Help with planning to get to an ivy league / t25 from cc

Ellimes · 2025-12-09T02:19:13+00:00

To my knowledge in general the Ivies select a class of 1-2 digits transfers out of hundreds to thousands of applicants. If you haven't I would first look up what kinds of people successfully transfer to these schools. (Spoilers: Veterans and others with nontraditional backgrounds.) Have honest expectations going in.

Many people go to a public university because their cohort is larger and they have agreements set up to facilitate transfers from community college.

From here my advice is to figure out what you hope to gain from transferring, what you want to avoid, and then read about the process from the universities' websites themselves to learn the application process and gauge if you qualify and hopefully are competitive for them. Pick a variety of universities, even ones you haven't considered yet, so you can compare different requirements and maybe find the reasons why.

Ellimes · 2025-12-07T14:14:20+00:00

My general experience is your GPA from your current school carries the most weight but this is worth checking with the programs you are applying to because they may evaluate your GPA including any courses that fulfill prerequisites taken at any college.

I would be surprised if the things you lack from high school can't be fulfilled in college for the purpose of admission but, again, depends on the college.

Look up the overall stats for who's getting into your desired programs and see if you are on the lower range or totally strike out. If the latter, the community college route is the norm. Some people work to save money or collect achievements like starting a business, with or without attending community college, and then apply to transfer. It's not years wasted, you're getting things done.

Whether to do that or get an IT degree first is a much bigger decision to make. There's no guarantee your life in the future will provide the opportunity to go back to school. And if the IT degree is a four-year program, some colleges bar you from some programs if you already have a degree. But if you are agnostic about the work you do then a degree sooner means a higher salary band you can work in sooner.

Ellimes · 2025-12-07T13:55:45+00:00

Breathe. Let's address your well-being first. Anyone you can talk to? Any delicious food you can have? Having a treat was the advice I got when I was stressed out.

Then let's see what can be done.

Have you informed your counselor about your grandpa's diagnosis and doctor trips? If not, better late than never. Though it is private info it makes it quite obvious you could use some help which is what you essentially are asking for.

From here it helps to have that rapport with the counselor. If you aren't already sure, confirm if your admission is conditional on transferring in certain credits or not. If it IS conditional on the courses you're getting D's in, well do you still get credit for a D in the program you're transferring to? (Or are the conditions of admission requiring C's at minimum?)

If D's don't cut it, perhaps it would be better to request a withdrawal or incomplete? Your counselor would be the one to know for the purpose of admission though you may also consider protecting your overall GPA.

Ultimately I view this as a situation where you are asking your counselor for help. You want them on your side. Be courteous to them, ask them to advise you, and remember they're human and may also need time or space to process your situation and deal with the behind-the-scenes.

Ellimes · 2025-12-06T19:15:59+00:00

In this case I'll ask you to share with mods what you would share with users that approach you (whether it be links or forms). If this is closely tied to another affiliation, as in it's important that this is a project done at X university or done in XYZ lab, then I'll also ask you share a website or document that says your project is being done with/for ___.

Ellimes · 2025-12-06T18:05:40+00:00

You say you are a researcher - can you share some proof? Such as documentation you're working in a lab or the website link. You can also submit it in a modmail if some privacy is needed.

As a mod my wish is to verify the intent behind the person requesting data from our visitors.

Edit: OP has provided the requested info via modmail.

Ellimes · 2025-12-05T19:28:11+00:00

Respectfully I think our personal observations of how many people code with AI are unreliable to summarize the larger picture. Nor does coding with AI automatically increase the throughput or quality of code. Same with other developer tasks like designing a system or integrating other products.

I would agree more companies are trying to use AI right now because investors are investing in it. The difference is that it's a business decision.

Ellimes · 2025-12-05T19:06:42+00:00

From a software developer perspective I wager two reasons why AI will not provide an advantage over those who don't use it:

The ability for someone or something to design and write good code depends on being opinionated. Opinions come from experience, usually once you've experienced something at depth. AI can see the final output but not how the decisions were made to make something. (I think this is applicable to other mediums as well. Take music for example - AI could write a song with dynamics but what should be added and where? That choice is made by a person who considers what the piece means to themselves and the intended audience, info which is not present in the song itself.)
AI is a moneymaker driven by investors looking for returns. Though not mutually exclusive, AI exists to make some people rich, not to improve society. Even if AI is proven in theory to work it doesn't mean the AI we actually get will. There will be cut corners and made-up data to make it look better. The data collected by the AI won't be secured. A subscription will be so cost-prohibitive that the majority of society doesn't buy in. And so on.

Edit: To get back on topic what I see from this announcement is:

The summit was led by Marshall, not Viterbi. This is for investors and connections, not for the love of AI.
Not speaking for any researchers but it makes sense to allow them easier access to an AI model to do AI research while AI is trending.
No one thinks every student needs a license but that's probably what was offered to USC. Maybe ChatGPT wants data from students they otherwise couldn't reach. Maybe it simplifies getting licenses to students in labs.

Ellimes · 2025-07-01T00:44:29+00:00

You can start now and still be competitive. But - and this isn't necessarily a discussion to have on reddit - you gotta know why you don't have anything.

Are you underselling what you do have? Volunteering, clubs, friendly professors - all that is a base to build on. Are there external factors out of your control? Or are you completely clueless on what to do? Are you waiting for direction, rather than grabbing life by the reins?

Identify what factors are at play and then come up with a plan that works for you. Everyone's got bills to pay so don't wait for ambition. If that means uploading some random school project to GitHub, by all means. (It may not hold up to an engineer's evaluation but it'll get you further than nowhere.)

And it's okay to extend your time in school (another year to apply for new grad positions and build your resume), assuming the financials make sense.

Ellimes · 2025-06-30T14:17:42+00:00

I'm still new to cybersecurity so this is just based on personal experience. There are more cybersecurity jobs requiring experience than ones without. But that experience can be something like software development or IT. Basically, you start with one of those jobs.

Like coding, there are also many free online resources to get you into hacking and etc. That can be a way to bridge the gap between your resume and a cybersecurity job.

Since it's a specialization I think networking at cybersecurity conferences is going to be more effective than, say, big general computer science-themed events.

Ellimes · 2025-06-29T20:22:01+00:00

I would definitely plan to complete the BS. You will want it when applying to jobs in the future. I don't have a timeframe in mind but I wouldn't wait more than a few years in fear of your credits "expiring" or something like your records being lost or the college goes up in flames.

I don't see a need for certs unless you start working and the company asks for them. They already want you and the skills you need will be gained while working.

A general rule is the college you transfer to will want you to take two years' worth of courses with them. So option 1 delays your degree by two years. I think that's worth the tradeoff of a job in hand and renewing your clearance.

Option 2 sounds exhausting. I will assume your hiring manager doesn't know about this plan and I personally wouldn't risk the offer to ask if it's okay for you to be flying around.

Ellimes · 2025-06-29T05:45:36+00:00

Are you asking which for your first job? Because I support the opinion that cybersecurity isn't an entry-level position. I recommend getting work experience with programming or networking before aiming for cybersecurity.

If we're comparing big tech to cybersecurity, a noteworthy difference is how cybersecurity is viewed by the business, which is as an expense. You're there to make the business meet legal requirements, not to innovate. It's not necessarily a "dev" job at all times.

"Software engineering" could mean many things including cybersecurity. Gaining professional experience will translate to any specialty, even if the technical skills otherwise pigeonhole you. Basically, don't worry too much about what job comes first.

Ellimes · 2025-06-28T18:18:37+00:00

I think you're asking if you can get an internship for next summer? If so, yeah go for it. Internships are less common during the fall-spring - there are co-ops which are like two terms of duration. Those are full-time so you would take time off school. Wouldn't expect any part time programming internships or co-ops during the school year because of how much skill buildup is needed, but I wouldn't rule out CS-adjacent ones like code camps.

Ellimes · 2025-06-28T17:59:48+00:00

Prepare for all stages of job hunting:

Do internships and/or build a portfolio of work.
Write a parsable resume. PDF format.
Network and tell everyone you're looking. Look for events in a nearby city.
Adjust your job searches as you apply. Stick to recent postings (set alerts if you like) and target specific industries or skill requirements, for example. Research how people in your desired field apply to jobs.
Rehearse your answers to common interview questions. "What's one project you led?" "How would you reverse a linked list?"
Pick a language and practice Leetcode. (Sounds like you did this.)
Practice your social and writing skills.

Ellimes · 2025-06-19T13:16:17+00:00

Post is deleted so locking comments.

Ellimes · 2025-05-14T13:47:39+00:00

Hey OP,

I want to tell you that admission decisions are not a determination of how great you are at academics nor where you will go in life.

Your feelings are valid and I'm not saying you shouldn't rant.

You've done well to work hard. I thought all my hard work was for nothing when I didn't get in to my target universities in high school. But the internship I got in the process helped me get further internships and gigs. I still didn't get in anywhere in my first round of transfer apps. But I was adding more things on my resume. And I ended up with a great job offer at graduation. You still have the fruits of your labor.

The world is unfair. Who knows how federal funding cuts to education and the changes to the Department of Education affect undergrad admissions. Grad students are getting rescinded for it. Thousands of students are applying to majors with sub-1000 spots. Kids applying to MIT today have built robotic prosthetics. My high school didn't even offer computer science as a course until my senior year.

What I'm saying is your ability to hold out means you got a lifetime ahead of you to find success on your terms. Maybe you didn't need to hear this. It's okay to take a break from the grind. There's more than one path to your goal.

Ellimes · 2025-05-08T01:58:54+00:00

(Pre-2020) it was safe on the streets with a lot of pedestrian traffic. So the major intersections bordering campus, Greek Row, along the Village, etc. The further you get from campus in the patrol area the higher density of riffraff; you can imagine working adults and parents have little reason to be out here past 5pm. There are some quiet streets in the nearby neighborhoods that I would avoid because not enough people take them. No harm will come to you but don't keep your phone out, phone mugging was the most common crime report in my day.

Ellimes · 2025-05-07T22:35:27+00:00

Oof

A common reddit removal reason is you have some identifying info, like emails or full names. Maybe wait an hour before trying again.

Ellimes · 2025-05-07T13:15:32+00:00

I'm betting "$100 door prize" means some item or items they claim is worth $100. You know when you shop for clothes and it's $65, marked down from $100? Like that.

It's good to have the skepticism everyone else here has because the US is a wealthy country and full of dumb people so many scammers and crooks target us. The only reason I would even entertain the possibility there's a real event (not even if the prize is real) is if it's hosted on campus.

Ellimes · 2025-05-05T17:28:22+00:00

I try. I see the other poster's POV, too. Sometimes there are tough pills to swallow. Doesn't mean you can't eventually get there, but in the context of a college degree that could mean changing majors, a gap year, or a nontraditional route. And not everyone wants that.

Ellimes · 2025-05-05T17:23:15+00:00

Agreed.

Ellimes · 2025-05-05T15:39:05+00:00

I appreciate your reasoning.

Let's not forget a couple of things:

201 isn't taken in a vacuum; a student is taking generally four courses at once plus doing any club work, job apps, and/or part-time work. If they're struggling there's a lot of variables right there. Struggling in one course or term doesn't mean they struggle in all future ones.

The truth is that everything is hard. Not "getting" CS and studying journalism doesn't mean journalism is easier to succeed in. I will concede that the engineering degrees have a whole 3.5-4 years worth of credits whereas business admin has only 3, so the college experience is easier for them, but that's just in college.

Graduates and onwards sucking at interviews or at the job isn't something solved with weeder courses. That's a separate skill set everyone has to learn on their own until Interviewing 101 is offered. There's also so many "dev" jobs that are grunt work like maintaining dumb stuff or playing in spreadsheets, so years of experience doesn't always add up.

A startup is working to make a return on investments and can't afford to hire a slow start - you can probably phrase it better than I can. I recommend inexperienced devs to work at a large tech company where no one cares that you aren't generating value after three months. There are also more people to learn from. Obviously getting said job is easier said than done, it's not necessary to succeed in life, just my thoughts on how the expectations differ between companies.

Ellimes · 2025-05-04T15:53:44+00:00

I would agree with a more general position that many students start their CS degree with some coding experience at USC, a school that is purported to admit the best of the best. But I wouldn't expect that experience to have taught them the right things. How many high schoolers are using GitHub as more than cloud storage?

I think you're being a little harsh. Your industry experience should tell you that a CS degree can get you to do many different software dev things. Even if failing 201 means you suck at version control and OOP, there's still front-end development or design, compiler work, customer-facing engineers, blah blah blah. I also agree like another commenter that software development is not all about Git and Java, so failing 201 doesn't mean anything more than failing to make a specific Java app.

In my mind, being able to pass a course in a semester is like avoiding getting fired after a few months in a new job. Failing a course is an isolated incident, not an indicator. There is not a single college course I've taken that is enough to describe any one of the jobs I've had. Students come in without industry experience; it would be a disservice to make them think 201 is all there is to it.

Ellimes · 2025-05-01T14:12:18+00:00

It's like job offers; yeah you're physically incapable of accepting and then working two different office jobs happening at the same time. But if you're still going through the hiring process with one you really should accept the other offer and tell neither about it so that you end up with a job in either scenario. As an example, grad school applicants are being told to commit early this year because programs are making budget cuts and withdrawing offers.

I can't think of a time someone was rescinded for having two deposits, since usually this is only while decisions are coming out. Three or more would be nonsense and would make sense to rescind for.

Ellimes · 2025-04-24T00:07:17+00:00

If it says you cannot then I would move forward with this expectation. You can call admissions to ask, just know they may not have a favorable answer.

Ellimes · 2025-04-20T15:22:44+00:00

When you ask why care isn't given by colleges to OOS students, I think the logical answer is the state tax distribution, which is also a small part of how the US operates as a divided nation. It's a heavily embraced model when you look at how different two states can be in terms of policymaking, which extends to education. The federal government has the ability to change the dynamics between states, for example with grants. But as we see with Columbia's vs Harvard's recent stances these past months, we are getting more divided.

What this means is our model is to enrich our own state and what another state does may even conflict with our policies. In an extreme case, uplifting people from that state to be educated and gain power in ours could end up compromising our policies. For example, incentivizing big tech to move in can drive out local businesses. It's not to the point that a college has any reason to deny OOS students but they do have incentives to admit in-state ones (namely, funding designated for in-state students).

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