<p>This past year I started going back to school, the last time I was enrolled was in 2010. I am currently 24 years old…
I had to drop out due to my mom getting Ill(cancer), not being able to work, and getting terminated after she recovered. I had to work more hours at my job to be able to pay the bills/rent - luckily, I hold a higher level position now. I’m currently a district manager for a retail company. The reason I’m going back to school is not in attempt to make more money, rather it’s to get the education I’ve always wanted to.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, during the time my mom was sick I still did attempt to go to school which resulted in 3 w’s and 2 f’s. (The f’s are now academic renewals.)</p>
<p>My question is, what are my chances of me getting into ucla or Berkeley as an Econ major? I know it’s a very hard major to get accepted into those schools for - is there any extra curricular I should do? I work 45-60 hours a week, so I can’t dedicate too much time to volunteering, interning, etc… I’ve maintained straight A’s since I’ve been back in school, resulting in 9 A’s and 3 B’s(b’s are from 2009 fall) so far on my transcript. Are there any success stories when someone went back to school around my age and getting accepted to one of these schools? As an Econ major?</p>
<p>Any help or advice is greatly appreciated - thanks in advance.</p>
<p>First of all you’re still very young, and are not considered old by academic standards, or any other standards :-)</p>
<p>I’m not an Econ major, so I can’t speak to your specific major. But I’m quite a bit older than you, and went back to school in 2012, while working FT. I had to drag a B, C, & F from a former lifetime, and I didn’t even have a good reason for poor grades. When I started, I did everything I could to get all A’s. With the exception of 1 B, I did it. </p>
<p>I’m starting at UCLA this fall My GPA is on the lower side (3.63), but I think they took into account that my poor grades were old, and I was a different student now. It sounds like you are on a similar path. Schools understand that you have to work, so your ECs may be lacking. But if your job relates to your major, talk about that. It will show commitment to your field of study.</p>
<p>Use your personal statement to really show them who you are as a person and as a student. There’s a place on the app to add addition info. I recommend you use that space to explicitly layout your grade trends, and point out that your Bs are from 5+ years ago.</p>
<p>If you work, you won’t be expected to participate in the ECs at your school too much. W’s aren’t too important and the fact that you’ve gotten academic renewal for your F grades will help quite a bit.</p>
<p>Many people have gotten into these schools as older, nontraditional students. You can do it too with determination and hard work.</p>
<p>If you can maintain your high grades, I think you’ll be competitive for UCLA and/or Berkeley’s econ programs. Good luck! </p>
<p>Yes, I agree with @2016Candles. Your full-time job is plenty. Don’t worry about ECs. Don’t worry about the Ws. As long as you keep up your GPA, I see you on a strong course. The fact that you’ve worked hard, advanced in your job, taken on the financial obligations (and probably some caregiving) of your mom - and then decided to go back to school, they will see that as a person who has a drive to succeed. Berkeley, especially will like this, although UCLA will too. Just make sure all pre-reqs are done. If one or so pre-reqs are not articulated at your CC or any CC really nearby (meaning there is no comparable class), don’t worry about it, they will let it slide. I do not believe Econ is impacted, but I’m not really the person to ask on that.</p>
<p>@2016candles thanks so much for your input! And congratulations on your acceptance to ucla. What are you majoring in if you don’t mind me asking?</p>
<p>Econ is heavily impacted at UCLA and is “capped” at Berkeley, so completion of pre-reqs wherever possible(As you said before, if one’s CC doesn’t offer some of the necessary courses for the major, it won’t be held against the applicant) and high GPA are especially important.</p>
<p>@cayton is being uncharacteristically modest, but he’s starting UCLA in the fall as well. He is definitely a wealth of info on the transfer process. </p>
<p>@Yifsef, feel free to PM me if you have any more questions on trying to transfer to UCLA/Berkeley and I’ll do my best to answer them. I’d be happy to help.</p>
<p>Economics is a capped major at UC Berkeley. I recommend you keep your GPA high while continuing to work on the side. I don’t think you’ll be at a disadvantage for not having any extracurriculars (and they don’t have to be school-related). There are two different sections for including extracurriculars; the first is non-paid work, volunteering, or other activities. And then there’s the section for paid-work experience. </p>
<p>It may not be a huge deal to not include EC’s, but Cal is unpredictable that even applicants with 4.0 GPAs were denied this year. </p>
<p>Take advantage of your personal statement. It’s really an important factor than most people think it is. </p>
<p>Alternatively, you can also consider other majors closely related to economics, such as the math/econ joint major at UCLA. I recommend applying for econ at UCLA/Cal, and if you don’t get in, apply again the following year, but take more math courses in the mean time so you can apply as math/econ the second time around. Average admitted GPA for math/econ is 3.7 or something, and most people get in – it’s a 50% admit rate. It will also look good at Berkeley, because it indicates you are quantitatively inclined.</p>
<p>You have a good chance at either because you have a good story and are a non traditional student. UCLA is more rigid with grades, while Berkeley seems to accept a lot of non traditional/older students. But your GPA is still going to need to be good regardless. </p>
<p>Average for UCLA Econ is I think 3.92 or 3.93, and Berkeley doesn’t have an exact admitted GPA for Econ, but I’d say it is around 3.7-3.8. As the poster stated above, take as much math as possible. </p>
<p>If you are at a CA CC then the UC system periodically sends counselors to your college. Find out when they will next visit and make an appointment to talk with them. You have some unique factors here, and the real counselor is going to be able to give more accurate advice and info to you.</p>
My GPA is on the lower side (3.63), but I think they took into account that my poor grades were old, and I was a different student now. It sounds like you are on a similar path. Schools understand that you have to work, so your ECs may be lacking. But if your job relates to your major, talk about that. It will show commitment to your field of study.</p>
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