Need guidance

Okay so I got accepted into UC Santa Barbara, and UCR and I Don’t know which school to attend. I also don’t know if I should attend Community college because I really want to go to ucla. Ive always wanted to go to ucla ever since I was 8 but my academic career in high school took a blow when my grandma died as well as other problems. but I feel like if I go to ucsb or ucr I won’t be genuinely happy. I do not want to live my life with regret as this is one of the most important decisions one can make. Is transferring to UCLA worth it? is UCR worth it? can someone just elaborate on my options as well as the possible outcomes

There is no guarantee that if you go to community college that will get into UCLA as a transfer so what will you do then? You have two good options so what is your major at both schools and what is your career plan? If graduate school is a consideration, then UCLA is still possible for graduate school. Are finances/costs and issue? Which school is more affordable UCR or UCSB?

Remember UCR or UCSB could be someone else’s dream school and would love to be in your shoes.

well I qualified for cal grant A which covers about 14k out of the 37k price tag for all UC’s, however riverside is the only one that has updated my financial aid status with the majority of their “rewards” being loans. I know my FAFSA EFC should change but I would have to pay a lot wherever I go the first year because of my parents’ unusually high income in 2016 (104k). My dad has not been working that much in these past two years so I’m hoping their combined incomes should come out to less than 80k which would open the door for more financial aid rewards that do not predominantly consist of loans.

and yeah you’re right I know these schools are also someone else’s dream. UCLA was and still is mine and if I were to go to CC and transfer I would for sure apply to more than 1 UC but I am still uncertain on what route I should take during my collegiate experience. And I picked undeclared in the CHASS college at riverside but I’m planning to change it to business. Same goes with UCSB

@Cris525 UCSB and UCR are great schools! Pick one of them and if you still really want to go to UCLA, then apply as a transfer later on

@MrElonMusk Are UC to UC transfers possible?

Yes, UC to UC transfers are possible, but priority is given to CC students. If you want to do a UC to UC transfer, make sure you finish all your GE’s at the current UC and get the UC reciprocity letter so you do not have take any GE’s at your target UC.

At UCR, you will be Pre-Business if you switch majors and cannot declare a Business major until you complete all the requirements.

http://undergradbusiness.ucr.edu/majorchange/prebusiness.html

You realize the UCSB and UCLA do not have Undergrad Business schools but UCR does?

@Cris525 Here: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/transfer/preparing-admission/other/index.html

@Gumbymom That’s true. I noticed that UCLA only offers an undergraduate degree in business economics.

@Gumbymom suppose I cannot afford to attend UCR or UCSB and I had to attend Community college, would being a full time student be a good idea? I’ve heard of students graduating cc in a year and I would love to transfer as soon as I can. Im willing to take more than 17 units a quarter if needed to meet GE’s and pre-req

I would consider UCSB a gem of sorts – almost a hybrid LAC/university similar to William & Mary (only it is a fair bit larger than W&M). It doesn’t have UCLA’s prestige, but it has plenty, and the quality of your undergrad experience is far, far more important than prestige.

73% of UCSB’s classes are under 30 students, compared to 66% for UCLA… They have far fewer grad students (proportionally) on campus than UCLA, so the focus is more on undergrads at UCSB.

I don’t know how focused on undergrads UCR is, but UCSB clearly is.

If you cannot afford UCR or UCSB, then Community college is a great option. You would need to look up the required courses needed for transfer by using assist.org. You would input your CC and then your target UC and major to see the list of articulated courses to take at your CC along with any GE’s needed. Depending upon how much AP/IB credit you have, if you took a heavy unit courseload including summers, it could be possible to transfer in a year, but 2 years is more reasonable. You need a minimum 60 semster or 90 quarter units to transfer including AP/IB credit.

If interested, I would contact your local CC and meet with a transfer advisor to you plan out your schedule. If the CC is TAP certified, then it can help your chances in transferring to UCLA.

http://www.admission.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_tr/ADM_CCO/tap.htm

@gumbymom My community college is Tap certified I believe and yeah I would have to take summer and intersession courses to graduate in a year. However CC is just a safeguard should my first two plans fail. do you know how good UCR’s business program is?

I have no personal experience, but I do know individuals that have attended UCR and currently attending UCR as Business majors and their Business school is well respected. As I stated above, that UCLA is still possible especially if you are considering an MBA later on.

http://soba.ucr.edu/about/rankings.html

UCSB is a good place and can try to transfer later