Please help me! (No college to attend!)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>I got rejected from my "dream school," Berkeley. I did however get accepted to CalArts (almost full tuition scholarship for 1st year) and UCI. I anticipated getting accepted by Berkeley and was stunned of the rejection (though I am waiting on my appeal). I know people have opinions that 18 year olds are extremely adaptable, but in all honesty, I'm not like everyone else and I would never fit into UCI. I'm a lot more radical and free-spirited for that crowd.</p>

<p>Is it possible for me to attend CalArts (an art college) and then somehow transfer as a sophomore OR a freshman into Berkeley or some other LAC such as Mills or some other Californian private LAC? Or would you advise me to take a gap year? </p>

<p>Is it even possible for me to apply as a freshman after taking one year at a college, albeit it being an art college? It'd be okay to negate my classes taken over there. Can you also list some LAC's in California that are comparable to Berkeley's academics? Thank you.</p>

2

<p>Why did you even apply to CalArts if you obviously don't really want to go there?</p>

3

<p>When I went to UC Davis there was certain segment of every freshman class that basically consisted of disappointed Berkeley applicants. They didn't get into Berkeley and were only staying at Davis for a year or at most two before they were going to transfer to their true destiny - their dream school by the Bay. </p>

<p>Over the four years I knew dozens of these kids, and not a single one of them ever ended up applying for transfer. They all quickly grew to love UC Davis and made friends there and soon wouldn't think of leaving. If you go to UCI I think it's very likely that something similar will happen to you.</p>

4

<p>Based on what you wrote, it seems like you wanted to go to Berkeley because of the environment(besides the academics). You said about UCI that you're "more radical and free-spirited for that crowd." Assuming that being free spirited and more radical is one of your priorities how do you not see that Cal Arts is the better choice. Its an art school! You can't get more radical and spirited than an art school. I imagine you must also have interests in the arts/design fields otherwise you wouldn't have applied in the first place. Cal Arts has an excellent reputation.</p>

<p>However you need to take into consideration that you cant transfer into berkeley as a freshman or a sophomore. Admissions is strictly only for freshman(where high school was the last school of attendance, meaning if you take a college course after high school you're automatically disqualified as a freshman applicant) and transfer students who have completed 60 TRANSFERABLE units or more.</p>

<p>If you go to Cal Arts also know that you'll be pursuing a BFA(most likely) and when you pursue a BFA the classes you take will be more focused on your major, therefore making it more difficult to transfer out into a regular university, if you choose to do so at a later time(which happens to be my case).</p>

<p>LAC's comparible to Berkeley are Pomona College, Harvey Mudd, & Claremont McKenna.</p>

<p>Taking a gap year doesn't help especially if you dont do anything that year. Unless of course you're a full time community college student and that just goes into applying as a transfer student, which is a lot easier to do.</p>

5

<p>I applied to CalArts moreso to prove that I could get into one of the hardest animation schools to get into; self-fulfillment. However, I am also intellectually inclined and honestly I don't only want to focus on art. If at berkeley, I'd still pursue art, but in a BROADER sense and I'd like to expand upon my interest in Political Science. </p>

<p>Opinions change and I'm not the same person who applied to the colleges a couple months ago. I've learned that I want to have a broader and more global standpoint in my life and I want to expand upon it more than just in one aspect. I feel that Berkeley has both the environment and is filled with passionate people who want to change the world and being there would help me a lot.</p>

<p>I come from an area of California where people are not expected to go to some prestigious college. Most of us are first generation college students and have english as our second language. I'm not some daughter of a "yuppie" who thinks Berkeley or some Ivy is their place because their entitled to it. I've worked hard and I have visions for the world. I KNOW that Berkeley is the place for me to orchestrate them. </p>

<p>I want to be a broader minded citizen of the Earth.</p>

6

<p>In that case your only real options are community college and UCI. Frankly I'd choose community college, only if you are going to be committed and not take it as a joke. I know it's hard to do because most community college students aren't in your same situation where they seek admissions to top schools, most would be beyond content with a decent cal state. If you get a high gpa(3.5+)at a community college, you can do the guarantee transfer route to UCBerkeley without a problem. You could also end up applying to top liberal art colleges(which are i think more flexible than uc berkeley in terms of admissions policies, specifically with the 60 unit requirement). Also to note USC accepts transfers at the sophomore level, with only 30 units needed, and they have a strong animation/art major, more so than i think Berkeley.</p>

<p>from my experience at an art school, i will tell you that art school should only be your choice if and only if that's all you want out of life. i realized at art school that i was interested in learning for the sake of learning, and my liberal arts education showed me that while i was there. I am now trying to transfer out, and am stuck with the dilemma of finishing a design degree or choosing community college if i dont get in.</p>

7

<p>I don't only want to do art, and I never wanted to really do animation. I want to be an FBI agent one day (Yeah, I know, right?). I don't want to major in art, but I want art in there somehow.</p>

<p>Honestly, I'm aiming for Berkeley and other top Liberal arts colleges. I was considering taking a gap year to volunteer/intern and also redo some SAT's to get a higher score and then possibly reapply to the schools that I didn't apply to.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
I want to be an FBI agent one day (Yeah, I know, right?). I don't want to major in art, but I want art in there somehow.

[/quote]
Actually, I don't think this is that much of a stretch. Someone has to be able to draw what the suspect might look like based on what witnesses can remember.</p>

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<p>Lol! That's funny :D</p>

10

<p>
[quote]
I'm not like everyone else and I would never fit into UCI. I'm a lot more radical and free-spirited for that crowd.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Am I the only one who found this sentence absurd?</p>

<p>I mean, in my mind someone who is "free-spirited" wouldn't be so dramatic as to say they have "no college to attend" when they've been accepted to two schools, one which offered a generous scholarship.</p>

11

<p>True. But I don't like UCI at all, and I'd still need to pay a bunch for CalArts and not have as wide of an education as I'd like to have.</p>

12

<p>Why don't you try to contact the admissions folks at Mills, or perhaps one of the other California LAC's that you've been thinking about and see if they would accept a late application.</p>

<p>Also as of May 4, on the NACAC site (National Assoc. of College Admission Counselors), there will be a listing of schools throughout the country that are still accepting application for Fall 2008. </p>

<p>If you really want to transfer to Cal or another UC, don't start your college career at Cal Arts. It's a wonderful school, but will not provide the transfer classes that you will need.</p>

<p>I would recommend attending a Bay Area CC such as College of Marin or Diablo Valley College (or Mesa in your area), that has a strong transfer articulation agreement with Cal. Just make sure that if you go that route, you check in with the Transfer counselor prior to registering for ANY classes to make sure that they fulfill the IGETSE requirements.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

13

<p>Evergreen State University and Hendrix may be worth a look. Both are more liberal and free spirited types of schools and they are still accepting applications. Also, Suny Binghamton is still accepting applications. Good luck!</p>

14

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<p>Berkeley is not a liberal arts college. It's a major research university.</p>

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<p>Right, so what makes you think you have now stopped changing and have reached your final opinion? Two months from now Berkeley may be totally off your list too.</p>

15

<p>CalArts is very prestigious for art...and a nearly full scholarship is fantastic.</p>

<p>I would be inclined to go to CalArts since you mention you would pursue art at Berkeley as well.</p>

<p>It sort of comes down to what you want to do major-wise:
1. If you want to pursue art practice, CalArts is a top choice.
2. If you want to pursue something else, UCI can provide this.
3. If you have your heart set on Berkeley, go to a CC for two years and then transfer...keep in mind there are no guarantees though, so there is some risk.</p>

<p>You have a tough choice, I agree. But, ultimately only you can decide what suits your needs and dreams best.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

16

<p>so you only applied to two schools? what are your other schools that you've gained admission to?</p>