<p>My son was accepted at UCSanta Cruz, for some reasons he will probably end up not going there. It is the best school for marine biology (except San Diego, the only school where he was not accepted) so my dilema is:
if he doesnt go this will be on his record for next year or for his transfer?
Would it be better to wait 1 more year and re-apply on the UC's and go there for 4 years ( I think is a better education).
Or go to a community college for 2 years and then transfer?
Which way would be easier for him to be accepted again to a UC?
Please somebady who knows the rules help me!!! I don't know anything about transfering or what would be best.</p>
<p>I really apreciated all your answwrs.
Thank You!!!</p>
<p>Agree that asking to defer should be your first step. If that won’t work, ask about CCC to UC transfers on the UC Transfers subforum (under Transfer Students).</p>
<p>no, the problem is that they cut my hours at work and its very expensive to go there, no matter if it is car plane or whatever, it is so far away and he simply doesnt want to go that far.
I’m trying to see if Long Beach will do something (he was accepted there too!) but it looks like it is just too late.</p>
<p>While one can at some UCs transfer after just one year of CC (approx 30 credits), it is not a sure thing. Most students will get accepted after two years of CC (approx 60 credits) if their GPA meets a certain threshold.</p>
<p>There are ENTIRE threads devoted to whether or not CC followed by a UC/four year college is as good an education than all four years at the UC itself. The reality is that a student who applies himself at a CC will get nearly as much, and in some cases, more–and of course there are kids who go straight to the four year college and flunk out. The answer needs to be in full context without any white-washing of reality.</p>
<p>You haven’t stated why he can’t go to UC this year, so it leaves one guessing. All I’m saying is don’t get sucked into the elitist hype against CC… if CC is the right vehicle, and the kid wants it bad enough, he can soar. If the kid isn’t ready for college, and the problems severe enough, he’ll tank out no matter where he goes to college.</p>
<p>What would be on his record? As long as he withdraws in time or better yet, drops out before the 1st day of school, his transcript will be empty as if he never went. Just don’t miss that particular deadline if a clean transcript is the goal.</p>
<p>Transferring is easy to the UCs. I’d debate UCSD being better for Marine Biology, but then I’d be called biased since I go to UCSC ;)</p>
<p>Transferring from a CC is incredibly easy. I’m going to venture a guess that your son is a California resident, yes? If so, just enroll in a local CC that has a TAG agreement with any of the UCs your son is interested in (sans UCB and UCLA which do not have TAG agreements with anyone). If you can find a CC that has a TAP agreement with UCLA (a few might have one with UCB as well), even better.</p>
<p>Before beginning any program, though, look to see what the recommendation is from the desired UC. For some, IGETC is enough to complete the lower-division/general education work. For others, especially a lot of science programs, IGETC is prohibitive and they recommend a different course load for transfer.</p>
<p>You can check transfer agreements at assist.org</p>
<p>TAG = Transfer Agreement Guarantee
TAP = Transfer Alliance Program
IGETC = Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum</p>
<p>Anywho, since it sounds like money is the issue (as I’m typing this and reading the updated responses), deferment would be something to ask about as suggested. Did you fill out FAFSA? There’s a significant amount of money in the forms of Cal Grant and Blue and Gold (exclusive to the UC system).</p>
<p>It sounds like money and being far from SoCal are the problems? Local CC seems to be the answer to both problems. In two years, perhaps your financial situation will be better and your son will feel more confident about moving away. </p>
<p>The son of a friend was accepted by some of his UCs during his senior year of high school, but chose to go to the local CC instead. He went to CC for 3 semesters and transferred to UCSD. So being accepted to a UC and not going doesn’t seem to put a black mark on your record.</p>
<p>The key is to be focused, get good grades and plan your schedule well. You can get your math, physics and some of your chemistry out of the way at the CC level. CC students are given priority admissions to the UCs. If UC is the end goal, I’d rather go to a CC than a CSU–as Kender mentioned, the system is tilted to make CC transfers easy. But the transfers have to have at least 60 units in the bag, so if you are going to start at a CC, you’ll most likely have to stay there for 1 1/2 or 2 years.</p>
<p>assuming you are in CA- what part? My daughter was seriously interested in Humboldt for marine bio- it is a pretty good school- not quite Santa Cruz but different.</p>
<p>Humboldt State definitely has a great marine biology program. The atmosphere is similar to a “pygmy-Berkeley”, I suppose, and we have the only research vessel in the nation dedicated to undergraduate marine biology and oceanography programs. Great professors as well, with small class sizes. The only downside is that it’s quite a long way from Southern California, and distance from home seemed to be one of your problems.</p>
<p>“I’m trying to see if Long Beach will do something (he was accepted there too!) but it looks like it is just too late.”</p>
<p>If money is the problem a CSU like Long Beach would have significantly lower tuition than UC Santa Cruz but it would still be more expensive than a CCC. You may want to see what will cost you less over a four year period, 2 years at a CCC plus 2 years at a UC or four years at a CSU. You would also need to consider what the relative prospects are for eventually getting financial aid from CCCs, CSUs and UCs.</p>
<p>CSULB would also seem to meet your needs for a location in Southern California. I have no idea how well CSULB is regarded for Marine Biology but before enrolling there you want to be sure that its program will be one that your son would be satisfied to get his BS from. While UCs welcome transfers from CCCs and give them priority in admissions, CSU transfers are not welcome, and with the UCs seeking the much higher tuition non-residents pay, would probably give higher priority to a student transferring from an out of state four year college than they would to a CSU transfer applicant, making it is nearly impossible to transfer from a CSU to a UC.</p>
<p>Has your son discussed your reduced income with the financial aid department at UCSC? </p>
<p>It’s not clear to me whether part of the issue is travel expense – or whether it is that your son is reluctant to be that far from home. If the issue is concern over the cost, it is very common for students to use Craigslist to find ride sharing partners - so basically your son could probably travel to campus and back with minimal expense. Typically the ride sharers contribute something for gas, but its far less than the cost of airfare.</p>
<p>I am so grateful for all your advice. THANK YOU!!!
Santa Cruz gave him a BIG scholarship and the rest is on a student loan. so its financialy only for coming and going and yes I already know about the rides from there to here.
Mainly is just that emotionaly he is not ready, he has some good friends here but he is not very social, doesn’t like people very much and is kind of shy. Never been away from our house unless he goes with me (like to Mexico) or in some friends house.
Unfortunately my husband is 200% negative (which I’m not) and that afects him since he was little. So he is just like Daddy & it doesn’t matter what I say his attitude wont change so if i force him to go I know he will get depress and nobody will be there.
I already talked to therapist at santa cruz but his shyness will not let him go & get help.
Well now you know the whole story thank you. And yes there is a girlfriend too.</p>
<p>I think financially your son has a great deal here. He will not be able to have the big scholarship if he does not take it now. How did he survive 4 years of highschool? It looks like the local girlfriend is part of the holding back. I don’t think he is totally shy (at least he has a GF). From Long Beach to SC is about 6 hours drive or bus. He can go home every month to see you and his GF.</p>
<p>College will make him more mature and less shy. It made me less shy for sure. He may be upset at first that you forced him to go, but he’ll most likely thank you for it later on.</p>
<p>And the GF is NO reason to give up going to a school that he likes and is great for his intended major. They’ll most likely end up breaking up and it would have been a massive waste to not go away. GF/BF cannot dictate these decisions.</p>
<p>Who is the one in your family who wants to know what your son’s chances are to reapply in future years? Is that mostly something YOU are wondering about, because your son seems to have decided not to go to UCSC – or is that something HE is wondering about, that will factor into the decision? That is… does HE even care about whether he can go to UCSC later on?</p>
<p>now i’m really scared. He will not get the same financial aid next year, if he doesn;t take it now?
ok. what hapens if he goes for 1 quarter and gets out at that time?
Would it be a black spot on the record and it will be there forever?
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANSWERS!!</p>
<p>You have no way of knowing what sort of aid package he will get in a year – if he can even hold his spot. </p>
<p>If he goes for fall quarter he is probably either going to want to stay at the end of the quarter – or he will have decided that he doesn’t want to attend school at all. In other words – if he goes and and it turns out that things are o.k. for him – he makes friends, he enjoys college life, he likes his classes – then he’s going to get over all of the fears that are causing him to have second thoughts now. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if he ends up being miserable, either because the school isn’t really a good fit or simply because of his own negative attitude – then 3 months in school will confirm in his own mind that he doesn’t want to be there … and there will be little point in worrying about whether he hangs onto his spot or not.</p>
<p>It is possible that he could simply remain indecisive and conflicted, but its more likely that going for a quarter will resolve things one way or another.</p>
<p>From UC website:
UCSC
UC Santa Cruz does not automatically grant requests for delayed enrollment. Students who are interested in deferring enrollment must write a letter of appeal to the associate director of admissions (150 Hahn Student Services, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064) explaining their circumstances. Unless the appeal is granted, the applicant should request that all existing application materials be retained, and file a new application for the desired quarter. In the event that the request for delayed enrollment crosses academic years, a new application must be filed for consideration.</p>
<p>So, you can’t delay enrollment to the next academic year. Looks like S will need to attend now, request to delay by one term (not sure what would be the advantage here), or not attend. Why not try for one quarter, considering the great financial aid package, then decide later whether or not to continue? </p>
<p>If he decides not to attend now, he’s basically turning down a great scholarship. Transfer students don’t have the same access to merit awards as freshmen. Of course, if that’s the best decision (financially) for the family, then attending a CC is the best way to go for transfer students. As others have pointed out, the CSU system is much less expensive, and a transfer to one of them could be the best idea to save $.</p>
<p>Lots of kids have cold feet right about now–it could be that your S is experiencing just that. If the loans for UCSC are acceptable, I’d encourage him to give it a try. But if the finances can’t work, CC and transfer to a CSU can meet his needs just fine. Good luck!</p>