<p>I'm in a real dilemma here.I'm considering going to either Santa Monica College or any of the 4 year Universities i'll be applying for Fall 2009 admissions(I live in Southern California). </p>
<p>Weighted GPA:3.44
Non-weighted GPA:3.0
UC GPA:3.44
SAT I:1980
SAT II:720/620</p>
<p>I really struggled through high school and i'm really glad I only have a year left. I mean it just sucked for me,I recently failed my pre-calculus class and will have to retake it my senior year.</p>
<p>Santa Monica College
Pros:
-SMC has the highest transfer rate to UCLA of all CC's across the nation
-Cheaper
-It's in Santa Monica
-I could live with my sister in her apartment since she works in LA.
-I'm still able to move away from my family.(They'll be like an hour away)
-I'll most likely end up at UCLA----a top school,baring any major meltdown
Cons:
-I'd miss the Freshman experience (i.e. connections with professors and other social connections,living in a dorm,etc)
-Don't really know how my friends would react.I mean they really are good friends,but for the most part they can be judgmental and very cocky.Most of them are probably already going to go to CAL,UCLA,UCSD,etc out of HS.</p>
<p>Univeristy of California Irvine/Davis/Santa Barbara/Riverside/Santa Cruz/Merced</p>
<p>Pros:
-Won't miss the Freshman experience
-Better education
-Friends wouldn't judge me
-Out of the house(well I guess i'd be out regardless)
Cons:
-Expensive compared to CC,plus I know I won't get a scholarship since I failed math recently.
-Depending on which UC I'd get in i might not enjoy it knowing I could have gone to CC and than tranfer to UCLA.I mean I'd be very satisfied with going to Irvine,Davis, or Santa Barbara and this wouldn't even be an issue, but most likely I won't get into those schools...and I'd be stuck with SC,Riverside, and Merced.</p>
<p>I really just don't know.I'm getting all this flak from my sister and family. I'm Asian so my parents would probably disapprove of going to a CC since my stupid sister went to Stanford and now goes to UCLA for her JD.So expectations were/still high for me and I've been kind of viewed as a disappointment.</p>
<p>Your stats aren't really that bad. I'd focus on your upcoming senior year if you plan on applying to other schools before worrying about your dillema. Seriously don't count yourself out just yet. You can take SATs all the way up to November. I think the UCs even accept tests taken in December but you'll have to check up on that. So you can still work on trying to improve your scores.</p>
<p>Also all the UC schools use a formula like system for admission (except for UCLA and Cal which use a more holistic system). So if you study their formulas, you can plan strategically into hopefully getting into a UC that's satisfying enough for you.</p>
<p>Prospective</a> Students: UC San Diego Comprehensive Review Admission Process: Freshman Selection, Fall 2008
That's UCSD's comprehensive review and it's basically a point system. You take your UC gpa multiply it by a 1000 for a max of 4500 points. Then take your combined SAT and (2) SAT subject scores and multiply that by 0.8 for a max of 3200 points. And then you add an assortment of points from other characteristics so that you can have a total of 11000 points I believe. Based on your final score they determine whether you get in or not with an approximate cut off score which I think is about 7500ish (changes every year). The essays really don't help you unless they highlight stuff that might get you points from step IV. Just study that and the other systems for the other UC schools (they have different systems) and you can plan strategically to hopefully get into a school that's satisfying enough for you.</p>
<p>Search the UCSD (and the other UC) forums for topics on comprehensive review. People talk about what they think the cut off scores were and stuff.</p>
<p>Also if you do still end up going to CC route I wouldn't worry about what others think. There's really no shame on doing it and if your friends look down upon you just for that, then they're ******bags. And don't mind your parents either. I'm not saying to slack off but you can't always live your life tied down by the expectations of others.</p>
<p>I say that if you can get into either Irvine, Davis, or Santa Barbara, it's totally worth it to go. If you can't, I would go to SMC and try to transfer to one of the better UCs.</p>