Hello !
So I feel like every time I see a counselor I get a slightly different twist on information, and it’s been a long process of seeing multiple counselors over time for me to get answers that are valid and not contradictory. I’m kinda frustrated right now because I recently spent hours going over all my grades to calculate my GPA. In my case I had to transfer my transcripts to my current CC from 2 other community colleges all in California. I was a student a long time ago and one of the schools I went to, I attended for a long time, like 7 years off and on. I am using classes from there and the problem is that their numbering system is different than what the UCs and CSUs use with a lot of other CCs. This is Pasadena City College that I used to go to that has the different numbering system. Soo I’ve gone onto ASSIST and looked up every class I took at PCC for the catalog year and semester and checked what was UC and CSU transferable at the time I took the class, typed this all up some time ago and went through carefully determining where I stood. I have used academic renewal at PCC and another CC I attended as well.
The counselor I worked with was some kind of a supervisor counselor for the transfer center, my first time meeting her. She started out like most of them do with just trying to calculate my GPA and checking my classes to see if I met the requirements for my AAT, all stuff I’ve done before and it wasn’t why I was there, but she didn’t seem too interested in that at first or when I told her not to count all those Telecom classes from PCC because none transfer to UC and some don’t transfer to CSU.She seemed to ignore me and I said it again and she said OH, and went through and scribbled “no” next to some of the classes she had marked as being transferable. So … you know I don’t want to be rude to the woman who was nice, and I know she is used to dealing with students who know jack squat about where they stand but I am not one of those students and basically I am kinda tired of the way that a lot of counselors kinda blow you off at first like you’re an idiot. So moving on, and long story short, she added everything up after our discussion about these TV classes at PCC and she told me I had a 3.6 GPA for UC and a 3.8 GPA for CSU. Really ?!? Are you sure ??? Yes… Now, that would be wonderful news and almost plausible since I’ve gotten all As ever since returning to school this time around but every time I’ve added my GPA up it has been about a 3.1 for UC and a 3.2 for CSU at this point which is what I am applying with. She seemed certain she was correct and then went on about scholarships and how I can go anywhere pretty much I want, and it was all really awesome sounding. I got home and reviewed her notes and I really am not seeing how this adds up. There are values in there that make no sense, I’ve tried a lot of different combinations of ways to add things up and it’s not coming close to what she got. Also no other counselor has told me I had a GPA that high so far, then again I’ve had some tell me all sorts of things so who knows. My real fear is if when I apply to these schools, their staff who review applications are this way too and I get rejected due to error and have to go through a whole time costing process.
Here is an example of what PCC has done in the past, they say courses numbered 1-99 are UC transferable.
I had a Telecommunications 2A class, a Telecommunications 24 class etc, had a Telecommunications 106A that doesn’t count for CSU or UC according to ASSIST. At a glance people think these lower numbered courses count toward UC, but there is nothing in assist that show them as being UC transferable, I used them to get a Certificte of Accomplishment in Television, there is no equivalent class at any UCs I’ve seen, and only at some count towards CSUs.
To calculate my GPA I add up all my Units Attempted that are UC transferable and are not Ws or Is or Academic Renewal. I add up all my Grade Points so a 3 unit A is 3x4=12 GPs. Add up all the GPs and the UAs. Divide the GPs by the UAs and I have my GPA for transfer correct ? GP/UA=GPA? Cause if that’s the case this counselor might as well have been reading someone elses transcripts today, and it took me for a ride from being able to get into any school I want pretty much, to being back where I started in a grey area.
Please let me know what you think, this is driving me nuts 
Thanks !