Can I a make a fresh start a new college without being haunted by my past?

Question

I recently become deaf during my time in college, and have a little bit of hearing left. However after 2 years after taking an emotional and physical toll I decided I did not like this major and university, I have a 2.78 GPA from that university majoring in engineering with 60 credits.

Now I applied to Pasadena City College and saw a counselor. I felt unwelcome and unhelped after the meeting. She simply told me I have to transfer all my credits from my previous university to PCC and that would leave me with only a few courses left to take if I want to transfer to another 4 year college after attending the PCC junior college.

Thus she told me I don't stand much chance of transferring to my dream colleges (UCLA and USC). Mainly because of the number of engineering credits I've taken at my previous institution and my GPA. Keep in mind I want to change majors from engineering to english lit.

What i'm confused about is WHY I can't make a fresh start and WHY would that leave me with a few courses to take at PCC if I'm intending to change major and start afresh on English Lit. After all I paid for my education shouldn't I have the right to choose whether I want to transferring my credits or not?

I simply want to start from 0 credits at PCC and take the necessary course to transfer to eng lit program at my top choice university.

Answer 1

While the Pasadena person was pretty harsh, she was fairly accurate.  There is no way you can get into UCLA as a transfer student even if you took another year at Pasadena and tried for a transfer.  You could start completely over but you would need to have financial aid I presume, and you would not qualify for a second program.  

I would contact your local Gallaudet Center about this situation and see if they have any suggestions for you.  If you put your previous institution on your application, you MUST send your credits and have that as the basis for admission and credit amount.  But you probably wouldn't be accepted at UCLA or even USC without explaining your time out of school, and w/o the SAT scores and letters from your high school

You are in a bind--that is clear.  It sounds like you have about 1 1/2 years of college already, with some low grades.  You might to work with that, and maybe not go to UCLA, as much as you'd like to.  Again, the Gallaudet Center (for hearing-impaired) might be able to help you.  You might also check with the Division for Vocational Rehabilitation, as they may not be able to offer you services, but they might have some ideas for you as well.

My best wishes for a successful outcome to this, and do keep after it.  Even if you don't get the best outcome you feel you deserve, please work with what you have and make it a success!!  God bless, and please let me know if there is any help I can provide you via email.  

Answer 2

Okay let me see if I can explain this. You'd only have a few classes to take at PCC because some of the classes you took at your last college apply. This is a good thing. This means you don't have to retake all the classes you have already taken.

You could retake all the classes, but some schools won't take students who have too many credits and sometimes they won't replace the first class's grade. (This would be different if you took the class again at the same school. Then it would replace the class you failed or did poorly in)

Now, I'm not sure about your GPA rolling over to PCC. I don't think it will, but you'd have to ask the counselor on that. What I do know is that if it does, even taking the classes a second time will not raise your GPA as high as if you'd gotten all A's the first time.

A fresh start is not possible because any classes you have taken anywhere are applicable in an application process. A friend of mine got in trouble and almost thrown out for forgetting to list a college she'd dropped out of one week after starting.

I think you're confused and mad and upset that your health problems made such a drastic impact on your school work (understandable) and the counselor made it worse.

I think you could get into your dream colleges as long as you can pull your GPA up to a 3.0/3.2 or higher. The fact that you've had a health problem and did poorly because of it is in your favor. You could join EOPS or sign up for disability at school. This gives you a big leg up because colleges LOVE disability. (I know it sounds horrible, but it's true)

I think the counselor wasn't very sympathetic, but she is right. I would go speak to another one. Explain your dream colleges, your heath problem, that you want to sign up for disability and that you'll do whatever you can to pull your grades up and do well. Also ask if there are any "extra curricular activities" like community service, etc, that will help you out in getting accepted to USC or UCLA.

Unfortunately you will never be able to start over at 0, it's not an option. But with hard work, you will have no problem getting into your dream college.

Good luck!