So, basically…
I got into UCI, majoring in biological sciences, but due to personal circumstances, our family is moving 2 hrs away from UCI. I got into other CSU’s closer to my home, but my main goal is to graduate from a UC (mostly UCLA).
***Living on campus is not an option and the 4hr drive total from my home (2hr to UCI and back seems a lot)
MY QUESTION IS:
Should I INSTEAD reject UCI and the CSU’s (because transferring to a UC from a CSU seems very difficult for a bio major) and go to community college and try my best to get into UCLA after 2yrs (since this is the closest to my home)?
OR
Go UCI (Do the 4hr drive and try my best to get good grades so I can transfer to UCLA) or the CSU and try to transfer to UCLA after 2 years?
Ultimately, I want to get into UCLA but through the easiest way possible- either through UCI, CSU or community college.
I’m not sure how to handle this…
no way you want to commute that kinda distance. Traffic will only get worse. And it cuts into study time.
If living on campus is not a financial option, attending your local cc is the smart choice if you want a UC diploma. See if you can get into their Honors program (if they have one). Check out any TAG so you can at least ‘auto-transfer’ to a UC campus (not named Merced) while applying to LA.
Of course there is no guarantee that you will get into UCLA two years hence, so you might have to consider a lower tier UC or CSU at that time.
Good luck.
P.S. Depending on which direction you are moving to, check out feed colleges to UCLA. For example, Santa Monica College has a large transfer program to LA.
I agree a commute of that sort is not viable. CC for two years and take the chances of a transfer.
That’s a question for @Gumbymom. I’m trying to get all this Cal stuff figured out. I’m waiting for response too!
Thanks so much! Do you think it will be safer to transfer from a CC than a CSU (both are safe distances to me)?
yes, safer to transfer from cc. You can always apply to the local CSU at that time as well.
CC to UC transfers do get priority over CSU to UC transfers so if UCLA is your ultimate target then going to the CC to UC route is the best strategy.
Below is a link that shows UC Transfer GPA by major and campus so you can get an idea of what you need to accomplish to get to your goal. Also check your CC for TAP that will help your chances for the UCLA Transfer. Since UCLA does not accept TAG, you could still TAG to the one of the other 6 UC campus so you have a guaranteed admission.
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/tag-matrix.pdf
http://www.admission.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_tr/ADM_CCO/tap.htm
Best of luck with your decision.
Safer to transfer from a CC, but please don’t count on UCLA. It’s hardly a slam dunk in bio even with a high GPA.
Thank you so much! Very informative!
If I was able to live on campus at UCI for the second year (and hang-on somehow and do the 2hr commute as a freshman then live on campus as a sophomore), would this be better/increase my chances on being transferred to UCLA? in terms of trying to keep a high gpa and stuff. Or should I just stick to CC for the 2 years?
Thanks again for the replies!
Would there be a big change in your financial situation Sophomore year to make on-campus housing affordable? You are not eligible for any FA currently so you can live on campus?
A 2hr commute each way will definitely take a toll on you and impact your grades. Either do the CC to UC route or love one of the CSU’s closer to home and make it work for 4 years. Biology is a pretty standard major so why UCLA or UCI vs. a CSU? What is your career goal as a Biology major and which CSU’s are your options?
Absolutely not. Students from cc have priority bcos they have to transfer somewhere.
Also- important note if you are a perspective ucla applicant. Most of their acceptances come from students who get the honors diploma. UCLA also has an agreement with some schools called the “tap” program and like 80% of their acceptances come from there.
I think you are framing your choice incorrectly. commuting 2 hours each way is a silly idea and won’t turn out well if you try. The SIR deadline has passed so, not sure which CSUs are still options for you at this stage. Unless you’ve worked a special deal with a few campuses, I am guessing the only real option you have is a CC.
Which is OK, as others capture above, given where you are - your cleanest path to UCLA is through a CCC.
You can use this to show UCLA acceptance rate from a CCC is about 25%, vs other school about 10%.
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfer-admissions-summary
You should acknowledge going in - UCLA is super competitive admit. There’s a reasonable chance you won’t get in as a transfer applicant. In fact, even getting back into UCI is a maybe.
IMHO you are placing an unrealistic value on a UC diploma. You can get a great education and lead a very successful life as a CSU graduate. I’d take 4 years at SDSU vs 2 yrs at a CC and maybe a UC. But, i think that ship has probably sailed.
Do your best at the CC, use the TAP framework to plan your classes and evaluate your options after you have 30 units under your belt.
@Trashception do u mean honors for CC? If so, how does one apply for honors at a CC?
@Gumbymom
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, there would a financial change for my sophomore year (it’s just for this year/freshmen year that circumstances are different).
I agree that the long drive doesn’t seem worth it at all;
I’ll get straight to the point: my ultimate goal is to get into med school (I don’t care which one). I wanted to do bio (since it’s what I enjoy and wanted to pursue) and so one of UCLA’s major stood out to me (that wasn’t a standard bio major) compared to other UCs (that were further away from me) and CSUs (that have similar-ish majors/differing courses).
Obviously there is no guarantee for any, I still have options from CSUs and I 100% agree with @NCalRent that UCLA competition is insane and that I will receive a great education from both a UC and CSU. But I did have preference over the UCLA major (as the major and it’s courses suited my preferences) over the CSU major.
So now my question is, to do that transfer to UCLA via CC or go for the straight 4 yrs a a CSU. I did some research, and was informed that 3.7 from a UC is regarded higher than like a 4.0 gpa from a UC. Of course, I heard others saying that it doesn’t matter where u come from as long u have a high marks and a good mcat score. I know I’m going off topic now, but I’m sure u guys have more knowledge and experience and I would appreciate your guidance.
You will get differing opinions about attending a CSU over a UC as a Pre-Med and applying to Medical school. Based on some personal knowledge, the school in which you attend can matter, but what is more important is your GPA, MCAT scores and having some medically related EC’s. You can accomplish this at a CSU or UC. Also a good Pre-professional advising center at the school is important . Again I know several CSU’s where you could be a Big fish and excel.
Some information to consider as a California Pre-Med which was posted by a frequent and resident CC expert on Medical school admissions.
CA is one of the worst states for a pre-med to be a resident of. Large population; not enough med school seats.
CA produced over 6200 med school applicants in the last cycle. Only 16% of the those 6200+ matriculated at a CA med school (public or private). Another 25% matriculated at an OOS med school, but most CA applicants (59% or 3652) were not accepted into ANY med school.
Nationally, less than 40% of med school applicants are accepted into any medical school in any given year. The odds for MD/PhDs are even poorer–238 applied; 88 matriculated.
https://www.aamc.org/download/321466/data/factstablea5.pdf
https://www.aamc.org/download/321542/data/factstableb7.pdf
You need to decide what is best for you, which school you can be a superstar and have a major that is a good backup if Medical school does not happen.
OP, one of my honorary Ds went to a CSU (3.9 in Cellular/Molecular Biology and Biochem) and got into five vet schools (including two in CA). She was a star at the CSU, got to do lots of research there and had outstanding, heavily personalized recs from her profs. The CSU was close enough to home that she could maintain relationships and get contact hours with vets and large animal rescues that she had been working with for years. Total win-win for her.
You wouldn’t have to transfer (and worry about if you’d get in where you want) if you went to a CSU.