Community College TAG Program (De Anza)

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

Hey CC,

I’m currently on the waiting list for UCD and UCSD for Biomed. Engi./Bioinformatics, and If I don’t happen to get into those schools, I think I’d rather transfer in than go somewhere else (saves money). So I’d just like some clarification on the TAG program (De Anza’s specifically).

1- I’m aware that the TAG program applies to all UCs aside from UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UCSD, but aside from that, how does it exactly work? Do you, for example, notify UC Davis saying that you would like to TAG for a certain major, take those classes, pass with a certain GPA, and you’re automatically in (I contacted UC Davis regarding this, and they said even if you do that it’s not guaranteed, so that confused me sure enough)?

2- Is the TAG program binding, meaning if I TAG to UC Davis, I can’t apply as a regular transfer to UCSD for example?

3- Will the UCs look at other things aside from GPA and if you completed the said courses to see if you’re eligible for TAG?

4- How long will the TAG process take? I’m pretty sure it’s 2 years, but just making sure. Will I transfer into the UC as a Junior?

5- Does the TAG program work differently per major? I will probably major in a BioSci or Engi major, just for reference.

6- Is TAGing (or even transferring) looked down upon by Grad/Med schools?

7- This ones about community college in general, but will my extracurriculars that I do in community (such as clubs, sports, jobs, etc.) count for when I’m applying to Grad schools (such as med, etc.), as I believe that is something they will look at?

8- Another off topic one, does community college make the student seem more stupid to undergrad/grad schools? I wouldn’t want my 34 ACT and 4.2 UC GPA to go unnoticed :frowning:

Thanks to all who reply, appreciate it.

2
  1. Pretty much sums it up, EXCEPT some schools are different. You need to read the TAG matrix and make sure you understand what is needed by you and by when. 2.No
  2. I don't think so unless you are a rare case. Pretty much maintain said 1. requirements and you should be in.
  3. Yes. You wouldn't be able to transfer as FM or Soph with what is needed for TAG. ( I think. Ha)
  4. Yes, for some schools like UCSB you can't tag into the Engineering but you can for Letters and Science. Again, the TAG reqs from 1. Per school.
  5. I'm gonna go ahead and say no. How would they even know you TAGed? Med school is GPA based and possibly ECS based.
  6. Im sure all things considered, they look at it but I feel like its more GPA based.
  7. And no, most of my teachers received their masters or phd as cc transfers too!

Sidenote: I think CCs have this bad reputation of being sublevel compared to going straight into university. It’s not. Yes, some classes are watered down but it depends what you are getting into. Use ratemyprofessor to find those teachers that are a challenge and are good. Obviously it depends what school you go to and whatnot but again the same argument goes for university.
CCs save you the two years(time will vary) financial aid and allow you to survive the weeder courses designed to de-motivate university incoming freshmen. You seem like a motivated person, then you’ll excel at CC and transfer in ready to not pay double the price for those years. I also suggest keeping an eye on IGETC and plan out your years to maximize what you’ll get done.

TLDR: Don’t doubt yourself yo.

Anything misspelled, blame my phone and I welcome any corrections by other CC users.

3

@kamiture Thank you so much, you cleared so much up for me. TAGing seems like a definite option, but I’ll first wait for waitlist results though.

4

I wish I knew more about Med.school and bio reqs so I can only answer generally. TAG is awesome but I do hopw the waitlist comes through. :smiley:

5

This is what De Anza has posted about this year’s TAG agreement. I really hope it helps! https://www.deanza.edu/transfer/pdf/tag_sho_ucd.pdf

If you have any questions about De Anza itself, let me know :slight_smile:

6

I would go to mission college or ohlone if i were you. They have TAP with UCB and UCLA which is basically like TAG. The advantage is that you will be able to tag to either any uc that allows it and you will also be able to TAP to either la or UCB.

7

TAG is the single greatest program offered by the California colleges. Just pick your favorite TAG school (for me it was UCSB), keep your GPA above a 3.2, and then you can also still apply to whatever other schools you want. TAG just allows you to sleep easier.

And yes, you can transfer as a junior, however sometimes there are courses that you’ll have to take at the university that aren’t going to be offered at your CC. So you might have to pick up a summer course at some point (which isn’t a huge deal IMO).

As far as how long TAG takes: that’s really up to you. You can get 60 units done in 2 years if you want to like I did, but I have a lot of friends that spent 3+ years getting it done. It just depends how quickly you want to get away from home and move on. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do it as quick as possible

Good luck!

8

@kamiture @1teenwolf @SwaggypUCLA @halosfan4ever Thanks for all the help, it was really informative. The only thing I am confused on is in regards to Grad/Med Schools. I’ve read that they usually want students to take those pre-med prerequisites at a 4 year college, as they have more validity. Is this true? If so, how should I go about college? Should I just attend a school like UC Irvine? Appreciate your replies.

9

@honcho I am pre med and med school dont care about where you take your classes. Some people even get accepted to med schools straight out of community college

10

@SwaggypUCLA I’d sure hope so. BTW does De Anza not have a TAP with UCLA or UCB?

11

i am not sure. ohlone has it with berkeley, so does chabot and mission has it with UCLA. they also have honors program. I would go there if i were you, its really easy. Stay away from ohlone tho. Hardest bio series ever. lol

12

@honcho There are different programs that UCB works with for transfer students – TAP, Puente, Pathways, etc. De Anza does show up on UCB’s northern california community college TAP list, but they (De Anza) is also one of 5 community colleges in northern California taking part in UCB’s Pathway Partnership Program (so I don’t think De Anza has TAP).

Talk to an adviser at DeAnza and get further information (and clarification) on UCB’s Pathway Partnership Program (and if that was a replacement program at DeAnza for TAP)

http://cep.berkeley.edu/transfer-alliance-project-tap
https://www.deanza.edu/transfer/partnerships/
http://summer.berkeley.edu/pathways
http://summer.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/pathways_bro_General_smaller.pdf

13

With your 34 ACT and high GPA, NO ONE is going to think you are “stupid.” Many people go to CCs first and then transfer to UCs in order to save money. That is not looked down upon. I do not think the two years at CC will hurt you in any way when you apply to grad school as long as your grades at the UC for your junior and senior years are top notch. Grad schools will expect you to have good grades at both the CC and the UC. Grad schools will also look at your standardized test scores and the other things you did in college (or during summers) that are relevant. Most schools & employers look only where you graduate from and not where you attended first. Good luck!