Service – Transcripts / Application Review

Transcripts
Depending on major choice and the number of UCs a student is applying to, an analysis of a college transcript can be a long process, to ascertain that all major requirements are met for each UC, that all rules are followed within that UC department, that sequences are followed and AP is awarded correctly, etc.  Additional research is needed for non-CCC colleges, possibly going off of syllabi, pre-requisites and web descriptions to attempt to ascertain transferability. (Note: final determination is always made by the UC.)

I have been able to resolve many an impending disaster simply by understanding the nuances of the complicated AP credit award system (different at each UC and department) and English course non-fulfillment, among other issues. If you are coming from a non-CCC it is vital to get a transcript evaluation somewhere. Often, but not always, the UCs will provide a course evaluation.

Application Review
The review process can occur at several junctures, but usually occurs prior to submitting your application or during an appeal. This service will double check that all courses are fulfilled for every major at each UC, including general ed courses; total transferable units are recalculated; AP exam credit cross-checked (a huge issue not uncommon);  essays analyzed for content; and activities double-checked for clarity; additional comments added as needed. This provides both the assurance that there is no mistake before submission, or that an appeal may be successfully undertaken based on what is or is not in the application.

Lesson learned:  I worked with a student for a year. Berkeley was his dream, that’s all he ever talked about. He was alone in the country having arrived here thanks to a lottery win. He lived in SoCal and was so broke he sometimes lived on bread. But he was a CS whizz. Finally it was time to submit his application. He was a powerful candidate and I’d helped frame his ECs, had gone over his transcripts and we’d worked together on his essays. The one thing I didn’t do was look at his application (except for the screenshot he’d sent asking about a couple of educational programs on it).  Unfortunately, he made the deadly mistake of not choosing Computer Science in the College of Letters and Science and instead chose EECS in the College of Engineering. He had submitted to several UCs and it was one of those one-offs that he didn’t realize until January when he got an email asking if he was planning on taking the missing requirements. He sent me an email saying these classes were not required for CS. I saw right off that he had chosen the wrong major. Sadly, it was passed the deadline to switch majors; additionally, it was not permitted to switch from L&S to College of Engineering under any circumstances. He lost out on his dream school with a 3.9, and kept calling himself stupid stupid stupid. He was so devastated I seriously worried he might go off the deep end. Shortly thereafter he simply vanished, and for months I searched for him on the web with a knot in my stomach. About a year later I found him.  That incident is seared into my brain and I always remind my CS students to check the correct major, especially since CS is in Cal’s L&S.

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