Strengthening a Transfer Application

Archive Ask The Dean Archive
1

<p>Question: I am currently going to the community college, and trying to transfer to UCLA in Electrical Engineering Major. During the time of attending current school, other than getting good grades, What else can I do to be highly advanced to the admission for UCLA.For example, any work experiences or certifications. Work experience, certifications, internships, […]</p>

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2

<p>Yes. </p>

<p>actually you probably should do all those things for later down the road (your job search), but i think undergrad schools mostly look at grades and relevant coursework. so take hard relevant classes and do great in them. so dont be taking pottery classes.</p>

3

<p>Definitely take challenging classes and do well in them. The more prereqs finished the better. If anything, you want all your prereqs finished because the competition is fierce. I can’t speak for what it takes to transfer to UCLA, in particular, but I can say this advice is sound for UCSD engineering. I will be transferring from a CCC to UCSD engineering this fall quarter. This is what I had on my app:</p>

<p>Work experience = campus job as a tutor in chem and bio/ Supplemental Instructor for four semesters (only person for this particular class – 200+ students could attend my sessions). Outside tutoring for 7th grader. Although I would have really loved to have done research, this aspect was impossible due to my geographical region. We just don’t have the industry I wanted. It seemed like UCSD didn’t care because they admitted me. But do try to find work for your major because it will help when finding a job at UCLA and after.</p>

<p>I am friends with all the math tutors at my college and they do surprisingly well in scholarships and transfer. </p>

<p>E.C. = Think this aspect over. Do E.C.s that are related to your major and/or you will love. I started to hate an E.C. I had for three years because there was so much drama and gossip.
My E.C.s: Honors club (which branched into several service projects), honors program (I only got around to one class, looks like it wasn’t too big of deal breaker), senator and V.P. of campus student gov, member of SWE, and V.P. of two other clubs. </p>

<p>I focused on the honors club, SWE, and student gov. </p>

<p>Essays = When you write your essays -DO NOT- write about how great the university is. They don’t care because they know they are great. That is why you are applying. It is also considered a waste of words. There is a word count enforced on each essay.
The essay is meant to be written in such a way that the university feels like they know you. Also, do not do the whole listing of E.C.s, work, etc. You already did that in the application. The essays are not resumes. Instead, I suggest one or two things and really discuss them. If you have a personal sob story – put it. I don’t care what people say. I have been in the scholarship game for a long time. The sob essays always win. Sad but true. </p>

<p>So…that is my app. I did all of this and it helped me gain acceptance to an awesome university. Would it work for everyone? It is debatable when it comes to E.C.s because you can gain TAG acceptance without mentioning them (note: UCLA and UCB don’t participate in TAG).</p>

<p>Last bit of advice – make sure your primary major of choice is nonimpacted. If it is impacted, choose a second major that is nonimpacted. It may help your chances if UCLA is really what you want. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>Are senior year grades given any consideration at all in transfer admissions? (sorry I know next to nothing about transferring)</p>

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<p>high school grades? admissions mosty cares about your success in college level courses. there are alot of students, like me, who did bad/average in HS, got As in CC and transfered. </p>

<p>i think that the only time admissions might care about your senior grades is if you havent taken enough courses at a college lvl yet, to give them a good sample.</p>

6

<p>I was looking into transferring during my sophomore year of college and found the process daunting. I ultimately decided to stay put at the small private college I was attending, but to this day, I wonder what it would have been like if I had taken a different path. </p>

<p>Great resources do exist for those questioning whether or not they should transfer, and personally, I know now that I did not take full advantabge of the help and advice that was out there. NextStepU has a ton of great information here: [Looking</a> to transfer? - college student transfer info - Step 20 - NextStepU](<a href=“http://www.nextstepu.com/transfer-college-planning.aspx]Looking”>http://www.nextstepu.com/transfer-college-planning.aspx)</p>

<p>You should also consider talking to others who have transferred. Try to get advice from both sides of the equation - those who transferred and are happy with their decision, and those who transferred but wish they hadn’t.</p>

<p>While we all may go through life thinking “woulda, coulda, shoulda” at times, the key to no regrets is knowing you did everything in your power to educate yourself on the decisions you do make.</p>

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<p>Two friends of mine at a CC down in San Diego got into UCLA, first one did Honors classes, had a 3.5, and did internships. Second was a Military Veteran, and Honors classes. You can get into UCLA if you apply yourself. Good luck!</p>

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<p>There is a whole sub-forum dedicated to the question of how CCC applicants can best prepare themselves for transfer into the public universities in California. You can find it inside the Transfer Forum. You can find that by going to the main page where all of the forums are listed, and then scrolling down. Here is a link for you: [UC</a> Transfers - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/]UC”>UC Transfers - College Confidential Forums)</p>