I am seriously freaking out. So I was admitted and accepted to UC Berkeley for the Fall 2017 as an intercampus transfer. I SIRed and started all the work to become a Cal bear. I wanted to double check my grades since it had been over a year since I attended a community college and what I found sent me into a panic attack.
So during the 2016 summer I took one stats class (a pre-req for UCLA) and got a B+ as stated by my professor after my final report. I even walked up to his computer desk and saw the generally accepted 87.85% as a B plus. Such that, I listed it as a B+ on my UC application when I applied.
To my horror, I find that the community college I went to does not grade on a +/- scale, and my unofficial transcript is listed a B. I found an old email with the exact percentage point which he had listed as: 87.85 (B). It was out of 100 points.
I am so scared for my future and I don’t know what to do. Should I contact UC Berkeley admissions? Should I still send the transcripts and explain the situation? Does UC Berkeley treat an B or B+ equally? Has anyone else been in this situation?
I know I should have triple checked these grades, but for some reason I saw a B+ on my unofficial transcript. In fact I am SURE it was a B+ when I checked prior, which leads me to believe that the change could be a recent error though highly unlikely. In fact, it is a duplicate statistics course from a class I took way back during my senior year in high school.
@DadTwoGirls Thank you very much for your response. Should I say that it was a typo on my part or explain my confusion about the grade itself? I don’t want to give them a reason to rescind me.
@Ohm888 Thank you for the response, what do you think of this for the email correspondence?:
“I am writing in regards to minor discrepancies that were found on the UC application and I wanted to report them in advance as per the terms and conditions outlined by the SIR. The typo pertains to a “B+” grade from my summer Math 10 course at Norco College for the 2016 year. I was unaware that college itself does not grade on a “+/-“ scale and will not display the “+” on the official transcript. I received an 87.85 percent in the class. The course is not a prerequisite for any of my major prep or GE requirements and is a repeat course from a STATS 10 course I took in the summer of 2014 prior.”
This is only part of the email but should I still include the screenshot of the email or does this explination suffice? The professor in his email had stated this: “Final Grade: 87.85(B)” and I’m afraid that if they see that they will think that I had prior knowledge of the B grade and put a B plus on purpose.
You need to notify them, but there is a zero probability that they will actually care. You have evidence that the grade was in the range that you reported; therefore, it is technically inaccurate, but not deceptive. Congrats on your acceptance!
Since you took the class last summer in 2016, didn’t they already see your transcripts with that grade when you applied (in November?) before they accepted you?
Regardless, I think it’s a non-issue. They do rescind acceptances, but when they do, it’s for Ds, Fs, a serious drop in GPA, or withdrawing from classes that a student was required to complete as part of their conditional acceptance, not for minor mistakes that will barely impact your GPA. I don’t think they normally release numbers on this, but I saw an article that mentioned UCLA rescinded 75 to maybe 100 a year. Out of the thousands that were accepted, that’s a very small number. I can’t imagine the numbers would be much different at UCB.
Report it if they haven’t already seen it, but try to relax. You’ll be fine.
I’ve emailed my admissions officer about this, but I don’t think it’s looking good for me. I found two other similar mistakes on the application in the same section and reported them as well. It’s in God’s hands now. I can’t believe I was so careless.
When saying “to my horror” when you realized a B+ was calculated as a B by your CC, don’t you think you’re overreacting just a bit? Do you really think they’d rescind you for that?
I’ve said this before to others, but these universities go through a long, involved, and time consuming process before they decide who to offer admission to for the incoming class. They are not looking for small discrepancies or technicalities to yank your admission and go to the wait-list. If anything, they’ll bend the other way whenever it’s reasonable to do so.
I’m guessing these other discrepancies you’ve found are equally minor, but I’ll bite. How different were they, and again, were any of these on the original transcripts you sent that they already saw before accepting you? When you report grades, they don’t just take your word for it. They look at them and calculate your UC GPA before offering admission, so I don’t think you need to worry about any they’ve already seen.
Unless there’s some substantial difference in what you reported for classes and grades since then and what your final transcripts will show, I think you are getting yourself worked up over nothing. Seriously. Please don’t have a heart attack.
@1Dreamer Thank you for your responses. These are two additional errors I found: B to B- in a History 18 Course (CCC transferable). This was because I reported the same grades from my first freshman application that didnt allow for plus or minuses. Incorrect labeling on a Math course. It goes from a transferable course to a non transferable course as a result but the grade is the same. None of these course pertain to my major or pre reqs at all, they were taken during high school and I noted this in the email sent. I’m a poli sci major. My UC Merced grades, which is my current instituion, is all in order and no errors were made. I’ve calculated a .03 GPA difference as a result of these mistakes.
Oh no, a .03 GPA difference is huge! Sorry, you actually remind me a little of me when I was your age. I kept waiting for my college to send me something saying it was all a big mistake and looking for reasons they would. As long as you didn’t need the non-transferable class to transfer, (which it doesn’t sound like you did) you’ll be fine.
Congrats on getting into Berkeley from Merced! Those inter-campus transfers aren’t easy to get. Now go buy some Cal gear and try to enjoy your weekend.
@johnfuentesa I think that it is good that you have brought these very minor roundoff errors to the attention of the admissions staff at UC Berkeley. I would be very surprised if the people at UC Berkeley are putting much thought into this other than “this student is concientious and we will make no change to his status and we will welcome him in September”.
I think that you will find UC Berkeley to be academically very challenging. I expect that you will do well there, that you will learn an enormous amount, and that you will find it to be an excellent university.
@1Dreamer when it comes to Berkeley, I have seen ppl rescinded over what appeared to be minor issues, especially if the major is highly selective. While I assume things will be fine, OP does have two grade issues and frankly, even with just one, if it were me, I would also be saying “to my horror.”
@1Dreamer@DadTwoGirls@Ohm888 Thank you all very much for your words. I feel tons better now having chatted with you all on this matter. I know it’s serious and I could be rescinded but I have hope and faith that Berkeley will see me through. I will keep you all updated on this. God bless.
Hello everyone, Updating everyone on the status. So although the email correspondence with my advisor was a little vauge, I was able to get confirmation that my transcripts have been reviewed and finalzied for the upcoming semester! So they have already reviewed my file and noted the errors as such. So as of right now I am in the clear to attend Cal in the Fall! Thank you all so much for you help and as always I will leave this thread open for any others like @stressedtoimpress who may want to know!
Do you really think they’d rescind you for that?