<p>[i apologize in advance if this seems overly dense, but i thought it best to contextualize my situation for helpful readers so as to convey my situation/worries as clearly as possible] </p>
<p>SOME EXPOSITION: i'm a cc transfer student intending to major in philosophy who has been rejected by Berkeley and UCLA in the past two weeks. Retrospectively, i can say that it was arrogant and foolish of me to apply to only these two uc's, but i am not completely broken and am still intent on getting into the uc system so i have begun to develop a contingency plan. I have now reassessed my options and assembled, in order, a list of uc's with philospohy programs i find sufficiently compelling:
1.)Berkeley(considering rhetoric major instead if i were to attend Berkeley)
2.)UC Santa Cruz(a uc undergraduate department that actually incorporates continental philosophy!)
3.)UCLA (emphasis on analytic philosophy is not exactly to my tastes but i recognize it could provide for an interesting grounding)
4.)UC Riverside(department seems a little weak relative to the others but acceptable)</p>
<p>ISSUE 1: As i am intent on continuing with my education as soon as possible, i have opted to reapply for the winter quarters/sping semesters, where possible, of these schools. The problem is that i've heard Berkeley doesn't accept spring applicants and i would appreciate if this could be verified by somebody for me. Also, i am unsure of what the policies at the other schools are as i hear this is variable and i am encountering difficulties in finding definitive information(i should specify that is is in regards to the 2010-2011 school year)</p>
<p>ISSUE 2: hypothetically speaking, if i were, for instance, accepted to UCR, could i conceivably transfer from UCR to Berkeley for the fall of 2011 so long as my credit count was less than 80? In other words, is it possible to transfer to another UC after attending both a CC(receiving 60 semester credits) and then a different UC(receiving 1-19 semester credits) in case i (again)don't initially get into my top choices, and are there any statistics related to the acceptance rate of a situation like this vs. a strait cc transfer?</p>
<p>You can easily verify this yourself by:
- Looking at UCBs website (should take less than five minutes).
- Calling UCB (immediate gratification).
- Sending UCB an email (but expect a reply within two days to one week).</p>
<p>Before I get on, it is to my knowledge that UCB and UCLA put transfers on hold this year due to California’s budget issues. But, I could be wrong.</p>
<p>A few years ago, a friend of mine at an out-of-state CC attempted to transfer into UCB, and UCB straight-up told her that she more than likely would not get accepted (even though she had a 4.0), and that she should move to California and attend a California CC for one year first (UCs and CSUs highly favor California residents before anyone, particularly those coming from CCCs and high schools).</p>
<p>Also, to my knowledge, no UC accepts Spring transfers, but I could be wrong on that one, too. </p>
<p>Out of the UCs you listed, Riverside would be the easiest to get into followed by Santa Cruz. </p>
<p>It is possible to transfer from UCR to UCB, but keep in mind that you will probably need to spend at least one year at UCR before you do so and that will just add another year to your undergraduate degree. Is that going to be worth it just to have a UCB paper? </p>
<p>But…I must say that philosophy is a major that is, well…not easily comparable amongst programs at other schools since it is a major that is more about concepts that are not easily quantifiable. My guess is that a philosophy degree from any UC would hold just as much weight. But I am sure someone will come along and say otherwise. I mean, it is all about the prestige, isn’t it?</p>
<p>thank you for the reply crucial bbq, since posting i have confirmed that Berkeley/UCLA will not accept spring/winter applicants and UCSC hasn’t decided yet(if anyone cares it says on their website to “Check the Admissions web site in June to see whether applications [for winter quarter] will be accepted”) It appears that UCR is similarly undecided. </p>
<p>Luckily i do reside in California so when the time comes i at least have that going for me, unfortunately all this in addition to the fact that cal states aren’t accepting spring semester applicants(budget cuts) could mean that i will likely have to wait a whole year to go any further which is devastating, though i suppose it will give me the time to try and appear more attractive as an applicant.</p>
<p>You’re likely right that they’re about equivalent in prestige for philosophy, probably with the exception of Berkeley/UCLA being a bit more so, though i should say that while the “weight” the degree holds is a concern(i do want to get into a good graduate school after all), equally important to me is the orientation of the department. Call me crazy but i’m hardly attending school(or trying to) just to secure a good job/position, i actually am doing it because of the intrinsic satisfaction derived from study in my respective major and this is why i ranked ucsc above ucla and excluded many uc’s: their departments either aren’t compelling(based on course listings) or less attractive because of an orientation towards trends/currents i’m not as concerned with, i know its only undergraduate study but i see this as being a bit foundational so i am particular in my choices. </p>
<p>Anyway, if you or anyone else knows, i have heard it said that UC to UC transfer can often be harder than CC to UC transfer, and if this is the case then i was wondering how a CC to UC to UC transfer(two transfers) might factor in as far as a general rate of acceptance for the second transfer?(a bit convoluted, i know)</p>