i’m on the ucla waitlist right now, and it was my dream school for a number of factors, including price, location, major, etc. i got into very prestigious out-of-state schools (under 15% acceptance rate for some of them) and loved them when i visited, but i wasn’t given enough financial aid to be able to afford them. i ended up committing to another uc (not berkeley or ucsd), but i can’t really see myself there. this school also isn’t really known for my major, and my stats are far above that of the average student that attends that school. obviously, this isn’t to say that it’s a bad school, but i am still disappointed with the fact that i essentially have to settle for a school that isn’t nearly as good as the out-of-state options that i had solely due to cost. i am 100% planning on going to grad school, however, but i just don’t completely know if i want to be at this other uc for 4 years of my life. because of this, i’m considering going to community college (i have more than enough AP credits to transfer after one year) and applying again to ucla in november. does anyone have any advice on taking this path? for reference, now that i am staying in-state, money isn’t an issue for me regardless of the choice i make.
You could try going to a feeder community college like Santa Monica College. If you are applying for a L&S major at UCLA, then you will have a big leg up when it comes to transfer admissions. I have a friend who has several friends that are doing this (and SMC is so close to UCLA that my friends swipes them in to the UCLA dining halls every so often!).
If you get stellar grades at SMC and your major isn’t particularly competitive, you have a strong chance (no guarantees as UCLA doesn’t participate in TAG).
It looks like you are currently admitted and committed to UCSB, is that correct? Most people I know would consider that to be a very good option, so you might want to give it a chance…? However, if you really don’t want to attend UCSB you can certainly consider the community college path as described above. It’s a good option too for many folks.
Is there a way to transfer from one UC to the other? If so, you can look into it. Google inter campus transfer.
is there a similar santa monica college to ucla pipeline as there is with santa barbara community college and ucsb? i’ve had some friends do that to get into ucsb, but i didn’t know there was a college like that for ucla.
there is, but over 90% of uc transfers are from a CA community college, and the ucs specifically say that they prioritize community students who are trying to transfer. if i did go to a uc right now, my chances of transferring would be a lot lower. it’s doable, but i really wouldn’t count on it.
Tbh, I know nothing about UCSB at all. SMC → UCLA is very well known among members of my community. It may be worth a shot if you really have your heart set on UCLA; what you can do is after you transfer as a “sophomore” after your first year at SMC, you can spend 3 years at UCLA (which is actually not uncommon at all) to make your experience almost like a regular college experience. UCLA has guaranteed housing for transfers (both in the dorms as well as university owned apartments).
The catch is, if you don’t live within 45 minutes of SMC (outside LA county), it may not be worth it to your family to pay for an apartment by campus when you can just attend a local CC.
do you know how likely it is for ucla to allow transfer students to stay for 3 years instead of 2? i was trying to look into that, but i kept seeing that there’s a maximum number of units (216, i believe) that ucla allows students to take before they have to graduate. i don’t know how that would equate to the average number of units completed for a transfer student after the end of their (official) senior year—that is, if a transfer would max out their credits at that point and be unable to stay for a third year. i’m also double majoring, so i don’t know if that would play a role in that.
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UCLA accepts TAP which is not a guarantee like TAG but has a higher acceptance rate.
UCLA also is UC to UC friendly so they give similar priority to UC transfers like CC transfers. I agree you need to give UCSB a chance but there are several transfer routes available if you are unhappy.
Here is the 1 year transfer information.
One Year Transfer without TAG:
- Calculate your current amount of UC semester/quarter credits
Add up all of your current UC semester/quarter credits from passed AP scores and college courses taken during high school.
To find AP Score to UC credit equivalents, look at your Target UC’s.
- Choose a major offered at a UC(s) and search it on www.assist.org
This is, of course what you’re working for
Enter in your major and your intended CC to see what courses you need to complete.
If there are no major preparatory courses required, still complete as many as possible. The completion of IGETC is still required for some majors.
- Plan out your summer, fall, and spring courses
Remember you must have 60 semester (90 quarter) units, the completion of IGETC if needed, and as many courses towards your major as possible prior to transfer.
Since you’re not getting a TAG, you don’t need 30 semester (45 quarter) units by the end of the summer before you apply, but still take a couple courses so your fall/spring course load won’t be so heavy
Some courses towards your major can also towards finishing IGETC or the 7 course GE pattern. Sitting down and planning this out with a CC counselor is a great way to plan a solid schedule.
Pay very close attention to your registration dates each semester since classes fill up very quickly.
- Apply to your UCs before the end of November
Don’t miss this date and plan your personal statements!
You’re also going to have to list all of your classes you’re planning to take and the ones in progress
- Complete TAU in January
TAU stands for Transfer Academic Update. In January, you must update your application with your fall grades and declare spring classes in progress
- Keep up your GPA!
University of California – 9 Feb 23
Transfers by major
GPA ranges and counts for transfer applicants by major and CIP
Although it’s not guaranteed acceptance like I think some transfer pipelines are, I do see anecdotally that there are lots of transfers from SMC. I know that all UCs do really want you to graduate once you have the credits to do so, but it would be worth trying to ask how double majors or a minor might impact that.
I found this email online to contact with questions: transfers@saonet.ucla.edu
That said, other schools within the system are also very good. UCLA is great (I have one child there), but it’s not perfect and there are both great and not perfect things about all of the campuses. My second child is headed to a different one because UCLA was sadly her sole rejection. She was definitely crushed for a little while, but now she’s getting excited for all of the new and different experiences she will have from her brother, including way nicer dorms.
Whatever you decide to do, I hope you can embrace it and be excited. Wishing you the best of luck!
@co23 i’ve been trying to get myself to love sb but i just can’t see myself there.
Then don’t. If you have thought about it, visited, and it’s just not the school for you that’s probably not going to change. Let someone who wants it get off the waitlist for SB. I agree that students should enter college with an open mind if they didn’t get into a top choice but not everyone can do that. What you’re writing seems to be more than just the natural disappointment of not getting into a preferred school.
If you go to a CC then look into the TAP program at UCLA which gives a preference (not a guarantee) in enrollment into L&S majors. See https://tap.ucla.edu/ and explore the tabs at the top. You might want to contact the CCs in your area to see if you can get TAP certified with just one year at a CC.
According to https://tap.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/UG-Admission-TAP-Council-Mtg_Fall-2020.pdf in the last year before Covid the admit rate was 78% for TAP.
There is potentially more good news if you transfer after one year. I’m assuming you have a boatload of AP units, not dual enrollment. If the credit is from AP then it looks like you’d still be able to spend 3 years at UCLA instead of only 2 like most transfers. UC says
Units granted for AP tests are not counted toward the maximum number of credits required for formal declaration of a major or the maximum number of units a student may accumulate prior to graduation. Students who enter UC with AP credit do not have to declare a major earlier than other students, nor are they required to graduate earlier.
AP credits | UC Admissions
Of course you’d want to verify this applies to transfers with UCLA admissions
Here are UCLA’s AP credits:
https://admission.ucla.edu/apply/transferring-credits (scroll down for the AP credit listings by division)
UCLA | UC Admissions
At UCLA, note that most AP credit counts only toward units (usually 4 or 8 quarter units, equivalent to 2.7 to 5.3 semester units) and general credit (e.g. 3 on AP calculus gives credit labeled as “calculus”) rather than equivalency for specific courses where a course number is listed (e.g. 5 on AP calculus BC gives subject credit for MATH 31A and 31B).
Different UCs, CSUs, and CCs may evaluate AP credit differently. But, for the purpose of transferring to UCLA, it is UCLA’s AP credit listing that matters. The exception is if you complete IGETC at a CC, in which case the CC’s AP credit listing is what matters for the CC’s certification of IGETC (but not for major preparation courses).
You may get more specific help if you mention:
- Intended or possible major(s).
- What AP scores you have.
thank you, this helps a lot
Make sure that UCLA is affordable. Check the Net Price calculator on UCLA’s financial aid website to find out how much you should plan on paying.
Will you be living on campus? You will need to adjust your budget for that.
Transfers typically don’t get the best financial aid, so you need to confirm that you can pay your bursar fees.
AP Calculus AB - 5
AP Calculus BC - 5 (AB subscore is also a 5)
AP English Language and Composition - 5
AP English Literature and Composition - Took it in May and expecting a 4 or 5
AP European History - 5
AP Spanish Language and Culture - 5
AP Statistics - Took it in May and expecting a 5
AP United States Government and Politics - Took it in May and expecting a 5
AP United States History - 5
i’ve looked at all my IGETC requirements, and it looks like i only have 4 gen ed courses left to take based on my ap exam scores (i also previously took BIOL 100 at community college, so my bio and lab requirements are fulfilled). i used the assist website to look at my major pre reqs, and i only have 3 or 4 classes left to take. at the end of the day, is this doable? if i did this, i would definitely take at least 2 classes over the summer, and i have an internship in my field that starts in june so that i can get some experience.
yes, it’s definitely affordable for me without aid. i’m not receiving aid either way (even by going to ucsb right now), so i’m not counting on aid regardless.
One or two more thoughts if you go the CC approach. In order to be a competitive applicant for transfer you’ll want to complete as much of the major prep as you can so look carefully at ASSIST and the UCLA website to understand what you should take. I would prioritize that over IGETC which really shouldn’t matter all that much to you anyway since you’ll be at UCLA for 3 years and have plenty of time for GE classes should you need any.
Another hurdle is that the only CC grades UCLA will have from you is the winter update, compared to the 3 semesters of grades for those spending 2 years at a CC. You might strengthen your case a bit by taking summer school classes at your CC this summer (and doing well) so they have those grades also. Try to load up the major prep classes fall semester so they’ll have those grades to look at. And as a CC student this summer you’d be able to start working with the xfer center and talking to the UC counselor if they come by in the summer.