<p>hello,
I was thinking about colleges lately and i am a senior in highschool this year. i have always wanted to get into the medical program ever since i was a kid, and i still plan to, but i was wondering... what if I do not get into a UC.. If i go to a community college and then transfer to a UC.. would i be able to be a doctor.. or will i not be able because i went to a community college? And also do state colleges do transfers to UC's or only to other state colleges?</p>
<p>Getting into medical school is a bit different than what most people think–you do NOT need to attend a prestigious university and in fact, attending a prestigious university can actually be a hindrance. You need a very high GPA to get into medical school, not a fancy name-brand college. A student is better off attending a mid-tier college where they can get a high (3.8+) GPA rather than attend the prestigious or name-brand university and because of too much competition, suffer a lower GPA. </p>
<p>No one cares if you attend a CCC first before transferring to a 4year college (UC, CSU, or private). There is a lot of chat about how CCCs are not as good, etc–but a student who does well at a CCC can transfer into a UC and at the end of the day, their degree is from the UC. The gripe against CCCs tends to be a combination of snobbery combined with the reality that there certainly are weak students at CCC–but the strong honor students at CCCs usually thrive, are goal oriented, and transfer out and do VERY well at their 4year transfer universities.</p>
<p>I don’t understand your last question about state colleges. The reality is that anyone can transfer from ANY kind of college to ANY other kind of college. CSU to UC. UC to CSU. CCC to CSU. UC to CCC. Private to UC. CCC to UC. CCC to private. Etc!</p>
<p>However, how relatively easy it is to transfer from one type of college to another is often very different because of different transfer acceptance rates. In general:</p>
<p>You can transfer into a CCC almost anytime.</p>
<p>CCC (California Community College) transfer students have TOP priority to transfer into the UCs and CSUs because of a state government mandate. (Let’s call this the CCC-Advantage).</p>
<p>It is easier to transfer CCC to a UC than from a CSU to a UC because of the CCC-Advantage. There are very few CSU to UC transfers in comparison to CCC to UC transfers.</p>
<p>The privates in California do not seem to discriminate against CCC transfers–most of them seem to accept CCC students as readily as from other types of colleges. Of course, one still needs a good GPA to compete in the transfer process, but being a CCC student does not put a student at a disadvantage if they have the grades.</p>
<p>CSU to CSU transfers is a bit tough because the CSUs are servicing CCC transfer students first. CSU to CSU transfers are somewhat uncommon these days though not entirely unheard of.</p>
<p>Transferring to colleges in different states (OOS - Out of State) is a whole different ballgame and requires a different set of strategies.</p>
<p>I don’t live in CA, so I wouldn’t be the best person to ask, so although you can still get in, make sure the math/science credits will transfer. Don’t take all easy credits and get them out of the way, because although it’s a GPA booster, then later on, you could overload yourself with tough classes. IF it works for you, though, I would recommend a community college, because 2 years less debt is a wonderful thing.</p>
<p>In CA, nearly every basic class from a CCC will transfer to the CSU/UC system. That is the beauty of the CCC system here in CA. The only ones that do not transfer are pre-college level classes and ones that are a bit more unusual. But the basic Chem 1 and 2, Bio 1 and 2, English 1A, 1B, 1C, Soc 1, almost every Math class, etc–they will transfer.</p>