<p>Merced could actually work in your favor if you go for a year and try to transfer. I was talking to a girl I know who is in aerospace and mechanical engineering at UCD and she was telling me that one of her roommates always brags about having a great GPA (he’s in the same major), and she gets annoyed because she says everyone knows thats only because he went to Merced for a year and had a 4.0 before transferring. She said he may even graduate cum laude. </p>
<p>So it could work out well for you in the end. You may even be able to get into UCLA after a year if you really want!</p>