<p>Anyways, just want to ask everyone's opinion on this..
i'm currently a freshman in UCI...however due to some family reasons i'm thinking about dropping out to CC for a year and transfer to other UCs, or perhaps come back to UCI in my junior year. Do you think it'll work out? or should i just stay in UCI and apply for transfer? Actually one of the main concern is money for me because its so expensive to stay in Irvine. I'll be grateful if everyone can share their opinion on this...thanks!</p>
<p>My friend went to UCLA and he did the same thing due to money problem...he went to my community college for 3 semester and then apply again for readmission...now he's back in UCLA...you should talk to your counselor first, don't just drop out and reapply again...</p>
<p>It happens, but it isn't without its slight problems. Talk to an academic counselor and they'll help you, but there's a good chance that they'll side with you.</p>
<p>I am having family problems as well, ones that have been affecting my academics. I talked to an academic counselor and she understood that, and said that I wouldn't be limiting my opportunities at all if I was to choose to suspend my enrollment and take CC courses for a year, but that I should beware the temptation to drop further and just stop when I've finished CC. </p>
<p>You have to fill out a bunch of forms, however (cessation of enrollment forms, I believe), and they want you to be able to do this by mid-May in order to avoid penalties (financial aid, housing contracts, etc), so don't wait until September to decide you don't want to go.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, DO NOT go to a CC. Either take time off from the uC to regroup, or try to xfer to another, more convenient UC...but you will enter a nightmarish experience you never though possible if you go to a CC. Don't make any rash decisions and be sure to speak with someone in your school admin office about your situation.</p>
<p>While I do partially agree with exilio -- CCs are mainly non-competitive for a reason, and my time at UCSC has shown me what it means to have a high acceptance rate (not that it's always bad, just that there are classes that will be 'dumbed down' -- the lowest common denominator experience), I fully understand with the finances issue. </p>
<p>But make sure you really consider everything before you decide. Where will you live? If at home, is that going to help? Can you work and go to school at the same time? Keep in mind, also, that classes at CC are $26 per unit, which translates into about $300 or $400 a quarter. While that's much less than the UC's, there are also a number of fees you have to pay (again, less, but still fairly significant), as well as transportation (I haven't heard of a CC with dorming, meaning that there WILL be a commute involved).</p>
<p>Going from UCI to a community college means you will probably experience downgrading in the quality of your education. It might be good to apply for a transfer and stick it out another year (UC transfer application deadlines are in November) if you're grades are good. If your grades aren't that great, and you're truly concerned with the cost of living in Irvine and can't solve it any other way (loans? a job? reducing expenses?), then maybe CC is a good idea. Keep in mind, though, that your UC GPA will always be your UC GPA. That is, if you go to a CC and get a 4.0, when you return to a UC your UCI GPA will be your starting point, and will be averaged in with your UC GPA at your new school. </p>
<p>Lots of things to think about! Definitely seek an advisor ASAP.</p>
<p>actually my grades in Irvine is pretty good so far...i'm expecting a 4.0 this quarter...i expect to study my ass off if i go to CC as well...the main problem is mostly about money, and i actually thought i would go to CC and apply for admission to other UCs in November this year. Do you guys think its gona work out??. Yea, also ,i dont really want to stay in Irvine actually, and i want to apply to a better Uc with better engineering program...(i'm doing EE)...
again, thx for you guys' input! appreciated!</p>
<p>I'm jealous that your classes are $26 a unit..ours at our crappy community college are $92 a credit hour..it's for the semester rather than a quarter but still..after all the stupid lab fees and lord knows what else they smack us with, I pay about $1300 a semester..BAH!</p>
<p>They used to be $11, Nikki. :P Go California, go -- up up and away! Besides, we pay for it in the price of everything else.</p>
<p>Not every CC is as high as $26/unit, thuogh I'm not sure how that works. The CCs are totally beyond me -- I'm at UCSC. </p>
<p>Congratulations on your high grades, Peterj123! That will help you immensely with whatever you do. If the money thing is critical, I'd recommend taking a year off from UCI and thinking about the pros/cons of CC versus just working for a year. If the money thing is not critical so much as "I wish I was saving money" then I'd have to consider what kind of difference it's really going to make to spend $7000 less for one year, only to go on to a school that is, at most (if you live on campus) $2,000 cheaper a year than UCI.</p>
<p>Going to CC may not be as cheap as you think, in terms of money AND more subjective things like experience and education.</p>
<p>Actually, the dollar per unit fee may not be as daunting as you think. If there really are money issues, some community colleges will let you waive the fees. Mine did. I completed all of my general education at a community college before transferring and never once had to pay for the units, only for the books and other supplies. Also, I know in a CC some classes might be dumbed down and I certainly had a few of those, but if you're willing to search around you can usually find the better professors, and there are the better professors. My English lit, Western Civ, and Critical Thinking teachers were all fantastic and not the least bit easier than those I currently have at my university. In fact, my CC Western Civ professor was way more difficult than the professor I have now for the second half of the sequence.</p>
<p>Its not that i'm not happy with the EE program here. The program is decent, however, i just want to see if i'm capable of getting into a higher UC since i've maintained a pretty good grade so far.. yea. and also, one of the reason that i want to go to CC for a year is that UC's seem to give priority to CC transfer applicants, then inter UC transfers.</p>
<p>I'm not sure you'd qualify as a CC-to-UC transfer, exactly, Peterj123. After all, you will already have an established GPA at a UC, and have enrolled there as a full-time student for more than one quarter.</p>