I’m going to be attending SJSU and I thought I wanted to go into the CS field. But I lately have been doing a lot of research on other things and have developed an interest in Cognitive Science. The only problem is that my school doesn’t have that major and I would really like to pursue Cog. Sci cuz it interests me a lot more than cs. I’m aiming for UCSD or UCB since those are the best schools for that major and was wondering if there’s any csu → uc transfers who have any advice/general tips they can give me.
I also know it would be easier to transfer from a cc but that isn’t an option for me because my parents are super strict and don’t want me dropping out.
Here are some tips from a CSU to UC transfer posted by a successful transfer.
- Get informed and and make a plan.
Use assist and college confidential to get informed and go out to look for any answers you might have. From ASSIST you will get all the information you need for the prerequisites you need for your major. Look up the major prereqs for every school you are interested in transferring to. When you know all the information for which classes to take, make a plan. Plan out which classes you need to take each semester before you transfer and how you will reach those mandatory 60 semester units needed to transfer to a UC. This is probably the most important part of transferring. The faster you have a plan the faster you get to transfer and you will have a easier and clearer path. And look through all the threads on the website and get a sense of what you need to do and what it takes to get a UC.
- Don't lose sight of the goal!
I know how hard it has been for me to keep my grades up and take enough classes to stay on track. So when you are striving to get As in those classes and you want to give up, don’t lose sight for what you are doing this for. CSU students probably have to the most to transfer because the odds are against us. If you are not willing to put in the work and you do not have the heart then trying to transfer is not for you especially if you are a CSU student. If you do put it in the work, trust me it will be worth it.
- Applications have to be perfect.
When you are finally applying to those UCs, make sure they are perfect when you submit them. Call all the schools you are applying, talk to some counselors, going to workshops if you can… do everything to make sure they are perfect. And for your personal insight questions, start early and and get some expert advice on them. Every CSU has a writing center to my knowledge, go to them with your essays and have them go over it for you and they’ll help you. Talk to counselors because they know what schools are looking for in a good essay and what an applicant should write.
- Plan for the worst.
The truth is that CSU students have last priority for transferring to UCs right after 1st) CC and 2nd)UC students. Some of us will not get into the schools we want or might not get into any that we apply to and that is the sad truth. So make a plan for every outcome that is possible. You might go to a UC that you did not expect or you might have to stay where you are now
You should: 1) make sure the classes you are taking at SJSU are transferable to the UC you are targeting; 2) maintain a high GPA, say at least 3.7, 3.8+; 3) consult with an advisor/counselor; and 4) consider spending either a semester or a year at SJSU and then transfer to a cc with a goal to transfer to the UC. I know of a person who wanted to attend UCB (rejected as freshman) and recently spent the freshman year at UCSC with a near 4.0 GPA in biology/pre-med. The person transferred to a cc to assure a higher priority (than other UC’s or CSU’s) in transferring to UCB. That person attained around a 4.0 GPA at the cc and was admitted as a junior at UCB this Fall. I know of another at SJSU who had a high GPA (3.8+) in engineering after 2 years and was denied a transfer to UCD this coming Fall. The person thinks the reason is CSU to UC is a lower priority than cc or UC (which is true) and some of the SJSU classes did not match or transfer to the UC equivalents
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major indicates that 3.8 college GPA is within the 25th-75th percentile admit GPA range for engineering majors at UCD, but typically in the upper part of that range. But engineering admit rates are pretty low, so other factors like essays and not coming from a community college could be significant factors.