Need some help deciding whether to attend.

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - San Diego
1

I am making the choice between going to CC and then transferring or going to UCSD as a freshmen. With CC I will be able to get past a majority of my GEs because I took alot of AP tests, I was wondering how that works for UCSD. I was thinking, I could maybe get past them in one year, so I wouldn’t waste a lot of time.

Anyways here is my main concern

  • I screwed up the FAFSA and financial aid. I put one of the law schools or med schools to send the FAFSA and they didn't get the FAFSA. I just re-sent it to them with the right school code but it's the end of may now. I have been trying to contact their office if they will be able to help, but I can't reach them. In the scenario, that I barely get any, is it worth it to go to UCSD for the college experience and going as a Freshmen. I made this mistake only this year so I can get more the other years. Is it worth going as a freshmen to pay more this year? Or, as my parents are saying, am I being stupid and that I should go to community college and save money and that making friends won't do anything for your career. (My dad can help pay like 10-15k but it would make things a lot tighter in terms of finance). I'm not interested in fraternities or partying and stuff like that. For me, it's more coming in as a freshmen, getting involved, establishing lifelong friendships, taking advantage of the opportunities(internships,etc), getting to know the professors.

This thing is more for my parents

  • I want to go into business and so my parents were saying UCB is better for that. Hass is incredibly prestigious and that you'll be near silicon valley and you'll have a better network. My brother transferred to UCB fairly easily so they were saying that if you go to community college you will also see the benefit of all that. I was having trouble explaining to them the benefit going straight will have for my career. And that UCSD is very prestigious too and that going UCB won't have as much as an impact as they say it will.
2

Whatever AP scores of 3 or higher that UCSD accepts will correspond to a class you won’t have to take for GE. You’d need a ton of credit to get by in only a year, though. Expect only maybe a semester worth of effort saved at most.

I recommend not letting money or your parents control your life. Since coming in to UCSD as a freshman is something you’re clearly interested in, go for it. If your parents can’t or won’t cover the extra cost, take out a student loan and pay it off yourself after you graduate. If you had a burning desire to save money then the story might be different, but since that doesn’t seem to be the case, I’d just go to UCSD from the get-go. The school affects the quality of the classes too, so you’ll be getting a more legitimate+thorough general education than in a community college anyways, in exchange for more effort required.

3

If you want UCSD, go UCSD! I had a friend whose parents wanted him to go to UCI because it was cheaper and closer. But he knew UCSB was much better for him as a person. And based on the info you provided, I see that you really like UCSD. UCSD is incredibly prestigious. And while Berkeley may be a bit better in business, UCSD is holistically great and will be good for your major. Surprising too- everyone assumes UCSD sucks at humanities, but its actually ranked #33 worldwide.