Hello, so this is my first post here. I would like to get some feedback hopefully on my prospects for transferring to another university given my current situation.
So I entered college in 2013 and had three semesters of frankly horrible performance (2.00 or lower GPA) contrasting with an alright high school performance (solid 3.5 for all of high school, high SAT and ACT scores, honors, etc). I was not ready for the workload of college and really had no work ethic at all, and there was a family crisis that I (in retrospect) used as an excuse to not justify working as hard as I should have. So after Fall 2014, I left my university to take a break and get myself together. I have a job, and have been self studying for CLEP tests and pre-reqs, and have already taken two exams so far with great results.
I am going to be enrolling at a community college nearby for the summer and my plan is to take classes in the summer sessions, then fall and spring semesters. I think I’ve really improved my work ethic and I’m prepared for the classes so I should do well. Assuming I can maintain a 3.00 or higher across all these sessions, is it realistic for me to be able to transfer to a 4-year university to enter next Fall (2016) as a junior? If not, do you have any other recommendations?
Would a significant uptick in grades, consistent leadership in extracurriculars similar to my stint at my previous university, and the fact I took the initiative during my off semester to take credit exams and bypass pre-requisites with knowledge tests, along with a job, help convince a 4 year school that I have turned around and become the student I felt I should have been but was definitely not ready to be? Along side, of course, the other elements of the application (interview, recommendations, etc).
I should also mention I will be mainly doing mathematics and science based courses these upcoming semesters and am interested in doing an Economics/Philosophy major at where I end up. My courseload will be calculus 3, physics 1, and a java programming class. Then the next semester I will be doing Linear Algebra (if I remember the math progression right), physics 2, and a continuation of the java course. Once I enter the fall and spring I will just be finishing up the mathematics and computer science progression as I’ve filled up most of the humanities requirements from APs I took much earlier. I’ve been preparing for these for the while, along with re-studying what I took at my university to make sure I’ve mastered the skills necessary to succeed.
I’m asking because I’m not sure what kind of expectations I should have for a transfer or what’s realistic. I want to narrow down my options into what is feasible, a shot, and safe so as to save time and money when sending out applications alongside narrowing down what courses I take here and whether I pursue an AS or just take courses that would show rigor.
Would the public university school system be viable (here it is University of Massachusetts) or could I have a chance at possibly more selective schools or should I aim lower than both?
Thank you.