It’s a crazy idea. but has anyone done that or knew somebody else who has done that before?
Many people go to a CCC and then get into Berkeley. I’m sure quite a few started off somewhere else like a 4-year place before going to a CC.
Are you a CA resident? If not going to a CCC will not get you instate tuition.
What school are you currently attending? Are you a CA resident? How many units do you currently have and intended major?
In your other post, you indicate that you received an F for plagiarism and made it up.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/2093698-i-got-a-4-0-gpa-but-i-also-got-an-f-on-my-transcript-how-bad-was-that-in-terms-of-transfer.html#latest
As an international student, you will be paying full fees wherever you go. The CCC’s will be competitive and tough.
The UC’s are tougher, competitive and unyielding. They have to be because they have so many students wanting to get in. They expect you to be ethical and honest. If you find the need to plagiarize again, you will be expelled.
Your post is vague. It implies you are currently at another college. Partly, it would depend on how many upper division units you have as they are calculated differently than lower division and can make you ineligible as you could go over the unit maximums. But yes, people do start at one college, transfer to a CCC and start afresh. In the end it will depend on your total units, your GPA and your major course completion.
FWIW, the past is the past and it’s unfortunate it was dragged into this post IMHO with the implication you might be unethical again. You retook the course, got an A and noted that you are extremely regretful and accept full responsibility. Everyone should be afforded a new start. Based on your earlier post, which was reposted above, there’s no reason to believe it will happen again. It is not necessary to explain it in the application unless you want to. You seem to have learned from your mistake. Just move forward in a positive manner. Good luck.
Hi all, sorry for ignoring this post for a while. Thank you all for the honest advices. So yes I did receive an F on transcript and made it up to get 4.0 afterwards. I swear to God I will never do it again.
And yes, I’m an international students studying in another state, and tuition may not be the primary concern. It was a long story but I struggled to make my way to the U.S., so I inevitably made some irrational decision regarding with college choices. It seems that I ended up with in an institution i don’t like that much. That’s the primary reason I wanted to transfer. Moreover, I intended to explore more on fields other than STEM, which my home institution might not be able to do this.
Among all schools I like UCs the best. Not only because the weather, but in terms of academic, I have several friends studying there and I was convinced that this is what I want. Also, I spent a whole summer at a Californian college (just a private college, bare with me that I don’t wanna say more about it :))
With all that being said, this is why I asked this question. So I wonder if I could to go to a CCC for a semester or a year, then transfer to one of the UCs. By far I had taken 40 college credits, among which I think approximately 30 are transferable to UCs. I intended to do a math major, given that I had failed in a CS course. If possible, I would also like to do a dual/minor in social science.
Also, I believe I had some wonderful activities that is really worth to be written in my essay.
Sorry if I had been vague, I think this should be the whole picture of the problem. Thanks for paying attention anyway 
If you have approx. 30 UC transferable units, you would probably need to spend another year at a California community college to meet the minimum eligibility of 60 semester/90 quarter units.
You will be paying out of state fees at the California CC’s so make sure they are affordable by checking each CC’s cost of attendance. If you take 30 or more units at a California CC, then you can TAG to one of the 6 of the 9 UC campuses.
Here is the TAG information: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/transfer/guarantee/index.html
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/tag-matrix.pdf