Transfer to UC Berkeley?

Transfer Students
1

I knew when I was in high school I wanted to go to Berkeley, and I think I was preparing pretty well in freshman year and was a top student in my classes. After my freshman year however, my performance plummeted due to some issues with anxiety and depression and a home environment that became very negative in reaction to my falling performance, which only helped it fall further. I have just finished high school this June with a 3.07 unweighted GPA and a 3.40 weighted GPA. My SAT scores were 570 Reading, 600 Math, 560 Writing. Yeah, I know – not so hot. But I do feel my mental health and home environment played a lot into these scores.

Just for some more information, here were my EC’s in high school:
-Stage crew member for the school musical in freshman year
-Algebra 1 tutoring in freshman year (but very minimal, only once in a while)
-Volunteering at a Therapeutic Riding Center for 3 days a week in July and August 2012 before sophomore year, and then for only 1 day a week until I stopped in January 2013.
-PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs during sophomore year

After sophomore year I had no more EC’s.

Now, I am taking a year off to try to raise some money before starting college in Fall 2016. My mental health is a lot better now, and I feel that I am doing pretty well, aside from still being in a negative home environment. My plan was to go to Community College of Philadelphia for Computer Science, and obviously push myself as hard as I can while racking in some EC’s and internships. However, I will be staying at home, which has now only become more stressful and negative, and I am positive that if I stay here I will not be able to reach the high scores and EC’s needed to later try to transfer to UPenn, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, or my top choice, Berkeley. Aside from that, I’m aware that of the 22% of admitted Berkeley transfer applicants, 94% are from California community colleges. So I basically have no chance if I stay in Pennsylvania. My family is already quite opposing of me trying to achieve anything beyond a more affordable state school, and discouraged me any time I’ve brought up transferring to UPenn after CCP.

My grandparents live in Sacramento, and my sister and I have both talked about going to school in California. My sister actually took a plane over to go visit some campuses just last month. She says that my grandparents would most likely be okay with me living with them while I go to school. I am wondering if within this year I should try to set myself up in Sacramento to go to Community there for 2 years, as my chances for Berkeley would go up significantly. I also would be in a much more positive environment and I feel I would be able to perform to my very best and start planning out the next 3 years before transferring (hopefully) to Berkeley for Computer Science. However, even if I do not get accepted, there are still other UC campuses that I have a better chance of getting into. The thing is, my father thinks that I’m set on going to CCP and wants to help me set up a plan to go there next year. To have any chance of getting to California, I need his help to set things up because I’d be living with his parents. If I tell him about this alternate plan, I’m worried that he’d just think it’s ridiculous that I’m shooting for Berkeley and not help me get to Cali to start working towards this.

So, my questions:
-How badly would my poor high school performance affect my chances? Would I need to improve my SAT scores or are they irrelevant after two years?
-Would I be able to recieve in-state tuition if I stayed and worked over there for a year before going on to Community?
-If I went there, would dealing with all of my medical/dental/insurance stuff be complicated? I don’t know anything about that kind of stuff. I’m on my mother’s health insurance, and she is already reluctant to help me figure any of this out and just wants me out of the house. I am scared that there would be problems with anything insurance-related or with anything that my mother pays for me now. I don’t have a job to pay for anything for myself. I would also need her to co-sign any loans that I take out, which is a problem because she’d be all the way across the country (if she even agreed to co-sign them).
-Would doing all of this even be worth it, considering the competition for the CS program at Berkeley? If I got a great GPA and EC’s, would I have a good chance despite my crappy past performance?

I really want to do this; I have been told too many times that I should just give up already and go to a local state school, and I think that’s also probably affected me a little negatively. I’m a very hard, creative, detail-oriented, worker and I feel that as long as I could get to California, I’d have the ability to do this. Is this plan a total piece of ridiculous crap or would I have a shot (as long as my GPA, EC’s, and internships were in good standing)?

Also, if anyone has any extra advice worth sharing, I would be more than grateful to hear it.

2

High school performance is irrelevant when you are applying to Berkeley as a transfer. SAT scores, GPA, etc. are irrelevant. Sometimes, HS courses are used to clear the foreign language requirement for transferring, but that’s really it.

I’ve heard that it’s very hard to receive in-state tuition if you’re OOS, even after attending CCC. Talk to a counselor, perhaps. I don’t know.

I have no idea about anything insurance related.

If you get a 4.0 at CCC, complete all requirements, and get some solid ECs under your belt (preferably CS related ones!) then you stand a solid chance at getting into Berkeley. It’s definitely feasible. It’s HARD work, but if you set your mind to it, you CAN do it.

Ordinarily I’d say that, because OOS is so expensive, it should deter you from attending Berkeley. However, CS is a different major; UCB CS majors are swept up by Bay Area employers (much of Silicon Valley will adore you if you graduate from Berkeley). The ROI should be fairly good in your scenario, but you should consider how much school will cost you.

Talk to your parents as soon as possible to decide what you want to do.

HOWEVER, it must be noted that coming to California will not solve all of your problems. It is not the perfect image that you seem to view it as; any difficulties you will have in PA, you will have here.

Getting into Berkeley’s CS is very difficult, but it can be done. Your hand will not be held in the process, though. You will have to perform. You may have to go to multiple CC’s to get all of the courses you need completed. It is by no means an easy feat, but that alone should not discourage you, so long as you are sufficiently motivated.

(For reference, my lowest GPA in high school was a 0.73. I have a 4.0 currently, and likely will transfer to Cal in the Fall of 2016, although I ought not count my chickens before they hatch.)

Edit: Also, as a CCC student, you will have guaranteed admission into certain UC’s. That may sway your parents’ opinion regarding going to a CC in CA. There are plenty of programs that you can take advantage of here.

Luckily, you have a year to make up your mind. Why not consider Carnegie Mellon? I hear they are fairly transfer friendly, and they are located in PA. I don’t know the process for applying to them, however.

TRY TO DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR TIME DURING YOUR GAP YEAR, BY THE WAY! GET A JOB, START LEARNING HOW TO CODE, GET AN INTERNSHIP, ETC. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT!

3

Establishing California residency: http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Residency/establish.html

Pay attention to the information outlined in #2 under Intent.

4

Thanks @goldencub and @Gumbymom . I talked to my dad and unfortunately, he isn’t willing to help me get to Sacramento, so I’m probably just gonna have to stick with CCP. I’ll still try to get in of course; I’ll just have to work really hard and get good EC’s and hope for the best (but then I guess that was going to be my plan even if I was going to a CCC anyway). Maybe things will go well with Carnegie Mellon or Penn even if they don’t with Berkeley and Stanford.

5

I think that your belief in moving to Sacramento to solve all of your issues, is unrealistic. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to add to your stress, but this is a very expensive venture.

Coming from OOS and living with your grandparents will never gain you instate status. The CCC will charge full fees, as well as UC Berkeley full fees of $55k+ per year (assuming you won’t be commuting daily from Sac-4 hours each way on crowded I-80, minimum). The State of California is out of money and is very strict about residency requirements. Their priority goes to children of California taxpayers. Coming with OOS transcripts is an immediate flag for full fees.

The CS major is impacted at the majority of the UCs. Additionally, Silicon Valley hires from schools all over the map, not just from the Bay Area.

6

“I think that your belief in moving to Sacramento to solve all of your issues, is unrealistic.” Agreed.

7

@dberntsen19

Good luck!

I agree with the posters above that coming to Sacramento won’t solve your problems. Good luck at your nearby CC! I hope you can transfer to where you want to go through there.

I heavily recommend Cal Newport’s books, How to be a Straight A Student and How to Win at College if you’re serious about succeding and would like some sound advice. Both books (imo) are worth their weight in gold. It gave me some really good pointers and help arranging my CC life together.

8

While I don’t think moving to California would be wise from personal experience I know how badly a toxic home situation can affect your academic performance. My suggestion to you is to find a way to move out of your parents house. Get a job, maybe attend a pennsylvania cc to collect the aid you need to survive. Your life won’t be perfect it will be difficult for sure but for me it was a step in the right direction. Hoping to transfer to UCB from a CCC next year. Anyway good luck

9

@“aunt bea” With all due respect, while driving from Sac City to Cal, is certainly no cake walk, it is in no way 4 hours each way. Its a little under 80 miles one way—and I previously lived in the Berkeley Hills and taught at UC Davis, and not once did I ever have a 4 hour one way commute. If you time it right, its on average a 1 hr 20-30 minute drive, with everyday traffic patterns.

10

@boolaHI, I must bring the traffic with me because I’ve always had a 4-hour ride from the Sac airport.

11

Alas, I attract all the drivers that refuse to actually use turn signals…