Hi there, I’ve been denied from all the schools I applied to. I’ve finished two years at a community college in Colorado with a 3.9 and just want to get out of here and get to California. I didn’t apply to CO schools because I can’t bear the idea of living here anymore.
I’m wondering what my options are. Was I maybe at a disadvantage trying to transfer from a CO CC to a big CA UC? Am I even allowed to apply again next year?? What if I took a third year at like Santa Monica College and applied from there? Please help, I feel like this is the end of my dream to go to a good college
In-state CA CC transfers get priority so coming from OOS, you have the lowest priority. If you take a year at SMCC, then you would have a better chance as a transfer.
Which schools did you apply? I would also widen your college list for next if you plan to reapply.
All the UCs and USC. Do you think I’ll still be allowed to apply even if I take a third year at SMCC? Is there a unit limit?
The maximum # of transferable units for the UC’s is 70 semester/105 quarter units (all lower division). Any credits over that amount will be given subject credit.
You have a competitive GPA so I believe some of your CO CC courses were not UC transferable, so you were probably under the minimum 60 semester/90 quarter units for those schools. I cannot say what went wrong with USC, but the UC’s are very particular in having the minimum transfer units along with all major prep completed.
There are a huge number of options other than staying in Colorado, or attending a university of California.
What is your budget? What do you want to study in university? Would you be willing to consider schools that are not in California?
Two years of community college with a 3.9 GPA will definitely get you into a good university somewhere. I am surprised that it did not get you into at least UC Merced, but I don’t know the California system at all well.
Personally I would look for other schools rather than take another year at CC. One obvious option is to take a gap year, work for a year, and apply to either some CSU’s or some universities that are in neither California nor Colorado. Also, I think that there are still some schools that are taking applications for the fall.
Do you have the funds to attend a UC or CSU since they do not provide funding for nonresident students. It’s $65K per year at the UC’s. Attending SMCC for a year isn’t going to give you residency status. The CSU’'s will be $42K per year.
I haven’t heard from USC yet but just want to plan now because of the bad news from everywhere else. @Gumbymom Do you think if I go to SMCC that I won’t have the same problem of my credits not being valid? @DadTwoGirls and @“aunt bea” budget isn’t a huge issue since my parents will pay wherever I go. What other schools could I still apply to at this point, isn’t almost every school past the application deadline? I’ll look into it myself, just wondering if any big names pop into mind. I might just take a gap year if it comes to that, but if my problem is my current state, I’d want to go to a school in the same state as the 4 year uni.
I want to study marketing, I worked a marketing job for 3 years after high school and didn’t go to college because of unmedicated ADHD. I got medicated and did great at CC so I want to further my professional knowledge.
What kind of budget do you and your parents have? There are scads of other private colleges and universities in CA that you could consider. Would you like to live in a particular part of CA? Then think about moving there,getting a job to establish local residence, and checking out all the educational options. The minute you turn 24, you will be independent for financial aid (if you find you need it), and your state of residence will be where you live, not where your parents are.
I would first find out why you were denied such as not meeting the minimum UC/CSU transferable units? Not having all the required pre-req courses completed etc… so you can determine your next step. I would not come to California without a specific plan in mind. You need to find out if a year at SMCC will meet the requirements you need to transfer for next year.
I agree with @happymomof1: There are many CA schools beyond the Cal states, UC’s and USC that may be good options to consider.
For Marketing, especially if you want to get into the workforce immediately after graduating, the Cal States and some privates that have good Business schools would be better options than many of the UC’s.
There is a tool called ASSIST that tells you what classes taken at a CC in CA will transfer; not all classes taken at a Calif CC will transfer. See http://web2.assist.org/web-assist/welcome.html
Given that you attended a CO community college then all of your units should have been lower-division. There is never a problem with the unit limit if all tranferable courses you have taken are both (1) lower division (2) not taken at a UC campus. They will only count 105 units towards the units you need for UC/CSU graduation but you get subject credit for every transferable class you took.
Given your academic ability you should look into TAG. With a year at a Calif CC this offers guaranteed admission to 5 UC campuses (you won’t qualify for the 6th, Davis, since they require attendance at a CA CC starting spring semester before your final CC year). Check to make sure you’ll qualify for TAG, but I think there is no CA resident requirement.
Look into the Associate Degree for Transfer that guarantees admission to some CSU https://www.adegreewithaguarantee.com/en-us/abouttheprogram/abouttheguarantee.aspx I don’t know if you’d qualify, but you can check with them.
Lastly since you live in CO you should look into the Western Undergraduate Exchange https://www.wiche.edu/state-highlights/colorado This gives discounted tuition for OOS students for some majors and campuses in CA.
Keep in mind that you will never get UC residency for tuition purposes no matter how long you live in CA, no matter if you get a job here, etc. as long as you receive any support from your parents. The rules are very strict. So you will always be paying OOS rates.
SMCC is a very good CC. It is one of the 19 CC that supplied half of all UC transfers according to https://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-uc-transfers-20140515-story.html You might want to also consider a CC that gives more of residential vs commuter feel (eg. Santa Barbara CC, Cuesta College, etc) where you can live in the 4-year college community while taking classes at the CC.
California OOS tuition is triple the cost of what you could be paying. Instead of paying for the privilege of living in CA, finish your degree, then get a job there. Then someone is paying you for the privilege of living in CA. There’s no university in CA that offers something that CO doesn’t already have.
“Keep in mind that you will never get UC residency for tuition purposes no matter how long you live in CA, no matter if you get a job here, etc. as long as you receive any support from your parents. The rules are very strict. So you will always be paying OOS rates.”
This is not necessarily the case. OP says he worked for 3 years after HS and plans to move to CA for a third year of CC. So at that point most likely he would be 24 and have lived in CA for a year. So a careful reading of the rules is needed, not blanket statements.
If OP moves to CA before September 2019, does a year at CC and turns 24 before Dec 2020 then if the rules are followed with regard to physical presence and establishing domicile, it should be possible to qualify for resident status for the 2020-21 academic year.
https://www.ucop.edu/general-counsel/_files/ed-affairs/uc-residence-policy.pdf