<p>Hello, I just had a few questions about prereq completion:</p>
<p>I feel as if even though I am applying to pretty much the same majors, some of the prereqs differ slightly or conflict for different UCs (for instance UCLA's math major comp course equivalent at my CC is a course called "CISP 31", but UCD's math major comp course equivalent is "CISP 21." These are two separate classes and I don't think I have the time to complete both). In this case should I just prioritize the prereqs for the school I want to get in to more?</p>
<p>With that being said, is that why some people might get into both UCB and UCLA, and end up getting rejected by mid-tiers like UCD/UCSB? Since I imagine aside from GPA, prereq completion trumps all, and similar majors certainly don't share identical prereqs. </p>
<p>So to sum up my concerns:
- Because of the above reasons, do I just prioritize the prereqs for the school I want to get in to more?
- Which brings up another question...what if the course equivalent of something is not available at your CC? Would that affect your admission just as much as not completing the course (if you were at any other CC that happened to have it)? I have read about some people going to a different CC just to complete a course prereq and I imagine this must be the case.</p>
<p>Thanks to anyone for taking his/her time to reply!</p>
<p>I assume you would complete the ones that are for the UC you want to get into, but maybe take into consideration if that UC is a reach because you might screw the pooch and not get into either.</p>
<p>Next, if the CCC does not have the course, you should look to see if it is offered within your district and try to wedge it in, if it is. They may take into consideration if the course was offered close by. Otherwise don’t worry about it. They will not hold that against you.</p>
<p>As far as which pre-req’s to complete: my counselor advised me to complete the ones that would apply to the majority of
Schools I’m applying to and complete any that are unique to my #1 choice. So I will not be taking those that only 1 or 2 of my schools I’m applying to ask for, except those at my #1 choice. </p>
<p>As far as something not being available at your CC, it depends. I would suggest emailing the admissions for your major dept at your target schools and asking. Everyone, even my counselor, told me they’d excuse missing a required course if my school didn’t have it. But when I emailed the UCSB Engineering admissions rep she said no, one of the classes that wasn’t even offered in my district was absolutely necessary for consideration, and she gave me a list of CC’s that offer it online so I could take it. She said without it I would be immediately rejected. No other UC requires this course for admission. So ask. I have had great luck with getting prompt (<4 day) turn around and helpful answers when I email UC folks. </p>
<p>Interesting @bear87, thanks. I’d be curious if this has happened with others as it is an unusual stance. UCSB keeps coming out as the stickler (in my book).</p>
<p>EDIT: I just looked at the list and there are five required courses that MUST be completed. Was it one of those because that I can understand. But if it was in the highly recommended, it’s kind of weird that it would suddenly be in the “required or immediate rejection” list, because right above in the text it says it can be completed at UCSB.</p>
<p>If it was in the recommended section, it would be interesting to hear from others how often this has happened. </p>
<p>Having said this it’s always wise to email the transfer advisor at UC and confirm.</p>
<p>And I will amend my earlier statement saying you didn’t need a course not offered. Based on @bear87’s alert, I saw that they have “required” underlined for five courses, so that is pretty definitive. Sorry.</p>
<p>Thanks @Bear87 and @lindyk8 for your responses! Knowing that, it does add a little bit of pressure if I want to look appealing to as many UCs as possible.</p>
<p>And on the other note I guess if a prereq is just “Recommended” (and specifically says “Note: Not required for admission”) then I suppose I don’t have to take a course equivalent, but at the same time it probably makes me look more competitive.</p>
<p>Also, interestingly, UCSD’s prereqs are much more cumbersome than UCLA’s and UCB’s for the same general major I want to apply to…looks like I can’t rely on SD much as a “back up” since I really want to focus on LA and Cal x_x</p>
<p>In any case I guess it is still better to email the respective advisors at their UCs and confirm. Thanks again!</p>
<p>It was a “required” class not recommended. Still, I had been advised by many people if it wasn’t available locally the requirement would be waived. </p>
<p>Also, yes, UCSB does seem to be a lot more strict on such things. </p>
<p>@Bearly For any major outside of Biology and the College of Engineering, UCSD does not really care about prerequisites. You could be a physics majors, and not have taken a single physics class at your CC, and UCSD would still accept you as long as you had a competitive GPA. However, take this with a grain of salt, since UCSD has taken a holistic approach when evaluating applicants this year. Part of their new approach could be checking whether a student has completed prerequisites.</p>
<p>If you are applying for a math major at UCLA, you don’t need to take the programming classes at CC. They just want you to have Calc 1-3 done + either Linear Algebra or Differential Equations. </p>
<p>@CollegeDropout1 Well when a UCLA admissions counselor came to my school and met with her, she said that I HAVE to finish Calc 3 + Linear Algebra, but I was applying as Math/Econ as my backup which doesn’t require physics, so there was no mention of it.</p>
<p>I imagine it isn’t important, I see a lot of people end up taking it later on anyways. The plus side is you won’t have to take the labs if you wait til UCLA (for math majors). </p>
<p>Hm I guess I have no need to worry as I’m not even going into an impacted major. Oh and @CSB111 I guess I should mention I specifically I want to apply for UCLA’s Applied Mathematics major (and other school’s applied math majors), which is why the C++ class is needed. But judging from what has been said, I shouldn’t have to worry if I’m missing just 1 or 2 prereqs (classes are kinda hard to get but with my current/planned schedule I should have them all done by the end of spring, finger crossed). Thanks guys!</p>
<p>@Bearly PIC10A, the C++ class, is a requirement for all math majors. It is actually expected that you take it at UCLA. I would just focus on finishing your math classes and try and knock out physics. I wanted to switch to Applied Math or Math of Computation but if I do, I have to take physics, which is a bigger pain than taking C++. </p>
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<p>@CSB111 Oh things look okay for me then, I’ve fulfilled physics too. And speaking of finishing up math courses, it would it look weird if I multiple math courses in a semester because I didn’t take it for one quarter? Cause for a math major I think would certainly look bad if someone didn’t take math one quarter/semester (which was what I did cause I didn’t know I wanted to go into math). But to make up for it I’m doubling up on math courses (just for this semester) so I can get them all in. I mean credit-wise and pre-req wise it shouldn’t matter, but I’m just worried about how it will affect my appearance. But maybe (hopefully) I’m overthinking it and all they care about is whether you’ve taken the classes and passed them with a good grade, regardless of what whacky scheduling was involved</p>