Hello friends,
I’m currently a CC student who applied for transfer last fall. Although I applied to several schools as a Computer Science major, the only school I had really prepared for was UCI. It’s the school whose transfer requirements I followed on Assist.
I recently received an offer of admission from UCI, along with a couple of rejections, and I’m waiting on others to respond (UCB, UCSD, UCSC. most likely rejections because of missing prereqs).
For some reason, I feel as though I’d be settling if I were to transfer to UCI. I feel as though I have the stats to pursue greater opportunities than those in front of me right now. Not that I’m knocking UCI for being a bad school or anything, I think I have what it takes to get into more selective colleges than UCI. I currently have a 4.0 gpa, honors program completion, and several higher level CS and Mathematics courses under my belt. I’m contemplating turning down UCI in order to stay another year in order to finish Calc 3, Linear Algebra, the entire physics series, and Data Structures at my community college. During this time, I’m also thinking of picking up an internship and being more involved in CS projects in order to beef up my application for next fall. The next time around, I’m thinking about applying to UCLA, UCSD, UCB, CalTech, Rice, and Stanford.
At the same time, I feel as though I’d be potentially wasting time better spent getting ahead and finishing my degree. I’ve been in college close to 4 years now, mostly because it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I’m also living with my parents whom I’d like to be able to help and take care of as soon as I can get a well-paying job. They’ve said they’re perfectly happy supporting me as long as I’m doing something productive, so money isn’t an issue in that respect. In short, I’m scared of the idea of potentially spending 7+ years just getting a bachelors degree (5 in cc, and 2+ at the university).
My goal is to ultimately work for an autonomous vehicle company or the autonomous vehicle division of a major tech company. I also plan on getting a master’s degree in the future, after several years of work experience under my belt.
What do you guys think? Do the potential benefits of spending another year at a community college outweigh the potential downsides?
@JUROD211 I would attend UCI this fall. It’s getting harder and harder to get into higher tier UC schools, and while UCI may not be as prestigious as UCSD or UCLA, it is still very very decent.
I was targeting CS @ UCSD for years: was waitlisted twice, then accepted as undeclared, and finally got rejected in 2017 with 3.95, honors, plus a bunch of extra credit stuff (like a full time job in CS field). I went to UCR instead (they offered me more money than UCI), and from what I see, the program is identical to the one at UCSD, but:
- I am getting all the classes I need
- I am not stressing out about competition (with my 4.0 I am always at the top of the curve)
- I am getting a lot more money in scholarships (mostly merit based - not a lot of people here carry 4.0 in CS).
Smaller school has its own perks 
@lenocturne thanks for sharing that. good to hear and good for you!
@JUROD211 How many times have you visited UCI? Perhaps one more trip might help you decide? FWIW, I used to shrug at UCI, but lately I see more and more accolades, including nationally. I’m from the surrounding area, so if you’re not in the area and want more of a “local’s take” on it, feel free to PM me.
I could be biased because I am in love with UCI, but I think it’s one of the best schools for CS. Considering it’s the only UC with its own specialized school in CS, they have a lot to offer. Next door to it is University Research Park, which could be an opporunity to intern or something. Also, it’s not easy to get into CS programs. I have two highly qualified friends who were in a program with me at UCI during Summer 2016 and they were both rejected (including their appeals).
UCI is kinda like a school that many people overlook, but if you look more into it, it’s definitely prestigious. Huge downside to the school, though, is housing. It’s expensive to live there.
To give you perspective, I’m speaking as a community college student about to transfer (but I really. really. really love UCI).
@JeanJeanie I’m an OC resident myself, born and raised in Anaheim and coming out of Orange Coast College. I’ve been to UCI about three times before but never actually took a formal tour. I do like the feel of UCI and also appreciate that it’s close to many internship opportunities in Irvine. Plus it’s commutable from my house, which is a big upside, I’d otherwise have to sit in traffic to get to UCLA or pay rent to move out to SD or the bay area.
@lenocturne @amaizyng I think you guys make good points, UCI does seem to be the most feasible option in front of me, and it’s a great enough school that I shouldn’t have much trouble getting an internship while I’m there. @amaizyng, are you yourself transferring to UCI?
Hello fellow Pirate
I’d also suggest UCI, simply due to the years you’ve already put into CC. Look at it this way: graduating a year late is a years worth of money that you can’t make
Yes! I just got accepted into UCI today.
One thing you should consider, and it was brought to my attention today, is housing. Irvine is, hands down, one of the most expensive places to live, and thanks to overadmitting students, there’s a lot of competition for housing. Cheapest is probably $600, and typically, that’s if you share an apartment with 3 other people. I have a friend who shares a room at that price with 3 people (8 people in the apartment overall). Fortunately, I’m a communal person, but I think housing is going to be the biggest struggle for me.