How hard is it to transfer to berkeley from Irvine

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Hey guys!
I"m going to be attending uci next year as a freshman (go anteaters!) but wanted to know if anyone has any information on how to transfer to berkeley. I'm a political science major. I never applied to Berkeley because I have a low sat score (1760) and honestly had no shot of getting accepted. I'm happy about uci, because it's a good school, but Berkeley is top notch when it comes to the social sciences, while irvine is mainly known for biology and other pre med majors. Plus, UCI is so close to my home in orange county, and I had really wanted a change, but that's just how it worked out. </p>

<p>Does anyone have any tips or advice? I want to start now!!!!!</p>

2

<p>If you really want to go to Cal that much, go to a CC first. Cross-UC admission is last priority for the UCs. </p>

<p>Besides high grades, you need another reason to transfer to another UC, such as if UCI doesn’t offer you a major that Cal has.</p>

3

<p>A friend’s DS just got accepted as a transfer to UCB and UCLA from UCSC. Please don’t think that transferring from another UC is not doable. His SAT were not spectacular and his high school GPA wasn’t either. But he put pedal to the medal and got straight <em>A</em>s in UCSC, and wrote in his transfer application that that UCSC was not challenging him enough, (more diplomatically) and voila. Now all he has to do is choose between UCLA and UCB.
He had applied to UCB as a freshmen and was rejected. Don’t buy any of the urban myths that abound here about acceptances from UCs. Yes, CC have priority (rightly so, IMO) but there’s lots more room and better %odds to get in as a transfer. His case is hardly the only case I know of.</p>

4

<p>Hey,</p>

<p>I’m a current UCI student about to complete the process of transferring to Berkeley, so I know pretty much everything you need to do. Let me tell you, though, intercampus transfers are more difficult than community college transfers, and it is not a process that I would recommend.</p>

<p>First of all, research Berkeley’s transfer requirements for your major, and complete classes that match those descriptions, not just those at UCI. The more prerequisites you complete, the better off you’ll be. Berkeley is more likely to choose a CC student with all the requirements than an intercampus student missing several of them. It is not unheard of to be accepted without one or two, though.</p>

<p>Secondly, complete all of the lower division GE requirements. This will provide you with a Letter of Reciprocity that will pass you out of GE requirements at any UC school. However, ALL of them must be completed. You will not get the Letter of Reciprocity if you are missing even one lower div GE (UCI has school-specific upper div writing classes, but these are not important for intercampus transfers).</p>

<p>Next, keep your GPA as high as possible. You will probably need at least a 3.7 to be accepted to Berkeley. I was accepted with a 3.975 GPA. Keep in mind that Berkeley gives precedence to community college students and a CC student with a higher GPA than you will be preferably accepted, even if you have worked harder.</p>

<p>And lastly, Berkeley states that they make exceptions for those who are exceptional in academics and leadership, so go be a leader. I was involved in my housing community’s student association, as well as being vice president of a club. It doesn’t have to be huge, but make it known that you are a responsible individual.</p>

<p>However, like I say, this is not a route I recommend. It makes it significantly harder to make and keep friends when you and other people know that you will be leaving. It’s hard to feel a sense of community when your loyalty is to another school. Good luck and if you or any other intercampus transfers have more questions, feel free to ask! I will know even more about the process once my career at Berkeley starts in August.</p>

5

<p>Oh I forgot a few things. Berkeley only accepts junior level transfers which means that you need to accrue at least 90 quarter system units in order to qualify. This would mean applying in November of your sophomore year like every other transfer student - intercampus transfers aren’t given any special treatment in the application process. Unless of course, you have enough AP and community college credits from high school that you could reach 90 units by the end of your freshman year, in which case apply in November of your freshman year.</p>

6

<p>Thanks Jenea 73! Your advice is super helpful, but I was wondering if you really need a reason to transfer out of a 4 year. The only reason I want to transfer is because uci is too close to home and Berkeley is much stronger in the social sciences. I"m not sure those reasons are good enough though.</p>

7

<p>You don’t really NEED a reason. I didn’t have a real reason besides wanting to be closer to home and to go to a school more focused on PhD programs than pre-med. If anything, it’s better not to worry about the actual reasoning and just focus on making yourself a perfect candidate. But keep in mind that Berkeley does specifically state that it discourages intercampus transfers, so make sure you have a backup plan.</p>