So I’m in a special situation and I need help. My brother currently attends medical school in Pennsylvania and in two years, he will be doing something called rotation. This rotation can be done in other schools so he was planning to take this rotation in a college at San Diego. I currently live far away from it so my Mom was telling me to go to community college so if he transfers to San Diego, I can just apply to UCSD and we can all move there. I was surprised because I’m an A student who was planning to go to a UC. What do you guys think I should do? Are there any negative consequences?
Thank you.
Usually, students choose to start a community college because either (a) it costs less than starting at a four year school, or (b) they are not able to get admitted to the four year schools that they want to attend.
If you are an A student in high school, you are more likely to get into a desirable four year school (or earn merit scholarships at less selective four year schools), though you need to check on the cost situation with your parents.
Disadvantages of starting at a community college are that the community college may not have full coverage of the frosh/soph courses you need (depends on the major, more of an issue for engineering and CS majors than for common liberal arts/science majors), and merit scholarships are less common for transfers than frosh. Also, an A student in high school may have more downside risk in terms of admission to desired four year schools later as a transfer (in contrast, a student with a deficient high school record with poor prospects for frosh admission to four year schools has mostly upside in that a good community college record will give him/her more choices as a transfer).
If starting at a UC as a frosh is financially feasable (check the net price calculators), you may want to apply during this year’s application window, so that you do not close the door on that option early and can defer the decision until next April (if you get admitted to any). The same goes for CSUs.
What exactly is the problem? Is it that your mother wants you to live at home and commute to college? If so, is it for financial or other reasons? (Note that most UCs, but not CSUs, adjust financial aid based on living with family versus living on or near campus away from family.)
My problem is that my brother will be possibly be coming to San Diego for rotation and if I go to cc, I can apply and get into UCSD via CC by the time it comes for him to come to San Diego. She wants us all to be living together so it can feel like a ‘family.’ It’s not really financial reasons and she does not want me to live in a dorm or apartment, but rather with the family.
@icurryx3 It sounds like your mother is having issues with her children growing up and leaving home. So much she is willing to leave her own home and move to where your brother will be doing his rotation, which will have nothing to do where he sets up his practice. Will she follow him there, and expect you to tag along? (Sorry to sound harsh, as I don’t know the whole family situation).
Living on campus in a dorm is a vital part of college, for those who can afford it. The CC setup in California may be different than where I live in NC, but here CCs are for students in the bottom half of their high school classes. Retention rates are awful. I read in a book by Bowen et al that only 11% or so of kids who start at CCs eventually get a 4 year degree. I suspect you’d be miserable.
It does not seem fair that an A student is apparently being given one pathway to college, that is not based on that student’s (your) needs and best interests.
If your mother is dead set on this approach, you might consider taking a gap year and working instead of starting your college career at the local community college.
The CC->UC/CSU pathway is well developed and is not (usually) a bad option, but should not be seen as the only option for an A student who is not financially constrained to start at a CC. In addition, your mother’s plan restricts you to transferring to four year colleges in the San Diego area (UCSD, SDSU, private USD), which may not necessarily be the best match for your educational goals (and there is also the uncertainty of whether you will get transfer admission).
Since your brother is already in medical school, he has presumably gone to and graduated college. What was your mother’s restriction on his college choice?
Perhaps you can get your brother to convince your mother that her plans are a bad idea in that they limit your college choices for no good reason, and that she should let you choose whatever college is within financial affordability and is best for your educational goals?
It’s not so much that I’m constrained but rather the fact that this saves a ton of money. Besides, for the major that I want to go to, which is Computer Science, what school you went to isn’t AS important as what you did in the college. I have many people to tell me that I am very motivated and strive for the best so no matter where I go, I will get the best out of it. Also, there are many good students who have gone to CC and actually enjoyed their time there while going to a good university later on. If I go there, I’m pretty sure I will strive for a 3.9 or 4.0 so why is this bad? I cannot get into UCSD or UCLA now but with cc, my chances will increase so why not?
In reply #4, you wrote that “It’s not really financial reason”…
CS is one of those majors where the frosh/soph level CS courses vary in content and organization across different UCs and CSUs. Unfortunately, this means that coverage of those courses may be limited at some or many CCs. See http://www.assist.org to check course articulation. If you see a lot of “no course articulated”, then you will have to take them as “catch up” courses after transfer, which could delay graduation.
You can use https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major to get an idea of what kind of college GPA you need to earn to have a realistic chance of admission to the CS major at various UCs. If you are an A student (4.0 HS GPA), what prevents you from having a non-trivial chance of getting into UCLA or UCSD now?
Also note that UCs and CSUs admit primarily or only junior level transfers, so your mother’s plan is dependent on:
a. That your brother gets a rotation in San Diego or otherwise near a UC or CSU, and
b. That you are admitted as a transfer to a UC or CSU near his rotation, and
c. That your transfer to such UC or CSU happens at the same time his rotation there.
Seems like everything has to align perfectly for her plan to work out, even though it requires you to constrain your own educational options now for the speculative possibility of this plan working out.
Yes, you can transfer to other schools (e.g. USC). However, you are less likely to know whether your CC courses will be counted for subject credit at other schools, unlike at UCs and CSUs via http://www.assist.org (USC does have articulation listings for CCs on its web site at https://camel2.usc.edu/articagrmt/artic.aspx , but many others do not).
If you can get a full ride to any decent school, override your mom’s decision. Just because she is well intentioned, doesn’t mean you put your future in jeopardy.
CC is fine for kids who have issues with college acceptances or financing. If you can get in and family doesn’t have to pay then their is no reason to do this. Well, if your mom was sick or something and needed you then that would be a diffrent situation but just wanting to keep everyone together is sweet but not a good enough reason.
You can transfer from any school. However, UCs and CSUs do prefer to take transfers from CCs rather than four year schools, and transfer subject credit can still be an issue (and http://www.assist.org generally does not show articulation from four year school to four year school, so you will not even be able to know in advance).
If you go to a four year school like UCI or CPP, do so with a plan to stay there and graduate?
Why does your mother prioritize following your brother to a theoretical rotation location and limiting your educational options over choosing what is the best educational path for you? Did she impose similar restrictions (e.g. must choose a college where he could live at home during college) when he went to college?