<p>I'm a first year at UCSB and I'm thinking of going back home to my CC to attend college there then hopefully get into UCI or UCB. Is it bad that I'm doing this? Is it better to have a 4 year degree from UCSB than a 2 year degree from UCI/UCB? Will I still be able to find a job easily with a degree from UCSB or UCI/UCB? I want to major in Public Health, which UCSB doesn't offer.</p>
<p>It sounds like a good move to me. There is an element of risk, since you do not know if you will be admitted as a transfer student. However, you need to transfer in any case, transfers into the UC’s are easiest at the Junior level, and transfers into UC’s are easiest from a community college. Sign up for the TAG program to UCI as soon as you arrive at community college- you can still apply to Berkeley, but you will have a guaranteed path to Irvine. A degree from a UC is a 4-year degree. No one questions the journey (did you take a gap year? take time off for medical? Get academic probation? go to a community college?). Really- no one asks.</p>
<p>Getting a job in Public Health out of UCSB would be more difficult if they do not have that major- no one will come to recruit. Getting a job out of UCB is generally easier than getting a job out of another UC (major-dependent, of course).</p>
<p>You would be giving up any merit scholarships (if you have any); otherwise you are saving money and increasing your chance of transfer success. Plus, you have an opportunity to compete for a 2-year Regent’s as a transfer student (and possibly other merit scholarships).</p>
<p>It sounds like an odd thing to do, but it probably is actually a very adroit move for your situation.</p>
<p>@xkarebearr You should look into whether you’ll be eligible for the TAG program at UCI which would guarantee admission.</p>
<p>Also, did you apply to either of those schools as a frosh and get accepted? If so, then perhaps you’d like to take a year off and try it again; no guarantee of admission the 2nd time, but if you withdraw from UCSB and don’t take any CC classes then it seems like you’d be able to be considered a frosh candidate again. We aren’t allowed to link to blogs, but you can find the post that mentions this by googling “Applying as a Freshman Applicant After Withdrawing From a 4-Year College askmssun” without the quotes.</p>