<p>Im going to try to keep this as short and simple as possible. Im feeling pretty anxious and nervous about my college career, and would appreciate any advice or feedback that is offered. Ive kind of flip-flopped on what I want to study in college since high school and have not made too much progress given I graduated in 2005. That being said, Ive gotten to know myself a lot better through the process and I have ended up interested in Public Policy (or something similar), Economics or English while minoring in Spanish. My goal is to get that 4-year degree and become an officer in the US Coast Guard. Ive listed some questions below, with the first one being the most important to me at the moment, as I have to make a decision very soon. </p>
<p>1) Would completing my community college career out-of-state hurt my chances of getting into a UC? I have the opportunity to move to Boston and attend community college there for one or two semesters, basically my motive for doing so is to experience new things as well as getting out of my parents house and experiencing life on my own. Or
2) Should I finish up at Berkeley City College instead? Its situated right next to Cal Berkeley, which is a school Im really interested in attending. It wouldnt be nearly as exciting as moving to the East Coast though.
3) Im worried that having had so many semesters with a lighter course load without any real job will reflect badly upon my application. Two semesters I completed 11 units, one semester was 12 units, one semester was 14 units and one only 6 units. Is finishing up with meatier course loads a good idea? BTW: My GPA is currently a 4.0 (54 units), completed mostly at Diablo Valley College.
4) Does anyone have school recommendations for the majors I have listed? I have a very light grasp of the different UC schools programs and their difficulty of entrance. </p>
<p>Sorry for the length of my post, but thanks to anyone that took the time to read it.</p>
<p>1 & 2. I think if you only have one or two semesters, and if you are a California resident, you should finish in California. For one, you will still pay really cheap fees for CCC credit units (the cheapest in the country, I think), and for two, you won't lose your California residency for UC tuition. If you do go out of state, watch your credit units and don't go over the limit! I think it is 70 semester units for Berkeley. Check the UC website for credit limit policies at each UC.</p>
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<li><p>I don't know if not having a full load while not really working or doing other extracurriculars will hurt or not (it might for Cal or UCLA). But what do you mean by "real" job? No job? Working at a movie theater? Being a janitor? Selling vintage clothes on eBay? All jobs are real, in my opinion. If you haven't really worked at all or done much of anything, start volunteering, find an internship* or join a school organization NOW in order to pad your application.
*Public Policy masters programs usually want applicants who have actually worked in the Public Policy field. There are probably a lot of internships or unpaid volunteer positions in Public Policy firms. Search "Public Policy" on Google to get started.</p></li>
<li><p>English is supposedly one of the top majors that transfer students go into at Berkeley. Their econ program is highly rated, too, but tough to get into. They do not offer Public Policy as a BA/BS, but do have a minor (I would probably recommend going elsewhere for PP and then applying to the Goldman School of PP at Cal for your MPP). I can't really say for the other UCs. Get online, look at the websites for each UC you might want to attend, and see what they offer. </p></li>
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<p>If you are female and want an MPP, you might want to look into Mills College for their 4+1 BA/MPP program. In that case, you could go straight to Mills without having to take another semester of comm college and finish with a Masters degree in less than 4 years. With a 4.0 GPA, you are likely to be awarded their dean's scholarship at least, if not more.</p>
<p>To the first question, I think which semesters you are out of state does matter your priority. Eventhough I am not sure I figure you'd better stay in a CCC in the last whole year prior to transfer</p>
<p>Thanks for your answers. The room I was to be staying at in Boston already got rented, so the decision was really made for me. On that note, it appears that staying in California was a good idea anyway.</p>