Post
by TakeruK » Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:53 pm
Although it might certainly be possible to do a 2+2 CC->University transfer, I mostly heard about 2+3 programs (2 years at CC, 3 years at university). I think if that is possible, it might be a better option if you want to go to grad school since it allows more time to find research opportunities and to get to know the faculty and letter writers more.
As for transcripts, you likely would need to submit transcripts for all schools you attended, but that depends on each application. Some places only want transcripts from schools you got a degree from.
For GPA weighting, this also depends entirely on each program you apply to. Yes, people here often combine their GPA but remember that the GPAs people write here on the forums may have nothing to do with the GPAs that the admissions committee actually use to determine their evaluation. Although this varies from program to program, it is commonly expected that admissions committee weighs more recent / upper level course grades more than other grades. This is true for both CC transfers and those who started in a 4-year university. In addition, many schools will care more about your grades in relevant courses much more than the cumulative GPA. This is why they ask for the full transcript, not just the GPA.
Finally, I know from talking to profs on admissions committee and running a panel on admissions to PhD programs geared towards students at CCs and non-research universities that many admissions committee evaluate candidates based on the opportunities available to the candidate. For example, if you attended a small liberal arts college without a ton of Physics courses, it might not be a big deal that you didn't take any extra elective courses and/or have fewer physics courses on your transcript since you made the most of what was available to you. However, a student from a R1 university that offers many upper level elective courses that have just the minimum number of physics courses might raise some flags. Similarly, if you are at a non-research university and only have 1 REU or applied to REUs but didn't get in, it will be considered differently than if you were at a place with an abundance of research opportunities but did not apply to any or did not take advantage of that.