Ditching CSUF for OCC to transfer to UCI

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Irvine
1

I’m currently a Senior HS student and my main goal was to attend UCI. Unfortunately, I was rejected but was admitted to CSUF - which was my backup plan. However, I really wanted to attend a UC school especially UCI to study Biology as it is one of the prestigious UCs.

I’m planning to ditch CSUF to attend OCC instead and participate in the TAG program to guarantee my admission to UCI (hopefully, if that’s true). However, I’ve been told that being a transfer student can also be competitive? I understand that there are certain requirements that need to be met such as maintaining a 3.4 GPA and receiving 60 credits in two years. But is it true that I will still have competition when planning to transfer to a four-year institution even though I will be in the TAG program?

Am I making the right decision to ditch CSUF for an OCC in order to reach my goal to attend UCI?

Or is attending CSUF is a safer option than putting myself at risk and putting more dedicated work?

2

Go to community college. If you do well, you will be able to transfer to UCI. And if you do TAG, it is a guarantee. It’s also not terribly difficult to do well in CC.

Getting admitted to a UC from a CC in California is much less difficult than getting admitted from HS. If you get good grades, you will be competitive for even UCLA or Berkeley. (I transferred from CC to Berkeley.)

3

But isn’t it too late to sign up for cc?

4

I was in your situation in hs. I got into UCI for Computer Science, I went to CC

5

You have to think about the pyramid of how transferring works. The BASIC guideline to percentage on getting transferred is this:

Community college—> UC (higher percentage. UCs prefer CC students FIRST)
CSU—> UC (middle percentage, it’s possible)
UC–> Another UC (very low percentage, but it is possible as well)

Like everybody had said, CC lets you save money and gets you into UCs “easier” depending how well you do. I would say go to CC. CSUF isn’t worth unless you’re entering business, nursing, or teaching.

(And no it’s not too late to sign up to a CC. Technically, they’re always open for registration, but it’s just when quarter starts is their own scheduled terms (winter, spring, summer, fall))