Do I tell my advisor up front?

Transfer Students
1

I am 25 years old. When I was 18, I attended a very small, very crappy Christian college. At the start of my sophomore year, there was a major falling out with my church and the college and all of that. Anyway, I dropped mid-semester and my gpa dropped from nearly perfect to down below 3.0.

Now, years later, I’m independent and out of the situation, and I intend to get my J.D. In order to get to law school, I have to finish my undergrad. I want to get my degree from USC or one of the UC’s, but I’m taking a year of classes at Arizona State online for a year to get my GPA back to where it should be. (If you have a large gap in your education, schools look mainly at your most recent coursework.)

ANYWAY, my issue is this: When I am talking to my advisor for Arizona State, should I disclose that I plan to transfer so that they can help me plan accordingly? Or is that going to be an issue with them? Would I be better off not telling them?

Thank you for your responses in advance!!

2

When you transfer to a public California university whether it be a CSU or UC, you MUST disclose your complete education history.

I was in a similar situation. I studied graphic design at one college and had a 3.6 gpa there. When I transferred schools to pursue a different major my grades slumped a bit because I had to take boring GE classes but eventually picked back up when I started taking my major prep classes.

So yeah, DO report your older school work! It generally works in your favor with transfer credits and possibly overall GPA. Ultimately, they want to see your grade records so see your grade trend to determine if you are a drop-out risk. With a gap in education, make sure you write about it in your personal statements.

3

Yes, you can tell your ASU advisor of your plans. Are you a California resident? There are specific courses you need to take for transferring if you know what your major will be.

4

Lol. @jessebobessy I think you misunderstood my question. Obviously I would report my entire academic history.

@CheddarcheeseMN Yes, I am a CA resident, I just felt weird telling ASU “Actually, you’re just a step to get me to where I REALLY want to be.” But you recommend letting them know so they can help me plan?