Hey everyone!
Hoping to find someone who is in a similar situation such as myself.
I am applying to UCLA, UCB, UCSB and UCSD this Fall. I have a 4.0 GPA, and around 50 units.
I was a very average high school student (A,B,C range), who decided against attending Cal Poly Pomona due to finances.
Since attending my JC, I have done very well. Many professors have encouraged that I transfer to UCLA, which is currently my first choice. However, I feel like I’ve only had a few classes that have truly challenged me while here at my JC. I am incredibly worried that I will transfer and fail out of UCLA.
I have two acquaintances who went to my JC, who now attend UCLA, and say that it is worth it. They have both also mentioned that they did not feel fully challenged while at my JC.
Anyways, I am debating changing my choice to a Cal State or a different UC simply due to fear alone.
Anyone else feel this way? What did you do/What are you planning on doing?
Oh man. While I’m not in your specific position, I know what that anxiety feels like. You feel as if the current level you’re at is where you can perform best, and that if you were in a more rigorous institution, you won’t be able to keep up. I totally get it, trust me.
When UCLA, UCB, etc look at transfer applications, they want the best of the best from community colleges. If UCLA / UCB accept you, then that means that they believe that you can 100% succeed in their rigorous academic environment. Will you be challenged at UCLA/UCB? Definitely. But that’s part of the college experience.
I sincerely hope this thread isn’t moved, as this situation applies to a lot of anxious transfer students.
Best of luck! If you need any advice, feel free to personally message me!
I recently just started at a CC now, so I have no experiences. But if I was in your position, if accepted to any of those amazing schools, I’d definitely go. Listen, you have a 4.0 GPA with 50 units. That’s pretty good. Now, that does not mean you will get a 4.0 nor will you NEED to get a 4.0 (unless a grad school is in mind, but still an overkill GPA) at Cal or UCLA. If you’re able to get a 4.0 in CC, my guess is you’d probably be able to achieve around a mid 3.0. Which is not terrible at prestigious universities like UCLA and Cal, mind you.
Of course, a quarter system and upper division classes will begin to get to you, it’s simple: study 100x longer than you did for any courses you took at CC. Anyone can get a good GPA at those universities, it’s just the amount of time you spend on studying that helps.
Cal states are still excellent schools, but would be a waste of a highly potential student like you with a 4.0 who has high chances at Cal.
This is, however, how I perceive your situation and believe you can succeed at a high institution like Cal. Keep us updated on your situation, as I’d like to know the decision you’ve made :).
I’m in a similar position here. I’m applying to UCB/UCD (maybe UCLA) and I will be terrified if I either get accepted or rejected because CC feels too easy, even now that I’m taking 5 classes (one is honors calculus). I’m just an average, hard-working type of student (not a genius) with a GPA of 3.94/+60 units.
On top of that my major is computer science, which is very competitive, and certain reasoning skills are definitely required to succeed at high-level CS classes… A while ago I read a post by a student at UCB (chemical engineering) and he said that “nobody talks about GPA because they all know it’s going to be low” Self-fulfilled prophecy? Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven?
You can always apply to Cal States as well. But I don’t think you should let fear get the best of you, I’d say stick with those schools you’re already applying for, and maybe add on a few lower tier schools if that will make you feel more at ease.
On March 4th, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his First Inaugural Address, which he stated: “The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”. It was one of the most important lines in American history. The country was in the midst of the Great Depression but FDR urged the American public to fight through the adversity and not give into fear.
Now, I urge you not to fear the transition from CC to UCLA. I am a UCLA alumni and my path is similar towards yours, I transferred from a CC. I coasted my way through CC with practically straight A’s. The only times I ended up with a B was with Statistics and French 2. I never lost any sleep and not to toot my own horn, I felt I was a step above every other student around me. As I got my acceptance letter to UCLA(No real great shock to me to be very honest. There might’ve been a slight doubt if I did something wrong in my application), I knew I would be ready because I earned my way into UCLA.
As the fall quarter began, the only adjustment I had to do was get used to the quarter system. I came from a semester background, so, yes, naturally I had to adjust and find my spots on how to study and prep for my midterms and finals. I will not lie to you, you will have sleepless nights at UCLA, not because you’re going to be stressed out but it had to do with the workload at times. I had a few quarters where I did not sleep for 30+ hours because I was writing my papers and studying for an exam that was all due on the same day. But I knew there would be light at the end of the tunnel.
UCLA is a wonderful university with world-class professors that will challenge you. But do not fear this challenge, embrace it with open arms. As students and human beings, it is critical that we progress to become better people. You must do this by putting your fear aside and take on these challenges.
When and if you get into UCLA, just remember, you earned it and you belong there.
Our D went to our local CC and transferred to USoCal. While it’s not a UC, it is considered a competitive U, much more so than her CC. She did fine; you will too!
Don’t be afraid! If CC classes are that easy for you, it’s time for something harder. I’m at UCLA right now, and the classes are more in-depth, more interesting, and more complex than, say, high school AP classes (my foundation). But you only take a few (minimum three) classes to start out with. And if you succeed without much effort at community college, then you can succeed with some effort here.
Listen to the guy who wrote you the speech ^^ :’) he’s got the right idea
In this snippet and in your comments overall I get the sense that you view performance as a “fixed” quantity. HS was a bit tougher and you got A’s, B’s, C’s. The CC has been a bit easier so your grades rose, but you’re worried you’ll be in over your head at UCLA.
Another way of looking at it is to view performance as a combination of ability and effort. Few people do as much as they are capable of doing, and furthermore schools never teach effective study habits! There is a book I suggest you get, “Make it Stick”, that talks about what is known about learning effectively and more importantly is filled with tips for HS and college students about how to put the concepts into practice. You’ll learn about things like self-testing and distributed practice. Many of the most effective techniques run counter to what most students do, who instead do ineffective things like reading their notes over a few times before a test.
I suggest getting the book now and putting it into practice this year which can be a “practice” year before beginning at a UC or wherever you go. You’ll have a chance to see what works for you and refine how you do things before starting your upper division classes. With the right amount of effort I think anyone capable of college level work can do well at a UC; it might be easier for some than for others, but success is well within range without requiring incredible feats of studying.
I really appreciate the uplifting comments in this particular thread. But I completely understand the comment above by @Gedelaine
In my experience, some instructors at CCC are awesome, they could be teaching anywhere from Stanford to UCLA/UCB because they really know their stuff and they are great teachers. However, they are faced with the dilemma of raising the bar and getting 2 or 3 students passing the class, or giving the average students a real chance of succeeding in their courses.
For instance, I just passed Calculus1 (honors) with A+ , got 106% in the final thanks to the extra credit questions (the average in my class was 60%). But, honestly, when I look at the finals from UCB I think I’d have to study three times more to attain the same result. I’m not saying we’re not capable of doing well at UCs, but I’m sure the transition will feel like falling to pavement.
I still have one semester left before transferring, so I will be planning accordingly, buying some books and having a look at the material posted by the instructors at the UCs websites. I think that’s a great tip, as @mikemac mentions above.
Transfer students tend to see some decrease in GPA after they transfer (depending on your major, it usually seems to be around a 0.2-0.3 difference.) But few 4.0 students fail all their classes after transferring. Most transfers seem to do quite well after they transfer - just as well as freshman admits. So you shouldn’t worry about how difficult things will be. If you keep on top of your work at UCLA, then (depending on your major) doing well isn’t really so hard.
If you’re doing very well at the CC level, you’ll do well at the 4-year level. It’s more challenging, but it’s nothing that you can’t handle.
Hey OP. We are literally the same person! I decided against attending CPP for different reasons but oh my god aren’t you glad we made that choice?
We’ve improved ourselves. We went from mediocre to marvelous. You’ve done so well at this level, you’ve got what it takes to do well at UCLA or Cal or anywhere else! Yes it will be a difficult adjustment potentially but you’ve got it!
I know this thread is old but I wanted to tell my experience as a transfer student at Cal. I’m not going to deny that adjustment is difficult and it’s hard to overcome the impostor syndrome. The first month has been really tough, but after my first A+ in one of the midterms, I gained confidence and kind of picked up the study rhythm and skills needed to succeed in upper-level classes. I think it’s essential to find others in your situation. I met two people who are also transfer students in my major and we’re going through some really nasty classes together. We’re all about hard-work, nobody is a genius, yet we’re able to adapt and keep up with the rest just fine.
Dont get the fear get you.If a UC accept you,that means they know you are good enough, and if you really want it then take it.UCs know how anxious new transfer students are so they have various ways of supporting you.In my experience the toughest period was from the day you started until the first midterm.Study hard,bond with other students (especially other transfer students who were in the same situation as you are and I am sure will be just as anxious as you are),and kill that very first midterm.After that you will gain a significant amount of confidence,and things will surely be smooth for the rest of your time at a UC.
Good luck!
