<p>I'm in a cc right now and I'm trying to transfer to UCB or UCI for public health (UCB being my first choice.) I have a 4.0 and I have 3 bio, 1 stats, and 2 other IGETC courses left to complete. So, by the end of this upcoming spring, I should have one bio and the IGETC courses out of the way. The bio classes are sequential, meaning I have to pass one before going on to the next course, which extends my stay until next fall. However, I want to apply this November to the UCs because the I want to transfer already, since I just started my 3rd yr at a cc, and also because of the fact that getting into the bio courses is not guaranteed. My question is, should I apply this november? What are my chances if my GPA does fall a little and I don't have all my pre-reqs done? And if I don't get in, can I apply next fall?</p>
<p>I would take as many as I can in Spring, including the 2 IGETC courses, the bio and stats, but I would not be able to take the other 2 Bio because I can only take them after I’ve taken the Intro course in the spring. So, to answer your question, no, I cannot take more because the bio classes are sequential.</p>
<p>First off, you should check to see if you will have to apply to the major after being accepted into Berkeley or Irvine. If so, then it really doesn’t matter if you completed all of your major requirements (as long as you have fulfilled a good amount / majority of them). That being said, don’t procrastinate doing them – it looks much better to have fulfilled as many as possible before transferring. </p>
<p>If you are automatically accepted into the major when you are accepted into Berkeley or Irvine (i.e., you don’t have to apply to the major after acceptance into the university), then I’d assume you’d have had to fulfill those major requirements before transferring. You cannot enter a major without having completed all of the necessary lower division courses, without acception (at least in Berkeley). Bluntly stated, if this is the case for the public health major, then you have no chance of getting in without having completed all required lower division courses upon transferring. </p>
<p>Also, remember that the less you have fulfilled at community college means you’ll have that much more on your load at Berkeley, and that much more money you’ll have to spend. (And let’s not forget that the courses at Berkeley may be more difficult than their equivalents at your community college.* Thus, it may do your GPA good just to finish it all up at community college.) Depending upon your priorities, it may or may not be more beneficial just to wait out the year before transferring. </p>
<p>*I’m not being judgmental saying this. I transferred to Berkeley from a community college that had many Stanford professors on staff. Community colleges can be really great centers of higher education. However, each school has its own quirks, methods of teaching, etc. that each student gets used to. Because of your familiarity with your community college, those courses at your college may be easier than at Berkeley. And let’s not forget those necessary lower div classes are “weeder” courses – and you ideally don’t want to take weeders during your first semester at Berkeley when you know nothing about the school.</p>
<p>You might not know this but Public Health is a capped major at Berkeley and not to disappoint you but from what I’ve gathered from university reps is…you probably won’t get into it. They only allow a certain number of students to get in, and most of them applied to the major as a freshman.</p>
<p>Discosteve sort of refers to the problem I talked about in my post. If you want to enter a capped major (as public health seems to be) you will have to apply to it once you get into Berkeley (which means you’ll have to get all of your prereqs done before you can get into the major, but not necessarily before you get into Berkeley).</p>
<p>@Discosteve there’s still plenty of room in all majors, including capped ones, for new students. I don’t think I’ve met any transfer students here who weren’t in capped majors.</p>