Hello, everyone!
My name is Michael and I graduated from high school in 2012.
Upon graduating, I attended CSULB for 2 semesters (Fall and Spring), where I made poor grades.
By the end of my second semester, I had obtained a Cumulative GPA of 2.43.
I was unhappy with this, and despite clearing academic probation, I decided to leave CSULB to attend Fullerton College, where I planned to turn my academics around.
I’m now nearing my time to transfer (Fall 2016) and am very grateful to say that I now have a 3.73 GPA.
My first few semesters (including summer) I received straight Bs and now I’ve been able to maintain straight As for the past 4 semesters (including summer).
There are no excuses for the mistakes I’ve made at CSULB.
I simply slacked off, and I quickly learned that I never wanted to feel that way again.
I now take my academics very seriously and enjoy them much more now that I’ve decided to do what I felt was right.
So my current situation is deciding which UCs to apply to/attend.
I would like to major in either Computer Science or Environmental Science, with my UC Transfer GPA being 3.34 (including CSULB grades).
I’m highly considering the UC System, especially since I am eligible for free tuition via the Blue and Gold Opportunity Program.
I have several questions that I’d like hear to your thoughts on.
The first question is: Do you think my mistakes at CSULB and my improvements since then will positively or negatively impact my chances in getting into the UC System (namely, UCI,UCD,UCSC, UCLA, UCSD)?
My second question is: Of the schools and majors listed above, which ones do you think I have a chance of getting in?
Lastly: What advice would you give to me at this point in my schooling?
If anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! Thank you for your time, it truly means a lot.
The fact that you have gotten your act together at Fullerton College will be a positive I should think.
You have a chance at all of them but if I had to guess, UCI is your highest probability followed by UCSC.
Sounds like you have it together now. Just keep with the same attitude and you will do well.
Hey, xraymancs!
I appreciate the response! I’m glad to hear that you think my improvements will probably help me more than hurt me.
I was just concerned that the improvement might be outweighed by my previous standing, but hopefully they’ll see where I’m at, rather than where I was.
I’m glad you think I have a good shot at UCI. From my research, it looks like a great school.
I also like the fact that despite being so young, it’s accomplished a lot and is slowly climbing the UC ranks.
Coincidentally, the two UCs that have the highest priority in my book are also the two closest UCs to my home: UCI and UCLA.
I know my chances of getting into UCLA aren’t as good as those at UCI, but I think I should give it a shot.
I don’t think it would hurt to take that chance, and even if I don’t get accepted, I can always apply again for graduate school.
Does anyone have a similar story to mine that would care to share or offer advice?
Thanks, @Happy2Help !
I’ll see if I can move this thread manually or have a moderator help me out.
I’m in the same situation more or less, except my gpa is even worse. I have a 2.15 at the beginning of my sophomore year and I need to transfer to a cc to fix my grades since I’m wasting a ton of money at this school. Unfortunately I’ve calculated that the best cumulative gpa I could receive would be a 3.4. I would need financial aid at any school I attended and I’m worried that I won’t be offered anything with these grades.
@spikespiegel98 just apply at a CC and work your way through the classes. They are smaller at a CC and you would be surprised at your ability to get better grades!
@MHousos My situation is even more similar to yours than I thought. After checking my cumulative gap today I found out I have a 2.42 not a 2.15. Did you transfer your credits from your first school to the CC, if so how were you able to stay there for 2 years and raise your cumulative gpa to a 3.4? I have about 30 credits from my school. And I figured if I transferred them I would only be able to finish about a year at CC only raising my gpa to about a 3.00, which wouldn’t make me a very competitive applicant for transfer to a new 4 year university.