<p>I'm having second and third thoughts about my D submitting her Cali apps. I think the process of registration for classes and changing majors is unnecessarily crazy. Please remind me why, weather aside, these schools are so popular</p>
<p>My daughter goes to a UC and has gotten every single class she has needed with no problem. With AP credits, she very easily could graduate in three years but I want her to have the full four years of college. She registers the very second her registration appointment slot opens up. </p>
<p>Good to hear. Is she in a program which counts as impacted?</p>
<p>Older son is 2nd year at a UC and has had no problem registering for classes. Also received AP credit and should easily graduate in 4 years. </p>
<p>All of my HS friends who attended UC’s also had no problem getting out in 4 years. </p>
<p>My daughter is in her 3rd year at a UC and is on track to graduate in four years with a double major. Both are considered impacted majors. She did do summer school this year and might take a few classes next summer as well, but that’s because her majors are quite high in required units. She has friends who could graduate in 3.5 years (because of AP units) and have added a second major so they can stay the full four years. </p>
<p>My oldest graduated from a UC last spring. He had no AP credits, changed his major twice and still managed to graduate in four years.</p>
<p>My youngest is in his third year at a different UC. He had lots of AP credits. He could graduate at the end of this year if he wanted to, but has decided to stay for the forth year and complete the requirements for a minor (chem major, CS minor). </p>
<p>Neither of them ever had a problem getting necessary classes. </p>
<p>Really depends on the flexibility of students and the individual campuses. We actually know more kids who graduated early than kids who took more than 4 years (and those few kids took like 1 quarter extra… not a full year.) </p>
<p>If you are a CA resident it would be silly not to at very least apply to the local CSU as a safety. California has around 40 public universities with all sorts of different environments and programs. Some are more compacted than others. If you are from out of state then I agree that applying INTO California may not be the best choice because they tack on 20+K to tuition.</p>
<p>A lot depends on major and AP credits. Assuming UC is on quarter system (only Merced still on semester??), some majors may only require say 14/15 courses plus GEs to graduate which makes it very easy to graduate even in 3 years. Some other majors may have close to twice as many reqs for some majors in addition to GEs which can make graduating in 4 years trickier. AP credit becomes really important. The main reason is that kids typically register in order of credits earned. So seniors who have most credit and need to complete reqs to graduate have first shot at registration while freshman with fewer credits register last when especially lower division classes are filled and closed to further registration. Because of AP credits S was typically registering for classes a week ahead of his friends which made not only getting into every course he wanted easy, but also allowed him to create tight schedule minimizing his actual time on campus.</p>
<p>Berkeley is also on semester</p>
<p>I’ve heard that CalPoly can take 5 years, but I don’t know if that information is out of date. If the OP is from OOS, they may or may not have considered CalPoly.</p>
<p>My son (chem. major) is at a CSU (Cal Poly SLO) and on track to complete in 4 years. They currently have a rotation schedule for class registration (which will be changed in 2016 to an improved method of registration), however he hasn’t had trouble getting the classes he needs (and he isn’t picky about the day/time/etc). His roommates and girlfriend (all engineer majors) are on track to complete in 4 years (however my son/roommates/girlfriend are all considering the blended 4+1 program, which will require an additional year - <a href=“Blended Degree Programs - Academic Programs and Planning - Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo”>http://www.academicprograms.calpoly.edu/content/academicpolicies/policies-undergrad/blended4plus1</a> ). </p>
<p>All majors are impacted (but it is possible to change majors, information is on their website). </p>
<p>The UCs have some of the highest four year graduation rates of any public schools in the country. The Cal States have low four year graduation rates but that’s partially because they often encourage underloading by their students who tend to be quite poor, and less academically qualified. </p>
<p>Changing majors at a UC, so long as it’s not to something like business or engineering, isn’t difficult at all. I work across the street from a UC and one of my coworkers is on his fourth major. </p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback! I am really not budgeted for 5 years as we won’t get any need-based aid. </p>
<p>Get your kid to load up on AP’s and it might even take just 3/3+.</p>
<p>6 AP’s so far, 4 more in the works…but I was still expecting those credits to be used for subjects she hates, not her planned concentration</p>
<p>My Freshman daughter at UCR told me yesterday she could take only 12 credits per quarter every quarter if she wanted to and still graduate in four years, thanks to all her AP credits. She also has priority registration so she already knows what she is doing next quarter, and she got all the classes she wanted.</p>
<p>When we visited SDSU we got the impression there was less flexibility with registration and with changing majors. She would not have had priority registration even though she would have been in the Honors program. </p>
<p>Agree with all the others, AP is the ticket to early graduation. Be sure to check details of AP credit for each campus. The campuses vary in the extent to which each AP satisfies specific requirements. Some campuses are more generous than others. </p>
<p>Also, AP credits do not count toward the maximum allowable credits, making it easier to double major.</p>
<p>IMO, I wouldn’t use APs for classes in a major (except the very basic ones).</p>
<p>I’m with PurpleTitan – AP’s are great when they’re not in your core area of study. </p>
<p>My dd is at Davis and her AP’s basically counted for an earlier registration slot and to meet basic requirements. She could have graduated early because she also went to summer school. She wants to do her four years to graduate with her friends.<br>
OP: California taxpayers fund the California public universities. The state is out of money and needs to charge full fees to international and OOS students. </p>
<p>The schools are very competitive and get hundreds of thousands of applications from around the world. People don’t seem to understand that we are a large state and our weather varies according to region. The grass is not always greener in a majority of the state.</p>