I’m thinking about going to a city college or Fresno state. My ultimate goal is to go to a UC, which is safer an attempt to transfer after 4 at Fresno or 2 at a community?
If you are interested in transferring to a UC, go to a CC for 2 years and use TAG. http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/transfer/guarantee/
CSU to UC transfers are difficult and are not given priority.
@Gumbymom is true that going to a cc “almost always” takes longer than 2 years ?
It often takes longer than 2 years, but that is almost always because many students at community colleges are either making up for some deficiencies in their academic record, or they are not sure what they want to study and end up taking classes unrelated to what they eventually need to transfer, or they just don’t plan their classes well.
If you have a specific goal and a specific major in mind, and don’t need to take remediation courses in math or English, and if you plan all four semesters in advance, then you can indeed graduate in 2 years.
Some advice:
(1) If you know which UCs you are targeting and you know your major, then go to that UC website and look at the lower division courses in that major and be sure to take those equivalent classes at the CC. To be sure, check out www.assist.org, which has all the course equivalency agreements for almost all majors for schools in the CC, CSU, and UC system. The website allows you to pick your CC, pick your UC, pick your major, and then it lists all the courses that are equivalent to each other.
(2) If your first choice UC is a semester school, go to a semester CC… if it is a quarter school, then try to go to a quarter CC… it makes the transfer process go a lot more smoothly because it is easier to determine whether courses are equivalent.
(3) Register for classes ON THE FIRST DAY that you can… waiting until the last minute may mean classes you need fill up… putting you behind schedule which may mean you cannot transfer after 2 years.
AP credits can be used to fulfill some of the requirements, so if you have a decent amount, you can probably get through easily in 2 years. You may have to include some summer school also. For the UC’s, you need 60 semester or 90 quarter units that are transferable. The UC TAG program is a definite look see. If you meet the requirements, you are guaranteed admission at your choice UC. (UCLA/UCB/UCSD do not partipate).
Great advice above
If you want to earn a BS/BA from a UC in a timely fashion, a CSU will derail you.
I’ll add, to make it through a CC in 2 years, you have to be flexible about your schedule (like 8:00 AM Monday and 4:00PM Friday, and perhaps occasional evening classes) and pretty myopic about your goal. Switching target schools and majors WILL derail your plan.
The great thing about TAG is they (the target UC) tell you the classes you need to take and the GPA (3.3 to 3.6 for most majors) you need to earn… then you have to go do it. You know before you submit your application that they have a spot for you.
I will caution, a 3.5 GPA at the college level (even a CC) isn’t a cake-walk. You will be working for those grades.
If your goal is a Masters or higher from a UC, (You post notes transferring from Fresno after 4 years) getting your BS/BA at your local CSU is a great idea.