Former CCC student currently attending OOS school looking to transfer to a UC

Hello,
Before I begin I would like to apologize for my long post and the many questions. My situation is complicated and I have so many questions and scenarios running through my head. I’m not excepting anyone to answer all my questions(although it would be amazing if someone does!) feel free to answer any amount you want, any answers I can get would be extremely helpful.

So here is my situation, I got admitted to the University of Toronto this year as a transfer student I was planning on finishing my degree here however I’ve run into some
issues. To keep this short my courses don’t transfer well with UofT and I’m going to have to repeat very similar course work and maintain a near 4.0 GPA just to get into my
preferred major(computer science), I’m practically starting out as a freshman. After speaking to an adviser he told me that if I’m dead set on doing computer science that
I should look into transferring somewhere else.

So I was wondering if transferring to a UC could be an option for me. I previously went to a CCC before leaving California and attending a CC in New Hampshire. At my CCC I completed 58 units and a good chunk of my pre reqs including all the Computer Science classes required for my major prep except for one that I plan on taking online
this year at the CCC that I attended. However I am missing the physics series, multi- variable calculus, differential equations and linear algebra.

The CC I went to in New Hampshire was really small and didn’t really have a computer science program the closest thing was called, “computer technologies” (which had some programming) and so I was working towards that while I was there and looking into transferring to the University of New Hampshire (This was a big mistake in hindsight). I completed 30 units here, putting me at 88 total units. Problem is I was advised to take courses that seem useless now like “computer applications in business”, “Society and technological change” and web development. Seems like taking theses courses did nothing but give me excess units potentially.

So anyways here are my main questions:

  1. If the plan is to transfer to a UC, should I stay at UofT for the year or go back to community college in New Hampshire? My concerns about attending UofT for this year is
    that firstly, it’s in Canada, I’m worried that that alone would make it harder to transfer but also the multi-variable calculus and differential equation classes offered are very different here and I don’t even have the prerequisites to take them. I’m also worried about exceeding the unit cap(if I haven’t already) by attending a 4 year university. Above all this from everything I’ve heard UofT is notoriously difficult and I’m worried about maintaining a competitive GPA for transferring. My other option is to go back to New Hampshire, I will most likely be able to complete all my pre reqs here except for differential equations as it is not being offered during fall, although it may be offered during spring. But going back to community college feels like such a failure and I’m not sure if my parents will be OK with it.

  2. When applying for transfer will I be treated as a CCC student? I plan on taking an online class at my CCC remotely during the spring term, would this make me fit
    under this description:
    “1) he or she was enrolled at one or more California community colleges for at least two terms (excluding summer sessions); 2) the last college he or she attended before admission to a UC campus was a California community college (excluding summer sessions); and 3) he or she has completed at least 30 semester (45 quarter) UC-transferable units at one or more California community colleges.”

If not there is an off chance that I can attend a CCC during the spring semester as my dad is looking into moving back to California, would I fit under this description then?

  1. If I’m not going to be treated as a CCC student would I at least have a little more priority over a normal OOS applicant? since I’ve completed so many units at a CCC
    and took classes there that may articulate better than other OOS applicants.

  2. Do I have excess units? I currently have 88 units and should have way more by the time I’m done with my pre reqs. However from my understanding units cap at 70 for community college course work. Am i mistaken here? Would I risk exceeding the cap if I were to attend UofT this year instead?

  3. Does having so many classes hurt my application in general? especially the seemingly useless ones that I took in New Hampshire which don’t fulfill any major pre reqs
    should I explain my course selection decisions in my application?

  4. What are my chances? I plan on applying to all the UC’s with UCSD being the main one I’m hopeful for but I understand that my major is highly competitive. My GPA is 3.78 at the CCC I attended and 3.97 at my OOS CC. I have 4 W’s and an F(replaced) at my CCC but only A’s and one A- so far in my OOS CC. I don’t really have any EC that I feel I can confidently put on my application, only a few simple android games that I tried developing that I half completed and never put on the play store, would working on EC’s now be too late? how important are they for my application?

  5. If UC’s are a long shot for me what other schools in California can I look into that would rank above the University of New Hampshire?

For anyone who took the time to read all this, thank you! Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Not sure about the rest, but 4) and 5) should not be issues.

  1. I would probably consider going back to the CC. Exceeding the Unit cap is only really important if you have taken any Upper division courses. For lower division courses, only 70 units will transfer and the rest will be given subject credit. As an OOS transfer, you will be given the lowest priority for the UC’s, so make sure you have a backup plan.

Some UC Transfer admission information:
Total applicants Campus wide: 34,559
OOS applicants: 1,017 and 257 admitted.
OOS applicants admitted by UC campus:
UCB: 23
UCD: 55
UCI: 8
UCLA: 36
UCM: 19
UCR: 66
UCSD: 85
UCSB: 57
UCSC: 36

  1. You will be treated as a CC transfer if all your units are lower division but unless you attend a California CC with a minimum 30 units prior to transfer, you will be considered an OOS transfer.

  2. No better priority.

  3. Do you have any upper division courses? If so, then they can be an issue and several UC’s do not accept High unit Junior level transfers.

  4. This should not be an issue as long as all classes are lower division courses.

Here is the UC transfer GPA admit ranges by campus and major to gauge your chances. What you need to determine is your UC transferable GPA.

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major

Is cost and financial aid not an issue for you, or do you qualify for in-state tuition and financial aid based on the AB540 provisions (see http://ab540.com/What_Is_AB540_.html )?

@ucbalumnus Yea actually after learning about the OOS tuition costs(didn’t think there would be a 3 or 4 times difference!) I’ve kinda given up my hopes of attending a UC unless my dad relocates back to California sometime soon, it’s just not worth it. Regarding the AB540 it seems like I don’t qualify I got my high school diploma in Ohio and only lived in California for 3 years after I graduated high school. I guess I’ll have to settle for a statistics degree at UofT or go to UNH, disappointing but it’s my own fault I should have just stayed in California.