ll be transferring as an anthropology major, either into a BS or BA. My top universities are Berkeley, UCLA, and Davis. But I have an issue. After high school I went on a gap year program that gave credit with a less than great college it was partnered with. The courses were not very academically rigorous and I have doubts that they are transferable to the top UC’s, though the college is accredited. Regardless I understand that the transcript of my time at that college must be sent in with my community college transcripts. Unfortunately that year I was just learning how to overcome long lasting and severe depression that had accompanied me since I was a young teenager. Because of that I did not put the programs academics as a priority, resulting in less than stellar grades. My question is this, how will that gap year hurt my application to those top UC’s? Will the UC’s equate that college’s GPA with my CC GPA? I don’t understand how UC’s regard courses that may not transferable in terms of admittance. Any knowledge on how I should proceed would be deeply appreciated! The school partnered with the program was in Colorado so I do not think academic renewal will apply.
You mean you intend to transfer next fall, right?
No it shouldn’t… I went to a Uni for a year and did nothing - didn’t try at all and I failed my classes - and I have a lower cc GPA than you… but I managed to get accepted at 6 UCs and waitlisted at UCI (was not accepted off the waitlist). I did not apply to UCLA or UCB.
However, that experience at that Uni was 9 years ago. I can see them being more forgiving of an experience so far in the past. I did have a sob story in my challenges essay but it was not inaccurate or exaggerated.
To be safe, apply to some safeties as well (UCSB and UCSC). And definitely do TAG
It’s very probable they don’t transfer. Sometimes these sorts of so-called college credit courses only give you points in high school. You should reach out to that partner college and ask. What’s the name of the college and what are the course names and units?
The name of the college is Naropa, and I don’t have access to all the exact course names or units but I can give you a couple. For example for the first semester there were three courses that were named something like “cultural immersion in India” etc, with each of the courses being worth 5 credits. The second semester was 4 courses, the two I can remember were called “be the change” of which is roughly 6 or 7 credits. And another that was called equity seminar which is about 3 or 4. There were two more for the last semester that are basically of the same gist. These courses added up to 15 credits. So 30 credits in all. And yea this program covered the last year of high school as well.
Would the UC’s really focus on that year of “courses” over the courses I have taken at cc? Specifically UCLA or Berkeley? Would those grades damage my application regardless of there transferability?