<p>I am a junior this year and I'm considering applying to UC schools. Is there any way I can get out of the art requirement or somehow arrange things so that if I get in, ill take an art class at a community college or something? I am out of state. Does that make a difference? There admissions website has fine arts listed under state requirements. And is it possible to get in without having a requirement met if the rest of your app is really juiced up?</p>
<p>The requirements do not apply if you are out of state. You can completely disregard them.</p>
<p>I've heard horror stories of people having really excellent applications but were rejected because they didn't fulfill the A-G requirements. They're pretty strict about that.</p>
<p>Well when I applied to a cal. state school (as an out-of-stater) with the same a-g requirements, I had a full year of art (no music, as I did private lessons for piano for 10 years). However, it was 1 semester in jewelry, the other in painting and that was not enough for them (even though i had 3.9 gpa, 33 act, far too many other classes-just not music/art). The school said that if I didn't take another jewelry or painting semester class, I would not be allowed to enroll. Ridiculous, imo. But then again, it also depends on who you talk to. Some admissions people you talk to may be more lenient though, so don't count it out. And I believe if I didn't take that required class but still wanted to enroll there, that their policy is that they would allow me to take a community college class over the summer in art, and still get admitted the coming fall.</p>
<p>If you have excellent test scores, you can get into a UC through the examination only pathway. It requires pretty high scores though.</p>
<p>If you are planning on taking art to fulfill the requirements, be sure it is 1 year of the same class. They do not let you take 1 semester painting and then another semester ceramics for example.</p>
<p>What the hell? You're saying I can't take two different ART courses in two different semesters? Why?</p>
<p>^ They don't feel as if you go deep enough in only a semester (unless you have block scheduling.) </p>
<p>You could theoretically, however, take two different art histories (e.g. one European, one Asian).</p>
<p>Oh, sigh.</p>
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The requirements do not apply if you are out of state. You can completely disregard them.
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<p>Just kidding, right?</p>
<p>Yes, you have to fulfill it; it applies to everyone. The art requirement is often what gets OOSers.</p>
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you can get into a UC through the examination only pathway. It requires pretty high scores though.
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<p>This is true. You can also ask to be considered for admission by exception (very difficult also).</p>
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If you are planning on taking art to fulfill the requirements, be sure it is 1 year of the same class. They do not let you take 1 semester painting and then another semester ceramics for example.
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<p>I'm going to have to disagree with this--I see plenty of semester courses accepted, even if they are in two different areas. When you enter your courses on the application, it will tell you whether you pass the a-g requirements, and having two semesters of UC-approved art courses is valid.</p>
<p>(FWIW, my school does semester-long art courses, and I was just fine. The problem described above may have been because jewelry is not a CSU-approved art course.)</p>
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I'm going to have to disagree with this--I see plenty of semester courses accepted, even if they are in two different areas. When you enter your courses on the application, it will tell you whether you pass the a-g requirements, and having two semesters of UC-approved art courses is valid.
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<p>I believe this was the UC policy, but they then changed it. </p>
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f l Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) – 1 year required
A single yearlong approved arts course from a single VPA discipline: dance, drama/theater, music or visual art.
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<p>^^ that has been the wording for a long time, but it really doesn't seem enforced. The "yearlong" stipulation would seem to be default, which is probably why it should be changed to be more precise. Many schools don't even offer year-long courses (like mine). In addition, the UC app analyzes your courses by semester (or whatever term your school works on), and accepts any two semesters of UC-approved art courses.</p>
<p>they'll make exceptions for high schools that dont have year long courses, but its not an excuse to skip the requirement.</p>
<p>erhabe, why are you so opposed to taking a year long of art?
the alternative would be a 3 units course at a community college, but that still has to be done before you apply or graduate from hs.</p>
<p>Would a 3-credit Art History college course taken during the summer qualify? That is what my S is planning to do. Does it say anything on the UC website about this route qualifying?</p>
<p>^ I believe so. </p>
<p>University</a> of California - a-g Guide</p>
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Community College and University Transferable Courses. The University of California will accept three semester unit (four quarter unit) UC-transferable college/university courses that clearly fall within one of the four disciplines of the arts (Dance, Music, Theatre, or Visual Arts). UC-transferable community college courses are listed at Welcome</a> to ASSIST.
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<p>Also: </p>
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Q: If a community college course is UC transferable (e.g., Eng 100), can a student use this course to satisfy a UC eligibility requirement?</p>
<p>A: Yes. Usually a 3-unit community college course equals 1 year of high school credits.
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<p>From University</a> of California - Admissions</p>