<p>bumppppppppp</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be so sure its easy to get a 4.0 at a CC. There is a huge amount of attrition as students that aren’t ready for college (for whatever reason) start at a CC but drop out the 1st year. That said, there’s no reason to expect that SBCC is any more difficult than just about any other CC. </p>
<p>The best option, of course, is to get into UCSB directly. Spending time with the practice books is a good idea. I’ve heard the “Cracking the SAT” is a good one to start with since it teaches you how to quickly rule out improbable answers and to figure out the best guess. After that, a thicker standard book and hours of practice 
Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>yeah if that’s the mcgraw-hill’s ACT one that’s perfect since I just went to a library today and they are transferring it in a few days for me. </p>
<p>I just got the red book (the real act) which should hold me over until then, but i think it’s the 2008 edition since the library sorta sucks haha… but hey it’s still practice, and i’ll probably end up buying the most recent one after finishing up all this prep as sort of a warm up and transition into the real stuff and tests.</p>
<p>Time to bump this up for the current year. I hope people that really want UCSB get in, but with the crush of applicants these days there are likely going to be some disappointments. With this thread I hope I give some ideas about alternate paths to the same goal.</p>
<p>After applying to SBCC do you just wait until summer to send transcripts and register for classes?</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great info! It’s so nice to have it in print…I’ve been telling my daughter this might be her plan B, but it’s better to hear it from someone else! </p>
<p>Do you have any words of wisdom about housing? I’d love for her to have a dorm-like experience (like Tropicana G) but, wow, are they overpriced!</p>
<p>Thanks again-so sorry that some people felt the need to challenge you, but I’m impressed with your great responses. </p>
<p>My daughter is an excellent student, has a near 4.0, has tons of EC, works 20 hours a week, did well on her SATs and probably won’t get in to UCSB. She, like MANY other students who have worked so hard, has been edged out due to budget cuts and fierce competition. To punish her by making her stay at home for two years and miss out on the college experience, while many of her friends will have moved away, isn’t fair at all. If it means spending the $ we would have used for UCSB on overpriced private dorms-then we’ll do it. She has worked hard and she deserves to be a part of the college environment.</p>
<p>
I’m not an expert on the SBCC process but it shouldn’t be that hard to get enrolled. Start with [SBCC</a> Prospective Students: How to Apply](<a href=“http://www.sbcc.edu/prospective/How%20to%20apply.php]SBCC”>http://www.sbcc.edu/prospective/How%20to%20apply.php) or give them a call.</p>
<p>
Things have gotten a little worse for SBCC students in terms of housing since I originally wrote this since UCSB bought one of the big private dorms. I don’t have personal experience with Tropicana, but my sense is that a dorm-like setting is better than jumping right into apartment life. Most students at UCSB do move into apartments after frosh year, so if she lived there for a year and then in an apartment her 2nd year it would be similar to the experience many UCSB students have in terms of living. If you look at <a href=“http://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/CostOfAttendance.aspx[/url]”>http://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/CostOfAttendance.aspx</a> you’ll save a huge amount compared on tuition and student fees and the housing cost isn’t that much of a premium over what UCSB charges for a double.</p>
<p>From what I’ve been reading, Tropicana Gardens has gotten pretty bad reviews. Some aren’t too bad-the RAs are strict about noise and alcohol, the food’s not great, etc. What scares me are the reviews which many students have said that TG comes after them for large amounts of $ for broken/damaged items after their contract is up. They sound pretty unscrupulous and $ hungry. They’re already charging far more than they should, so to pay $1000’s more at the end is pretty scary.</p>
<p>So what are some nice, safe alternatives in IV for little baby freshman? I don’t know that my daughter is ready for total and complete freedom and responsibility! haha</p>
<p>Unfortunately I don’t know of any; hopefully a current SBCC or UCSB student can give some opinions/options. </p>
<p>I don’t know how feasible/practical it would be, but at many colleges the dorms offer a meal plan for non-resident students. If they do at UCSB that might be an option for the 1st quarter to not only get away from cooking, but as a chance to meet some of the UCSB frosh. Just throwing that out, you’d definitely want to talk to some current students to get their sense of something like that.</p>
<p>For anybody who is wondering: I did check with UCSB: no meal plan options for SBCC kids, FYI.</p>
<p>Anyone have experience with getting an apartment for first semester? Do you think it would be worth it or would it be easier to get to know people and adjust to life at Tropicana Gardens?</p>
<p>I think it all depends on each person:</p>
<p>Tropicana-good for people who want to meet a lot of people-they have a week of welcome before school starts and lots of activities (if you hate “forced fun” and arts and crafts, it might not be your thing). Good if you want some guidance and support starting out at SBCC. Good if you are ok following rules-no drinking, smoking or noise after 10pm. Good if $ isn’t an issue-they’re <em>really</em> over-priced. Good if you don’t want to think about cooking or cleaning. (if you aren’t going to be around for breakfast or lunch-especially if you’re at SBCC, you’ll be paying for all those meals you don’t eat).</p>
<p>Apartments-good if you are ready to be on your own and do your own shopping, cooking and cleaning. Good if you already know people or aren’t as social. Good if you are independent and can figure things out on your own (SBCC, bus schedule, etc) good if you want to party at home. good to save $-rent is less and you only buy food you’ll eat.</p>
<p>If you break the rules at Trop, it sounds like they’re pretty strict-you get fines, punishment and have to take alcohol classes! (all college freshman dorms have no drinking and noise ordinances, so if you have that mind-set it’ll be fine. Lots of kids at Trop think it’s like apartments and they should be able to do anything-if you have that attitude, you’ll hate it)</p>
<p>reading between the lines of post #72, it sounds like you might be thinking of living at Tropicana the 1st semester and then finding an apartment after that. I think that if you choose Tropicana they’ll make you sign a contract for the whole school year (not 100% sure, though)</p>
<p>Join the facebook group if you’re going to SBCC this fall (2012):</p>
<p><a href=“Facebook - log in or sign up”>Facebook - log in or sign up;
<p>Join the facebook group if you’re going to SBCC this fall (2012):</p>
<p><a href=“Facebook - log in or sign up”>Facebook - log in or sign up;
<p>Not sure if its already been posted, but has anyone finished TAG in a year or less then spent the rest of their years at UCSB? I have a lot of cc units that I got in high school so hopefully I can finish it early, and the units don’t work against me.</p>
<p>Like many students, I’m struggling with the lack of chance I have to be accepted in UCSB. I’m a great HS student with Honors and AP classes. But now that UCSB has raised its standards, I have no idea if I could get accepted. Sure UCM, UCD, etc are sure shots for me, but if I take that route, I would have to give up my dream of attending UCSB… </p>
<p>In looking for colleges, SBCC popped up, and once I saw it was a guarantee transfer to UCSB, I definately was interested. Although, I would have never considered going to a CC, I might just be changing my mind. If SBCC is guaranteeing my admission into UCSB, I would really love to attend. Especially if it’s also letting me be involved in the UCSB campus! </p>
<p>However, my only concern is the time it takes to finish the general eds/requirements in order to transfer… I live in the county of LA, and all the CCs surrounding me are overpopulated and affects getting the classes you need to transfer in a 2yr term. I’m wondering if SBCC has this same problem? (I hope not!)</p>
<p>You must mean UCR, not UCD. UCSB is not harder to get in than UCD. I would def recommend SBCC to save money the first two years. My chem 1 teacher had to cancel our first lecture because she also teaches at SBCC and had lost her voice. So why are my parents paying so much for me to go here when I could go to SBCC and get the same education? And IV is filled with SBCC kids, so the ‘lifestyle’ is the same for the most part. Don’t know if SBCC is overcrowded, you should be able to find out with a little googling.</p>
<p>i swear…the post is resurrected every single year…</p>