<p>So my dream school is UC Berkeley, and I found that out after it was too late and I ended highschool and got into a college I hate (San jose state). So i want to drop out and go to community college for next semester and onwards, and then go to berkeley after 2 years, but my friend says that community college is so open to people that classes fill up so fast that you dont get enough units to transfer in your junior year, and its way risky. So is it more risky to go to a CCC and try to take all the GE classes, or stay at SJSU for 2 years and try to transfer to a UC from a CSU?!</p>
<p>Go visit the transfer counselors at your closest CCC. IF you enroll in a guaranteed transfer program, AND if you get the grades that the receiving university requires, you will be guaranteed automatic admission to that university and that degree program.</p>
<p>Yes, there are challenges in dealing with the community colleges, but there are challenges in dealing with any college or university. One clear advantage of the community college is price. If you aren't bound to taking your courses during a daytime schedule, often you will find that the evening and/or Saturday classes have space.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I've rarely heard of community college classes filling up. Most people don't sign up until very near the deadline. If you register that first month, you'll have your pick. In fact, I've heard more horror stories of that evening or weekend class that fit their schedules perfectly were cancelled due to low registration.</p>
<p>The biggest worry about community college is getting stuck due to other pressures and apathy toward school. Many students, never the most disciplined, start living on their own and working part-time jobs. Soon, finances, family, friends and jobs take precedence and they take 3 or more years to complete their AA degrees. The same thing happens with students at many colleges, but it is amplified by the type of students that attend community colleges and their support circles.</p>
<p>Community colleges are great as long as you set out a plan and stick with it. Both of my older 2 did 2 years at CC. They went straight thru and transferred to State Universities. One went on to get her Masters from a more expensive private school at her cost; the other is getting his Masters at a private school with his employer paying the total cost. They were both hired very quickly, and the CC was never a drawback- employers were only interested in where they graduated from. Going to CC saved a lot of money and gave them a chance to make sure they knew what they wanted. My next D started at a private 4 year school because she is in a more specialized area and would have had trouble transferring. BTW, my older 2 got thru with no debt of any kind! I'm not sure what ferrybost means by "the type of students that attend CC's"- with the rising cost of school, students from all backgrounds and ambitions attend CC. It no longer has the stigma associated with it years ago.</p>
<p>Your plan is an excellent one. But you need to maintain high grades at SJSU for this semester. That's important, if you want to go to UC Berkeley, because those grades will count in your transfer application. Transferring from SJSU after two years to Berkeley or another UC is much more difficult than transferring from community college. So your plan is a good one. Go to the UC Transfer forum on here to talk to people with knowledge/experience on these specific issues.</p>
<p>I agree with what ferryboat said.</p>
<p>My general advice would be to stay at the four-year school and attempt to transfer from there.</p>
<p>If you do find that CC classes are full - don't give up. If possible, get on the official waiting list. Even if there is no room on the waiting list - you still have a chance. If you arrive on the first day of classes and tell the instructor you are VERY interested in his/her class, you may still get into the class. Generally, students who do not show up for the first class are dropped and interested students are enrolled. Sometimes that extends to the students who miss any of the first three class meetings. Continue attending the class (sit off to the side, on the floor, in the back - as long as the instructor doesn't throw you out, hang in there), taking notes, participating in discussion - until the last day to drop/add and make your case to the instructor. Many less dedicated students will have disappeared by then and you will get their spot. Instructors LOVE to have dedicated, interested students in their class and will go out of their way to help you if you show them you are interested in what they have to say.</p>
<p>Your chances of transferring from a CCC are MUCH better than from a four-year college. Here are the transfer admissions statistics for 2007: <a href="http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/transfer/tr_select_criteria.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/transfer/tr_select_criteria.html</a>
Of the 3252 Berkeley transfers admitted, 90% (2,945) were admitted from California Community Colleges. The rates are 32.7% admission rate from CCCs, and a 15% admissions rate for four-year colleges. You have a good plan.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
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My general advice would be to stay at the four-year school and attempt to transfer from there.
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<p>That may be good general advice, but it is VERY VERY POOR advice when dealing with the California public university system. The way the system is structured, students from California community colleges have priority in transferring to UC schools. </p>
<p>There is a clear logic behind this. People already at a CSU 4-year school do not need to transfer, they can stay at their university and earn a degree. But community college students MUST transfer, the system is set up that way, for them to do their lower division work at community college and then transfer. So they get priority.</p>
<p>"I'm not sure what ferrybost means by "the type of students that attend CC's"- with the rising cost of school, students from all backgrounds and ambitions attend CC. It no longer has the stigma associated with it years ago."</p>
<p>That's certainly true. I can see a difference in the quality of students between my two stints at community college. I was one of those undisciplined students that returned to community college for another chance. There I met many great people including returning students, people on the 6-year track, single moms, undecided trust fund babies, students transferring back from prestigious universities, high-rising honors students, internationals. No where else will you find that kind of diversity. However, with that diversity comes a significant amount of students that don't take advantage of the opportunity and get caught and give up on their education.</p>