Planning on California Community College Help

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>Basically, I'm a senior in high school who has submitted his SIR to UC-Santa Barbara. However, I don't feel that this is the right school to me for many reasons. The living costs, distance from home, and its not having my currently wanted major (Business Administration) is making me consider going to Community College and then transferring to UC-Irvine, UC-Berkeley, or even a private university. So, I will have around 50-some quarter credits by summer if I pass all my AP tests. I believe that that makes me eligible to transfer after one year in CCC as long as i take enough credits to get past the 90 quarter credits mark. However, I have heard that the majority of UC transfers maintain a very high GPA in order to have a chance of getting into the college in an IMPACTED major. That's where my problem stems. I took community college courses already at both Mount San Antonio College and Fullerton College. I have Elementary Statistics and Fundamentals of Music with A's and Elementary Chinese with a B. At Fullerton College, I have General Psychology with an A. My question is: If I start community college next year at Mt. SAC, do the classes I have taken beforehand at the college while I was still in high school still count in my GPA I report when I transfer? If it does, would it be any better to start at Fullerton College? And to any underclassmen reading this, don't slack off in high school like I did. I basically slept more than 3 days a week in each class and put myself in this predicament. Thanks!</p>

<p>P.S. -- I know I can try for a transfer from UC-Santa Barbara but I heard UCs don't reserve a place for those students and CCC students are given priority. Also the admittance rates differ by quite a bit. Could anyone shed some light on this situation?</p>

2

<p>I am transferring from UCSB to Cal this fall. Although CC students do get priority, inter-UC transfers are possible. Basically all you need is a high gpa and finish your GEs at your current college and the major pre-reqs at the college you want to transfer into.</p>

3

<p>Yes, that was what I was thinking on, but how are the transfer resources at UCSB? I had the notion that many of the staff members would be unreceptive to a student planning on transferring since they want to retain their students. Would you say that the staff is more forgiving that I think? Also, if you do not mind, could you provide your major and GPA?</p>

4

<p>Yes you carry on previous college work when you transfer, and it is calculated into your cumulative gpa. Transferring from a CCC would be ideal instead of transferring from another UC IF you are 100% sure that you will be dedicated. Business is an impacted major at all the UC’s that offer it, especially Haas (Berkeley). If you have 50 quarter units from AP’s, then transferring within a year is plausible. Check out [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://www.assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.assist.org) and check out how many pre-reqs you need to do + how much IGETC you have to complete within the year. </p>

<p>Transferring from UCSB to another UC is definitely doable but it is more difficult than from a California CC. They only take in a certain number of students and getting a high GPA at a UC is more difficult than at the CC. UCSB isn’t a bad school by any means, but if your heart is set on transferring then CC may be a better alternative. Social life while attending a CC is pretty bland, since your primary goal is to get in and get out ASAP.</p>

5

<p>My advisers at my college dept. were not helpful at all. I planned the whole transferring process on my own, so you can do it without their help. When I asked them if i would have all my GEs done, they said I could look it up online…they wouldn’t even look it up on their computer…just follow the requirements needed from the college you want to transfer to and you’ll be fine.</p>

<p>I’m a psych major with a 3.83 gpa.</p>

6

<p>@ Sephorazn18: So you’re saying that I would start off at Mt. SAC with 2 A’s and a B? And yes, I am willing to sacrifice my social life for a year to transfer to a school with my intended major. Are you a CCC or UC transfer by any chance? I just don’t think I would really enjoy doing Business Economics since I recently had a talk with my employer about the differences between Business Economics and Business Administration.</p>

<p>@ kitkat7: Was there a specific reason you wanted to transfer? Was it for a more “prestigious school” or you just didn’t like the environment that UCSB provided? I also have heard many hate crimes towards minorities in UCSB. I’m Asian and quite a few of my Caucasian friends have reasserted that there are hate crimes in UCSB. The parties do not bother me as I have applied for Scholar’s Floor and know that it is under my control whether I go to them or not. What do you think about the minority issue though?</p>

7

<p>Well your transcript would show all the different colleges you attended and what grades you received. I am a CCC transfer and I highly suggest you go to a CCC for 1 year. 1 year goes by really fast and you won’t notice it.</p>

8

<p>Yeah, I would think that a year would go by fast too especially since I would want to get out of the CCC as soon as possible. However, my parents are really skeptical that I can keep through with this commitment due to my high school years. However, the rejection letters from UCI and UCD were really shocking to me and my friends and really woke me up. Also, my parents are very skeptical about CCC altogether because many of the circles they associate with are usually high-middle class to high class since my parents make quite a substantial amount of money. Most of their friends’ children dropped out after attending CCCs after a few courses. They are afraid I might be like them. The difference is that those drop-outs’ parents all own companies and their children are guaranteed a backup for the next few years at least, depending on the economy. However, my parents do not have any company for me to fall back on and are afraid that if I drop out of CCC, it’s the end of the road for me. I honestly believe I can do it and have been busting my chops in my classes and showing myself I can get A’s with some hard work and dedication. What would you say about most of your peers however? About what fraction achieve their goals and transfer out? Thanks! =)</p>

9

<p>Cal was always my first choice. The SB environment is too small town for me since I come from San Francisco. There’s not much to do in SB…and I ended up driving to LA a lot to visit my friends at USC. I also feel like SB is too laid back and people aren’t very focused on studies. Scholars floor may turn out to have a lot of partiers…i was on the sub-free floor frosh year and basically 95% of my floor drank and did drugs…so that was a pointless floor. The weather is great in SB and I like the fact that people are very active and exercise a lot…</p>

<p>I’m asian as well, and I have heard a few things about hate crimes…earlier this year one of the frats was accused for beating up two asian men. And my roommate has a lot of friends in the asian sororities and they’ve said that they’ve been called racial slurs quite a few times. I haven’t experienced anything personally, but I’ve heard stories.</p>

10

<p>If you have taken CC classes, would you say that the level of difficulty and competition is relatively similar or drastically different? Many people say that CC classes are often easier and that after transferring to a four-year university, some students cannot take the workload and end up dropping out. However, UCLA came out saying that junior-level transfers and students in UCLA since freshman year perform the same and there is no noticeable difference. Not that I’m planning on going to UCLA since all it has is Business Economics as well but I think it should pretty much be across the board for all the UC’s. And yes, I’m in the same predicament as you. I foresee myself taking the AmTrak back every week or two to Los Angeles and Irvine to hang out with my friends since I don’t fit the stereotype of a UCSB student. I know stereotypes aren’t always true, but they are usually there for a reason.</p>

11

<p>Go to a CCC. All UC’s are guaranteed through TAG except for UCLA and UCB. All you need is 3.0 and some pre-reqs. You can go to straight to UCSB straight from high school if you want but I wouldn’t. CCC = chance at the school you want + guaranteed UCSB. And you save a butt load of money. So CCC all the way. Don’t even bother thinking about UCSB unless that is your dream school.</p>

12

<p>If you visited the school and still don’t like the campus community, I wouldn’t force yourself to go somewhere where you’ll be miserable. Like kitkat7, I was also originally from San Francisco, but I loved UCSB and thought there was tons to do, from movie shows in Isla Vista to running on the beach to seeing concerts at Santa Barbara Bowl and being close to all your friends. However, I can understand not everyone liking the environment. Very few people go home for the weekends here so if you plan on doing that I think your social opportunities here would suffer… </p>

<p>I also have heard many hate crimes towards minorities in UCSB.</p>

<p>“Heard” from where?</p>

<p>*earlier this year one of the frats was accused for beating up two asian men. *</p>

<p>Just a note, only one of the victims was Asian.</p>

13

<p>@itransfer: How is it guaranteed UCSB? Will they still take me in after a year if I re-apply for sure? Also, I believe the TAG does not apply to impacted majors like Business Administration and Business Economics. Also, do you mind if I ask where you transferred to with what major and GPA? Thanks!</p>

<p>@rc251: I don’t think I would be miserable in the environment. The campus is beautiful, there’s no doubt about that. However, I have heard from several of my friend’s Asian cousins who go there and several white friends who know people that have gone there. The majority of them say that there is hate crime towards Asians there. Do you know anything first-hand about that because all I have is second-hand information. Thanks!</p>

14

<p>Even though I went to Community College for 2 years and ended up getting into Berkeley and LA, I would have some serious reservations about recommending others doing that. The social life BLOWS. I had a great time with friends in high school- when they all left and went to 4-years and I was the only one left in town it sucked.</p>

<p>From a practical perspective, business at Berkeley is incredibly difficult to get into. You, as a 1 year transfer already with a 5?-credit B, might already not be able to get in even with a 4.0 from here on out. Business Econ at UCLA is also really difficult to get into. The TAG system is good- with a 3.0, you could guarantee you would get into everywhere but UCLA and Cal. If you do go to Community College, I think the best strategic way to play it would be to apply to UCLA as Bus Econ, Econ at Berkeley, and TAG everywhere else in business. Berkeley and LA are iffy though…1 year transfers have trouble getting in because they have too few grades in the system and are taking too many classes their last semesters. In any case, the top 2 are really difficult but the others are guaranteed.</p>

<p>You just have to weigh the one year spent in community college against the improved college selection. Either option is a reasonable choice, but I don’t think you should take how much it blows to go to Community College too lightly. But then again, I might be biased because after 2 years of this crap I don’t think I could take another two weeks with classes full of semi-illiterate students and nobody intelligent around to talk to.</p>

15

<p>One year ago today, I was in kinda-sorta the same situation as you. I was accepted into UCs I truly didn’t want to attend, had enough APs to transfer in a year, hated the stigma of community college, and really wanted to transfer to Cal or UCLA. I know that I can’t make this decision for you, but I have to say . . . thank God I went to community college. I saved a year of my time, about $50,000, and got into a school that I could only dream of getting into fresh out of high school. </p>

<p>But that’s just my experience. I’m an English major, which is impacted but waaaay less competitive than the fields you’re interested in. I did also keep a 4.0, which I know is a no-go for you because of classes you took while still in high school. So those are things to weigh in.</p>

<p>Honestly, here’s what I can tell you:

  1. One year transfers don’t have trouble getting in like the poster above said. I was a one year transfer and didn’t have any prereqs completed when I applied in November, and that didn’t stop UCD, UCSD, UCLA, and Cal from accepting me. I also had a friend that took TWENTY SEVEN UNITS this Spring semester, and she was accepted by UCD. So . . . definitely try to get major breadth requirements (like English and math) done in the Fall, as well as a chunk of your prereqs before Spring, and I don’t think you’ll have a problem. If you are concerned about not having enough grades when you apply, you can take units this summer. I took nine last summer and didn’t find it difficult at all. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Your social life will be what you make it. No, you don’t have the comfort of living right on campus and walking down the hall to get to your new bff’s room, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make friends and hang out outside of school. I mean, people make friends in high school, and it isn’t any more difficult to have a social life in community college than high school. </p></li>
<li><p>One year does go by fast. Just do it. If nothing else, you can transfer over to UCSB, save a year, and save a bunch of money. There’s really not much you’re losing by going to a community college.</p></li>
<li><p>I found that you have to be very, VERY careful when dealing with AP credit. Cc counselors do NOT know what they’re talking about. Always check with the universities themselves with what they’ll give you credit for, because sometimes the cc gives you credit but Cal, for instance, doesn’t. In fact, double check EVERYTHING with the universities. Because you’re transferring in a year, you don’t have time to mess around like a lot of students tend to do, taking this, taking that, and not meeting with enough counselors often enough. Seriously. I’m not just tossing this out there. If you can, even create a buffer zone so you’re not just meeting the minimum transfer requirements. </p></li>
<li><p>Yeah . . . you REALLY have to be self-motivated in community college. It was actually really frustrating for me, because there were people who didn’t work, didn’t have families, and yet were there for four, five years taking God-knows-what. I mean, if you want to transfer to a competitive university, you really have to set your own standards and enjoy learning for the sake of learning. At the schools I went to, I thought the low standards were absolutely ridiculous and wanted to bang my head against the wall many, many times. I had teachers actively encourage their students to get Cs because that’s the minimum needed to receive credit, and I was like, are you f-ing with me?? . . . But, um, yeah. Just my experience again. Get some work ethic, and don’t let it go. For what it’s worth, you sound decently bright and responsible just from these posts, so I don’t really think you’ll have a problem.</p></li>
</ol>

16

<p>@rc251: I don’t think I would be miserable in the environment. The campus is beautiful, there’s no doubt about that. However, I have heard from several of my friend’s Asian cousins who go there and several white friends who know people that have gone there. The majority of them say that there is hate crime towards Asians there. Do you know anything first-hand about that because all I have is second-hand information. Thanks!</p>

<p>I think the campus is extremely friendly… that’s one thing that sets it apart from many other campuses. Two of my closest friends at UCSB were Korean and they miss the campus tremendously since graduating. I was in the fraternity system by the way, and even with the school is a majority white school, we had many Asian brothers and they were all treated with respect… as a matter of fact, the frat that KitKat7 was referring to (Pi Kappa Alpha) actually had an Asian president back when I was rushing…</p>

<p>In any case, if you feel like the environment isn’t for you, don’t force yourself to go there… However, I think if you give UCSB and Isla Vista a chance, you will enjoy it a lot. It was an incredible experience for me both socially and academically.</p>

17

<p>@CollegeHopeful18: I just researched the average GPA for a transfer into Haas and it’s a 3.87. It will definitely be hard to pull off if even possible in a year. However, I plan on keeping my current job at a shoe importing company and filing as an independent after my 18th birthday since I plan on paying for my courses and living expenses. I agree that there are quite a number of unmotivated students in community college but I am already oblivious to them as many of my older friends were like that and I am as determined as hell not to be like them. I do not have my sights set on UCB as that in itself is unpractical enough already with it’s 23% acceptance rate. I will also consider UCI since they have the major as well. May I ask what major you selected at the colleges and what GPA you maintained throughout CC?</p>

<p>@FeeFee34: Thanks for your vouch in confidence for me. I believe I can handle it as well and get an A in all of my classes from now on. That B still stands for a Blemish though. I am trying my best to create a schedule that will allow me to transfer in one year and am planning on taking one or two classes in the winter term. I was planning on doing it this summer but my parents really wanted me to go on a vacation with them before I head off to college which was supposed to be UCSB at the time they booked the tickets. I matched my AP credits to a chart that UCSB had on their website and have 48 quarter units worth of AP tests and 13 semester units at CCCs which I believe converts to 20 quarter units (we round up at .5, right?). That would be a total of 68 quarter units and 90 is needed. I believe that if I do take courses in the winter quarter, I can attain the necessary units to transfer. Do you know when I should apply though to get in for Fall 2010? Is it in Fall 2009 where I basically have no grades to submit? Is this what you did?</p>

<p>@rc251: I do believe I may have blown the racial issue out of proportion a bit and I apologize. I will not lie that I feel more comfortable around Asian people having gone to a very Asian school district for the past five years. Prior to that, I was more open in terms of race since I used to attend a much more diverse school district. However, I have changed with the times for the worse, I fear. Another factor is that I would really love to practice my Chinese during college. I have delayed learning it for so long and putting myself in a dominantly Caucasian school would really hurt my chances of improving my Chinese over the next four years. If I may ask, are you a college transfer as well?</p>

<p>P.S. - If anyone is wondering why I would think about going through the trouble of transferring to UCI when I have already been accepted into UCSB, it’s because it’s closer to home, my friend has a house there I could live in, there’s more of a chance to practice my Chinese, and it has my major. If anyone reading this has managed to transfer to a UC with a Business Administration or Business Economics major, could you please post your GPA and which UC you got in? Thanks so much for the help guys. I actually cried about this dilemma I’m in and I’m the type that rarely cries at all.</p>

18

<p>I was a community college transfer from City College of San Francisco to UCSB. With the reasons you’re giving, it seems you might be happier at UCI. Sometimes one school will “feel” better than another and it seems like you’re suggesting that. I’d perhaps visit UCSB again, maybe visit someone there if you can, and decide if you could see yourself there for at least two years. Good luck with whatever decision you make!</p>

19

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<p>Biz econ is guaranteed through TAG at UCSB.<br>
[UCSB</a> Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.ucsb.edu/prospective/LSTAGCriteria.asp]UCSB”>http://www.admissions.ucsb.edu/prospective/LSTAGCriteria.asp)</p>

<p>You shouldn’t worry about getting into any other UC’s except UCLA or UCB. The other UC’s all you need is a decent GPA and most of pre-reqs done and you are in. High school students should really look into the TAG program if they didn’t get into the school they wanted to straight from high school. I know a lot of people who went to a UC they didn’t want to go and decided to go there just because it was a UC. I know a lot of people who went to Cal States just because they didn’t want to go to community college. </p>

<p>And when ever I bring up the TAG program, they are like ***… I should have done that.</p>

20

<p>I had a cumulative 4.0 GPA and am an Econ major. I didn’t have all of the requirements done for Haas so I figured applying to Econ was wiser.</p>

<p>If I came off sounding like I have a lack of faith in you I apologize. I think you are fully capable of getting a 4.0 until you would graduate from CC. I just think that, given that you are transferring in one year and already have a B, it might be difficult to get into Haas. Lots of 4.0s with all of their requirements done get rejected every year. Even if you got nothing but A’s your first semester (and that would be all that the UC’s would see in terms of grades on your application), getting into Haas would be difficult.</p>

<p>You’d apply in Fall 09, with no grades in for the Fall semester. Then you would add Fall grades to your application in January 2010 in an application update.</p>