Chance Me with low GPA and 11 Ws +5Fs (CC transfer student) [VA resident, 3.1 college GPA, CS major]

Transfer Students
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81

Thank you! You are so knowledgeable. Are you also a student?

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No a parent.

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You are like a SME! Do you think I have a chance at the T15 to T25? Or do I need to go outside of T25 range?

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I think you have a low chance at any top school but you also have 0% chance if you do not apply so go through with your plans and see what happens.

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Ah okay. Realistically, what is the safe range for me?

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@adhd_suck I do not see how you will be competitive for UCB or the majority of UC’s for CS with your record.

I agree with @Gumbymom. I think you’re reaching and seeking prestige and I think it’ll burn you.

You already have a sure thing where you’ve been admitted. What happens if you don’t get into an ivy? That happens more often than not. Are you going to keep applying to these places?

My concern not only with the transcript, is that most of the UC’s are on the quarter system. Although Berkeley is on a semester system, most of the students who attend there, are used to working as though they are on the quarter system.

It is Uber competitive and stressful experience As per my friends kids and neighbors, who currently attend.

Again, CS and engineering is impacted. You can’t transfer into it after you’ve arrived because the computer will kick you out of the system if you attempt to take any classes that have been reserved for the students in the major.

I personally think that you need to seek a mental health professional for services with your angst about having to go to an Ivy League school in not measuring up to a weird standard you’ve set for yourself. It doesn’t make any sense.

I make a pretty good flan. Culturally, I’ve grown up with it, but spending hours to “perfect” the perfect flan Indicates that you really have some issues with focus. I’d hate to see you, 10 years from now, still attempting to get into an Ivy League school because your focus is set on Ivy League or nothing. You don’t seem to care about the end result, which is having a satisfying education and career.

I have several friends with Harvard degrees. One of them told me the hardest thing about Harvard, was getting in. They said that they enjoy taking public state university courses because they learn just as much.

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87

I agree with several of the other posters here, that you should transfer to one of the Virginia universities, finish your degree and get on with your life.

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My experience with an Ivy League school was actually through Harvard’s CS50, taught by Prof. David. It was life-changing. On the other hand, my experiences with state schools involved professors from GMU who would often come to my community college to teach. Not all of them were bad, but my overall experience wasn’t great. Most of them had ratings on RateMyProfessors around 1 to 3. They tended to read directly from PowerPoint slides or word by word from Zybook. It was quite different compared to the introductory class I was taking online from Harvard.

I admire the Japanese culture of striving for perfection. When I was making flan, I realized that even a small insight could significantly improve the result. However, gaining those valuable insights can be challenging. While I believe that education at most state schools can provide a good foundation, I’m committed to pursuing perfection, and I feel that small gaps in knowledge might widen significantly at the highest level. Even a minor gap or hole in my foundation could potentially have a substantial impact later on.

I can also be considered an expert in a video game called League of Legends. I was hard-stuck in the top million of players in a competitve rank environment for 8 years, but I figured out a system to improve, and after a year, I was in the top 1000, competing against professional gamers who earn millions every year. So, I’ve almost reached the peak in that “field”, and at that level, closing the skill gap can be extremely challenging unless you have a strong foundation. If your foundation is weak, you’ll likely hit a wall at some point. I feel like this could be the same for academics. The geniuses at the top or researchers who are leading their fields definitely have the best foundation, or else they wouldn’t be able to pursue the most cutting-edge research.

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I will always have that doubt in my heart that I could do more if I had gone to the top university. I would come to regret and likely wouldn’t move on from that for the rest of my life. I would always think that my future could have been different, and I could have missed out on some life-changing insights.

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So as others have said, apply and see what happens . But best to have a plan B. Colleges accept those they think will graduate, do well and give back to the college. So they look for evidence that that student will likely succeed . You have many hurdles to jump to overcome the past blemishes

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You were cooking a Spanish custard dessert?

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I have basically cooked everything, from Japanese purin to Spanish thick flans. I don’t remember how many articles and YouTube videos I have watched in Spanish. It took me a long time to gain even a little insight. That’s why I highly value insights that I can learn from others because it will save me time. Some insights are lifelong learning experiences that someone has to go through.

They cannot be counted in days, weeks, or months. These insights are so valuable that money cannot buy them. By studying under professors who are conducting research at the peak of their fields, I will have many opportunities to grow, and perhaps even be fortunate enough to gain something valuable. I know it’s challenging, especially in top schools where professors teach classes with thousands of students, making it difficult to interact with them unless you’re involved in their research. Nevertheless, having a chance is still a significant opportunity for me.

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So that wasn’t a typo “flan” vs “plan”?

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It wasn’t. Here are two videos of my flan. I believe I still have a lot of room to learn. However, I think I’m heading in the right direction. Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Edit: I also added music :slight_smile:

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I wish you luck in getting accepted to an Ivy, but most applicants don’t, and as a pastry chef I am sure you can appreciate that is the way the cookie crumbles.

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I know it is not related. Have you ever made flan? I have never had a pastry chef give me feedback on my flans. I’m very curious now. Do you perhaps have any insights or suggestions for improvements?

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I am not a chef but I am a parent. I think you would benefit from talking to a mental health professional who might help you narrow down your interests and thoughts. You are obviously very smart but your “stream of consciousness” way of communicating concerns me given your ambitions.

I won’t comment further because I am not an expert but once again wish you luck and good health.

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What makes you say that? I’m very curious, as I thought this behavior is normal. Is it wrong to pursue perfection?

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If your goal is to be a subject matter expert, wouldn’t it make the best sense to finish your undergrad as quickly as possible (at one of the Virginia state schools) so that you can move on to a masters/PhD program at an Ivy/MIT/Stanford?

Very rarely is someone an expert after undergrad, so you need to get to grad school to achieve these stated goals. Continuing to delay and complicate finishing undergrad is not beneficial.

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I agree that speaking with a mental health professional is in your best interest. Perfectionism is not healthy.

Top 20 schools are not a match.

You seem like an accomplished person. My advice is to speak with a counselor, finish your degree at a Virginia university, and move on with your life. You can apply to an Ivy for graduate school.

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