<p>I'm currently a Florida resident but would like to move to California to attend UCLA or UC Berkeley. I plan on going to a community college (like Santa Monica College) for the first two years then transfer to one of those two UCs. I know about the TAP/TAG program, so it shouldn't be difficult transferring from a community college to a UC. But how hard will it be to get into a CA community college if I'm a nonresident? I'm a junior in high school, I'm#5 in my class of 700+ students (in a public high school within the top 100 in the country), I got a 2300 on my last SAT, and I have a number of APs under my belt.</p>
<p>Also, how difficult will it be to establish residency for tuition purposes? I read all the guidelines, and the thing that worries me the most is the financial independence requirement. Exactly how much money would I need to make to prove that I'm self sufficient? I will be living with a close family friend in Studio City, but I will pay rent. Also, while I don't have a "steady" job, I've made a lot of money from doing local commercials and print ads here in South Florida (I've so far saved $10,000 in the last year and a half from that alone). I expect to continue my acting/commercial thing in California if I find an agent there, but if not I'll get a part time job as a waitress or something. I've had to pay income tax on my previous earnings, so will my previous income be considered for financial independence?</p>
<p>Anyway, it's not that I want to cut myself off from my parents emotionally or anything... I just don't want to be a financial burden to them (well, my mom mostly because my biological dad lives out of the country and barely pays for anything in my life even though he's extremely wealthy) and I want to pay for college as much as possible. I also don't think I'll qualify for many loans or grants because my mom and stepdad make a decent amount of money and have practically no debt, plus I know for a fact my stepdad and mom have at least $700,000 in "emergency" savings (meaning, money not used towards mortgage and whatnot; that money just sits in various savings accounts). Scholarship money from my academics is a different matter, but I don't think that whatever money I get from that will be enough to pay for $100,000 for college tuition. I don't want to ask money from my stepdad because I feel embarrassed that he's had to pay a lot of money to help my mom support me. Also, my mom and stepdad just had a baby recently, so I can only imagine how much money they'll have to spend on her. My dad won't help for college, like how he's never paid for my education or living expenses (although to be fair, he does send a check every birthday and Christmas... not that those things help much because my mom has always refused to take them). So do you think I can qualify for financial independence? If not, what course of action do you suggest I take regarding this whole college process? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Move to California as soon as you can. If you can get into a CA high school for your entire senior year you’ll be able to enter a local community college as a CA resident.</p>
<p>1.) Like I said, get transitioned into a CA high school as soon as possible.
2.) Graduate from that high school (keeping up good grades is important, but unless you plan to apply to a UC straight out of high school, it’s not your biggest concern; any CA community college (CCC) will take you with a hs diploma).
3.) Your chances of getting into UCB and UCLA are much better if you go to a CCC first. This is because the students straight from hs often have rediculously high GPAs, AP classes, and extra curriculars.
4.) It will take one year and one day to establish residency in CA (and it will require documentation to achieve this, so do your research (examples: drivers license, rental agreement, etc.)
5.) It may be in your interest to emancipate yourself once you are here. Talk to a the counselor at whichever hs you attend. The reason I say this is because you may be granted with additional loans as an “independent” once you enroll in college. It may also require your mother’s consent, so communicate with her about this.
6.) When you get to a CCC, you will want to obtain IGETC certification or follow the breadth requirements for all of the UC school’s you wish to apply to (these are essentially the general requirements; English, history, etc. that is required to transfer into a UC). Each UC has their requirements online and they can vary by major.
7.) You will have to choose a major when you apply to UC schools. Pick a major that is “uncapped” from the Berkeley’s Letters and Science department and/or another less-competitive major for UCLA. Admission rates are much lower in certain majors for the top-tier schools. Bioengineering and Business are a couple majors you will probably want to stay away from. After you identify a major, take courses that satisfy the pre-requisites for that major (in CA we use a website called assist.org which shows the CCC courses that articulate to UC courses). Get as many, if not all, of the pre-requisites finished before applying to UCB or UCLA (note: applications for UCs deadline in November every year, so when you are in your second year at a CCC, you will be in good shape as long as you are planning to have the pre-reqs completed by the end of Spring before enrollment; they will not allow you to finish them in Summer). Completing your IGETC (or breadth requirements) is the most important, but you should also be taking a course or two each term to meet the pre-reqs for the major. Sometimes it can take 2.25.2.5 years to complete the IGETC/breadth and pre-reqs at a CCC, so work with a counselor and consider taking some summer courses.
8.) When you get to a CCC, work closely with a transfer counselor (every CCC has a transfer department to my knowledge). Also, enroll in the honors program immediately and stay on track. If you complete the honors program at a CCC they will certify you when it comes time to apply to UCs. The top UCs will oftentimes give admission priority to honors students. If you want to be very competitive you should keep a 3.8-4.0 GPA throughout your two years.
9.) UCLA has TAG agreements but UCB does not. UCB really has no transfer agreements of any kind. So to be competitive for them you will want a high GPA and honors program cert.
10.) Grades are not everything to these top schools. Plan on becoming an active leader in an on-campus club at your CC and/or start your own. Do some volunteering and community outreach as well. Apply for scholarships and merit awards. The more well-rounded you are, the better your chances will be for admission. Oftentimes, students with 4.0 GPAs get denied because they lack extracurriculars. Start a program or fundraising effort for low-income families in the local community or something great like that.
11.) Do all these things and you’ll be in good shape. Always always, work closely with the consolers at your schools. Bug them if you have to, show up unexpectedly, or better yet, schedule lots of appointments with them. Getting CCC students into 4-year schools is their job. And 9/10 of them will be excellent resources for your transition.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Why not just stay in Florida and complete your education there? You already have steady work. There is no guarantee that you will be able to find that kind of employment in CA.</p>
<p>Your custodial parent’s (mom) situation means that you won’t qualify for any need based aid. You do have a good profile for merit-based aid at a lot of colleges and universities. If your goal is to get a college education, then you may want to investigate those options. Start here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>If your real goal is to pursue your career, then sit down with your agent, and find out what he/she knows about the chances you have for success in CA.</p>
<p>There is no TAG for UCLA or UC Berkeley. Also, some UC’s do not accept TAG’s for certain highly desirable majors. There is a bunch of info regarding this in the UC Transfers forum.</p>