My dream university is UC Berkeley with the major computer science. I am going to attend community college before transfering to UCB.
- Is it true that attending colleges with the same state as the university will increase the acceptance rate? (for example attending foothill / De Anza has higher chances of getting accepted to UCB compared to Shoreline CC or North Seattle Community College)
- I am contemplating between these cc: Shoreline, NSC, Foothill, De Anza. Which one do you recommend and why (especially for the computer science classes)
The UCs prioritizes California community colleges over everything else when it comes to transfers. So for 1) the answer is yes if your target is Berkeley. As for 2) the best thing to do is to find the schools that cover as many lower division requirements as possible. It is expected that you declare the semester after you start. Assuming you have no AP credits, here’s a general list:
1 year of English (Reading and Comprehension)
1 year of Calculus
Differential Equations
Linear Algebra
Multi-Variate Calculus - nice to have
programming languages (Java, C++, Python)
Data Structures (computer science class)
Foreign language classes, if needed
A class that covers American Cultures (use assist.org for help)
Berkeley has 7 breadths (General Education) categories, you’ll want to use assist.org to find classes for articulation and take as many classes that articulate to each of those 7 (you need one of each).
Both the DeAnza and Foothill curriculums look pretty similar to me. If you’re thinking of moving out here for CC, those 2 are located in very high-priced neighborhoods, just as an FYI.
De Anza and Foothill are “sister” colleges in the same community college district. They’re both excellent. Both have high transfer rates to Cal and UCLA.
Foothill was just named the #1 online community college in California, and #3 in the nation. https://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/best-online-community-colleges?fbclid=IwAR17wNmBJl2MjbARUc9zHOmehBzuzmrIFxJokY0vnlPRkYFyV_yiOQEvxuM It’s not an online college; it just has an remarkable online course selection. It also has an excellent honors program. http://www.foothill.edu/hon
Both schools were high on the Top 50 Best Value Community Colleges 2019 (Foothill #6, De Anza #7.)
The campuses are very different (De Anza is more urban, although still in suburbia, and Foothill is quieter and greener.) The student body is much larger at De Anza. If these elements matter to you, the differences are worth exploring.
I can’t speak to the computer science courses, and don’t know anything about the other two community colleges you mentioned. But I do know Foothill and De Anza, and, more importantly, so does UC Berkeley.