Does it matter which community college I go to if i'm trying to transfer to a UC?

Transfer Students
1

So i’m a high school senior,and i’m planning on going to a community college because it’s cheaper and I want to have a better chance of getting into UC Santa Barbara. I was wondering if it mattered which community college I went to. Does one community college give me a better chance of getting in than another? Also, would I have a better chance of getting into UCSB if I went to the Santa Barbara City College?

2

Your chances may be slightly better. If you do well enough, you can qualify for TAG (transfer admission guarantee), and get into UCSB that way.

Generally speaking, SBCC is a feeder school, so going there might give you some advantage, but no, it isn’t necessary. Just go to the best CC that is the most convenient for you, or has programs/courses that you find interesting.

3

Use ASSIST.org to see which CCs have the best coverage of courses that you need for your major at your target UCs and CSUs.

4

I diddo goldencub’s post. Just do well at community college… it isn’t that hard. TAG is always an option, at least for UC Santa Barbara. Keep the grades up, should be no problem whatsoever regardless of what community college you are at. Best of luck!

5

Totally agree with @goldencub – unless you’re engineering at Feather River. :smiley:

6

Certain CA community colleges have an excellent record of sending students to a UC (such as Santa Monica CC, Santa Barbara CC, Foothills, DeAnza, Diablo Valley), whereas others really don’t. SBCC may give you an advantage but if you can’t commute, it’s EXTREMELY costly to live there so you have to weighs pros and cons.
Do you have many AP classes with exam credit?
If you have a shot at a UC, try to apply and see what your financial aid package will be. If you’re lower income, it may not be THAT expensive for you. If your family earns more than 125K though the CC-> UC route is likely to be cheaper indeed.

7

“Certain CA community colleges have an excellent record of sending students to a UC (such as Santa Monica CC, Santa Barbara CC, Foothills, DeAnza, Diablo Valley), whereas others really don’t.”

Yes, they have a good record, but this does not make it more difficult to transfer to a UC if one goes to other community colleges. It’s generally best to do what is convenient (unless your local CC doesn’t offer any classes for your major, which @lindyk8 alluded to).

8

If more students are there for remedial and vocational purpose, than to transfer, the number of classes you need may not be sufficient. The professors may not teach at a pace that is challenging, nor go deeply enough into the material. Your peers may not provide the positive pressure you need to complete your credits. Advising may not be geared toward UC transfer. Not all have TAGs. So, theoretically, you can transfer to a UC from any California CC, but in reality, choosing your CC with regards to your objectives is very important. Most students at a CC fail to finish their AA/AS, let alone transfer to a UC.
There are enough of them that one doesn’t have to choose one of the “top 10” when it comes to transfers, but being in an environment where this goal will be supported definitely beats being in an environment that makes it unlikely one will transfer. It’s the same idea as for high schools: attending a high school where the average SAT is 820, 16% 4-year college enrollment, and one third students drop out before graduation won’t prevent you from attending college, but your start with a big handicap compared to someone who attends a high school with a 1200 average, 75% 4-year college attendance, and a 99% graduation rate.
5 community colleges are especially good at enabling minority students enroll in the UC system for example. Students who come from lower income backgrounds and lower performing high schools but enroll in these colleges dramatically increase their odds of graduating with a 2-year AND 4 year degree.
@alexthelegend can also read these articles and make up his mind:

9

@Goldencub, I am certainly agreeing with you. Almost all CCCs (90-95%) will get you to a UC. I was just kind of tongue in cheek noting the lowest performing CCC-UC is missing something like 13 pre-reqs in engineering.

But to make sure I’m clear, I would give the same advice as Goldencub, unless you’re majoring in engineering at Feather River. :((

10

@MYOS1634 Good point.

From the first article you mentioned: “Santa Monica College and Los Angeles Southwest College are only 13 miles apart but have an immense gap when it comes to transferring students to a University of California campus, a new report says. Santa Monica sent 783 students last year, by far the most of 112 community colleges in the state, while Southwest sent just four, among the lowest.”

@alexthelegend If you are pitted between SMC and LASC, definitely go for the former, for reasons we need not explain. It is a good idea to look at multiple schools, and make the best decision based on educational goals, programs offered, quality of education, and so forth. Proximity to home is something to be considered as well.

@lindyk8 I know - I vaguely remember looking at that assist page. They hardly offered anything.

11

Based on listings at http://www.assist.org , it appears that CCs near a UC or CSU often (but not always) have better coverage for less common courses at that particular UC or CSU. But it is best to check the articulation listings to see which CCs offer the courses you need, so that you do not need to take a lot of “catch up” courses after transfer.

Of course, if your major is a common one whose frosh/soph courses are fairly similar across campuses (e.g. biology, economics, English, math), then course coverage may be less of an issue compared to majors where the frosh/soph courses are more likely to differ across campuses (e.g. CS, engineering).