is this a question or a conclusion?
And what is the “ranking” you are looking at?
Yes, by 36k I meant including the total cost of attending for the year. My EFC is 026162 and I only qualify for a 5,500 loan.
Mikemac, It’s a question because even on this website I couldn’t find any good enough reviews to prove that it’s worth the cost.
“What I am wondering is if I were to attend CC and later transfer to a UC campus with the TAG program does it ruin my chances of getting into medical school?”
No. Med schools DO want to see all the required courses done at the university level, but you can easily get your gen ed out of the way at the CC, then do all your sciences, etc. at a UC. Remember, what counts for med schools are your grades, MCAT scores, med-related ECs and your LORs. You sound like a good student, so you could probably do very well at a CC and still be able to do some med-type EC.
I have a relative who went to a CC, transfered to UCSB, went to a top 10 medical school and is now doing her residency at an Ivy League hospital. It can be done.
If Merced doesn’t work out, find schools that are on both NACAC and WUE to fit your budget.
http://www.nacacnet.org/research/research-data/College-Openings/Pages/College-Openings-Results.aspx
http://wue.wiche.edu/search_results.jsp?searchType=all
There are lots of Colorado schools on both. Check out Ft. Lewis, Mesa State, and UNC.
Arizona State is also on NACAC and WUE.
UC Merced is better than asu (academically and learning conditions) since this student wouldn’t have Barrett.
In post #4 you said your parents can only pay up to $20k/year. After the $5500 student loan that leaves $11k/year for Merced. How are you paying for that? Do you qualify for any grants or do your parents plan to cosign loans? A summer job would cover some of it, but you’ll need money for books and living expenses too. Since your plans include med school, I’d avoid undergrad debt as much as possible.
Keep in mind you don’t have to major in biology for med school…you can major in anythign as long as you take the pre-med courses (bio, chem, org chem, etc)
A lot of the WUE schools don’t offer the discount this late. I know UNR and Boise State both offer late admission but, you are going to pay full OOS rates (which is a foolish proposition IMHO). Congrats on wiggling your way into Merced. I think that shows your resilience, and suggests to me you’ll do well no matter where you are.
There are a LOT of paths available to you but, CC or UCM are the most viable. If I were you, I’d head to Merced tomorrow and see what you think. It is a different kind of UC, much smaller than the others, but growing rapidly and still offers the 4 year experience. If you perform well and aren’t finding what you need, a Jr transfer to another UC is possible. I’d encourage you visit with an open mind and - unless you hate it, submit your deposit.
If you hate it, then head to your CC and TAG into UCI. This may sound silly but, be sure to follow the directions EXACTLY. The process works well but, thousands of kids get tripped up by deadlines, course sequences and GPA thresholds every year.
Apparently you consider Irvine worth it. How can anyone make the case that if Irvine is worth it, Merced is not?
I’m not saying you should go to Merced, period. If you hate the school because of location, type of students enrolled, whatever personal reason, then you probably shouldn’t go. But there is no academic reason not to attend Merced. HS kids tend to place a lot of faith in “rankings.” But med schools don’t. Any 4-year college in the country can teach the lower-division math and science you need to qualify for med school admission. Even Merced 
Kids ask here all the time “which will prepare me better for med school, X or Y?” because they don’t understand the process. Schools don’t “prepare” you. You prepare yourself. By studying to get good grades, by getting to know some profs so you get strong letters of rec, by taking part in research (optional, but can be a tipping factor), by getting experience in the health-care field (an unofficial requirement), by studying for the MCAT. Somehow kids think if they just show up and do what they’re told they get in, the school owns the responsibility to “prepare them”, but there’s nobody leading them by the hand. Not even at schools with premed advisors (which most UCs don’t even have). Read thru thru the very informative pages at https://www.rhodes.edu/content/health-professions-advising-hpa on the “PreMed Essentials” link and you’ll pretty much know what an advisor would tell you; the rest is up to you.
In fact by some factors Merced might have an edge on Irvine with possibly smaller classes, a stronger focus on undergrads, less competition. See http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/UC-Merced-goes-from-shunned-to-popular-4450839.php
The reason I consider Irvine worth it is because I live nearby and I’d save a lot by living at home. CC then transferring to UCI would save a lot of money in comparison to attending Merced for the full four years.
(BCPM = biology, chemistry, physics, math/statistics)
It is probably not practical to do all of the usual pre-med BCPM courses in the two years after transfer to a university, if a student starts with two years at a community college. Scenarios:
A. Non-BCPM major: about 10-11 semester courses of pre-med BCPM courses needed, plus about 8 semester courses of upper division courses for one’s major (if a typical liberal arts major) is a tight squeeze in the 16 courses one would typically take in two years after transfer. In this case, the student would have to take some pre-med BCPM courses before transfer, and take the rest (or more advanced BCPM courses) in the elective space left over (about 8 semester courses’ worth if the major is a typical liberal arts major) after transferring.
B. BCPM major: some of the pre-med BCPM courses must be taken before transfer in order to take the upper division BCPM courses for one’s major. But wouldn’t many medical schools consider the upper division BCPM courses taken after transfer for the student’s major as sufficient evidence of being able to handle BCPM courses at a university?
For many kids, that is the deciding factor (eg. finances). I thought before you were saying that Merced wasn’t the academic peer of Irvine, but now it sounds like money is the reason. In which case the CC route may make sense.
Apply to the University of Arizona. They give a tuition discount for students from California and they are still accepting applications. Give them a call.
UC Merced is better than asu (academically and learning conditions) since this student wouldn’t have Barrett. If there still are spots in Barrett then the situation changes.
OP :call Barrett, see if they’re still accepting applications.
Ok…so the issue is that UCI would be commuting vs forming elsewhere…so cost savings…
Which CC would you be attending? Fullerton College? Saddleback? Golden West? Orange Coast?
Which privates are near you besides Chapman? Whittier College? Concordia Irvine? Concordia may still give substantial merit.
For cost, a CC wins.
I’d be attending Irvine Valley College.
thats a good choice! According to http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-uc-transfers-20140515-story.html it is in the top 10 CC in Calif for xfers to the UC system