Hello, I’m a senior in high school whose going to need to go to Community College first before applying to the UCs and my dream school is UCLA and I would love to be able to go there (for a multitude of reasons) and major in CSE (Computer Science Engineering) and Economics (if I could do that too). I’ve been doing tons of research and I’m just trying to find the best way into UCLA like for example which community college to go to (My choices are Foothill or De Anza although I’m willing to go somewhere else if needed), which special programs to enroll in, and anything else that will help ensure I get into UCLA. Also regardless of the school I plan on enrolling in the guaranteed admission program for UC Davis so that I can fall back on that if needed and info on that if anyone has it would be awesome too. Any help on what path I should take to get to UCLA would be GREATLY appreciated (and if you had any advice on what to do to prepare for this path I would appreciate that too)! My future is on the line so thank you so much for any help you can provide!
I live in the Bay Area. Both deanza and foothill are excellent choices. My daughter got into UCLA from CSM and your two have a higher acceptance rate. Either one is great!
Re Davis, just make sure you maintain full time status your last year. They have a wonky policy and going halftime either term can possibly mess up the TAG.
Bump
De Anza or Foothill can cover most UCLA CS prerequisites, but are missing UCLA CS 33 and M51.
Cañada College does have a course for UCLA CS 33.
For economics and math/economics (more math is better for PhD study in economics), the course articulations from De Anza to UCLA are the following:
However, if you want more math content in your post-transfer intermediate economics courses, UCSD will have that, and UCB and UCI offer a choice of high or low math versions. These will require multivariable calculus and/or linear algebra before transfer.
I go to both De Anza and Foothill and you should definitely go to Foothill specifically if you want to go to UCLA because Foothill has a transfer priority program for UCLA, while De Anza doesn’t. The transfer stats for CSE are pretty low, so having transfer priority is really important.
If you do go to De Anza, I suggest you try and major in something else similar to CSE which will still have basically the same upper division courses (try looking at Mathematics of Computations).
Make sure to look into UCLA TAP. I think Foothill has it.
As others have said, it’s highly competitive. I can’t give you any experience related to your major (except that
Oops, disregard that ^
The full post:
As others have said, it’s highly competitive. I can’t give you any experience related to your major (except that my cousin is a ME at an Ivy which need not be named), but I can give you a decent amount of experience, what I wish I would have done differently, etc.
1: Make sure you plan everything far in advance such that you will be able to have everything completed. If you have AP tests, that’s great, they might let you avoid taking introductory courses in different subjects, which is huge. The earlier you can finish your prerequisites / general education, the better. Because your major is selective, try to finish the prerequisites for your major by the end of the Fall (maybe it’s different for schools on the quarter system; I’m not sure, but again, earlier is better).
2: Don’t take too many courses your first term. Seriously. Many CC students (or college students in general) try to take too many courses and it ends up being overwhelming. Take it slow. I also recommend taking a class or two the summer before the Fall you start; classes are at a much quicker pace, and you will get used to the work of college courses. I didn’t do it, but I do wish I had. That can also help knock out courses you need to take! Also, while it is definitely good to join clubs and have good extracurriculars, DON’T overload yourself. Focus on academics first, and if you’re able to manage them, join various things!
3: ASSIST.ORG - Look at it, research all that you’ll have to do, look back on it somewhat frequently. It’s a huge resource that has often been of more use than my college’s counselors, but I don’t go to a school like Foothill, so take that with a grain of salt. In truth, talking to counselors would be good as well, they’re generally good about answering any questions you may have. Go to them to help you build a plan for transfer. This thread for UC Transfers is also helpful, if you need it.
4: Don’t procrastinate. Do the assigned readings before your classes. This makes the difference of being extremely stressed out, having to consume loads of coffee (oh yes, you’ll probably become a coffee drinker in college, it’s not easily avoidable), staying up late to finish work, and so forth, vs. being on top of your work.
5: STUDY. I never had to study in high school, and plenty of people are similar. But in college, you can’t afford to not study. Studying is completely essential.
6: I advise against commuting to school from home, but that’s my personal preference. Commuting has been a pain in the ass for me, I would have been significantly more relaxed to have lived on/near campus. This is often not avoidable, as it’s very expensive to live away from home, but yeah - if you can avoid it, avoid it. A friend of mine stays in an apartment at Foothill (I believe), and well, yeah - you get more of the college experience when you don’t live at home. I recommend it, take this with a grain of salt, it’s definitely expensive and in many cases not worth it financially.
7: Look for resources from UCLA. I go to school near Berkeley, so I was able to make it to a UCB Transfer Day. It was seriously helpful. They paired us with transfer liaisons (essentially tour guides that answered all of our questions) who have the same or similar majors to ours. To be able to talk with someone who actually transferred to the school you want to go to in a similar major to yours is immense. It made loads of difference.
8: I almost forgot! RATEMYPROFESSOR.ORG - make sure you consult this constantly. Seriously. Pick your classes as soon as you can, and try your best to have it with a good teacher for you. Keep in mind that many reviews are from CC students who don’t have similar goals to you - they just want to transfer, which is perfectly fine, but some students may be critical of teachers that you would consider good and heartily challenging. Still, this website is incredibly important, I can’t stress that enough.
9: Last but not least, be sure that your major is what you wish to do. You can’t really change your major easily as time goes on. A double major may be good for some, but it might not necessarily be for you! Talk to other transfers/prospective transfers/students about specifics. Minoring is always an option, for many it isn’t really necessary to take up multiple majors. This is all relative, if you have some background in both of the majors you suggested, by all means, fulfill the prereq’s for both and pursue them. CSE already looks incredibly rigorous, though, and it may a bit much to attempt to take up both.
tldr: Take it slow, don’t take too many classes at first, choose your classes carefully, make sure you’re taking all transferable classes (if you can), and try your best not to slack off, although everyone does it at some point.
Best way to get into CSE at UCLA is to take all of the major prep and get straight A’s. You don’t need to have CS 33 or even CS 32 to get in, but the more you have done, the quicker you’ll graduate. As long as you have CS 31 done you’ll be okay.
But you can get denied over one B (or even one A- if your school uses +/- grading) if it’s a competitive applicant pool for CSE.
True, but irrelevant for the OP who hopes to major in Computer Science. CS at UCLA is in the College of Engineering.
You don’t need TAP to get into UCLA. It helps but as long as you have a strong GPA, it won’t make a difference. And as mike says, many of the competitive majors don’t accept TAP.
Thanks for all the responses guys.
I also endorse the 4.0 