Can someone verify that De Anza is the best community college to transfer from or is it practically the same as every other CCC? Also, I heard that the classes are way easier and the professors are way more lenient. Is all of this true?
As someone currently enrolled at a UC and who has friends who have gone to De Anza, I can say to the very least that it has a great program for transfer students. Comparatively to another local CCs such as Foothill or West Valley, De Anza tends to have a better academic reputation. That being said, it’s not the community college that will get you into your desired university– it’s the work that you put into it. This means you need to be proactive– take advantage of the TAG program if you’re interested in transferring to a UC– and make the most out of staying home for those few years by working part-time or finding an internship that gives you a competitive edge.
@InamoratiAnon For sure. Thanks for the response and yeah I know I have to put ALOT of time in, but I’m used to it so it won’t be too different in college I think. And yeah, I’m going to take advantage of that TAG program. I have alot of extracurricular such as volunteering at the hospital for 300+ hours and working at a nearby temple already. Do you think I can use that on my application? It was like 2012-2016 work and I’m applying for UC’s in 2017.
That’s totally fine! Use as much info for your ECs as you can, especially if it’s relevant to what you want to study. It won’t hurt to let them know all the hard work you’ve put in outside of class. 
What target UCs and CSUs, and what majors?
Use ASSIST.org find out which CCs have the best coverage of your majors at you target schools.
De Anza is popular, but some transfers to UCs for CS have to take more catch up courses than those from some other CCs.
@BacktoBack30 De Anza student here! Math professors are terrible. Other than that, it’s a great community college.
The Physics series is SO DAMN DIFFICULT. Sciences in general are harder at De Anza than other CC’s. (Coming from friends who’ve been everywhere.) But like anything if you’re willing to put the work into it, you should do alright.
If I had an option of various CC’s again I’d strongly consider Foothill. Though this might be a case of “the grass is always greener.”
Foothill and De Anza have very similar courses, which is not surprising since they are associated with each other.
As a student that went to De Anza and couple of others schools nearby, I can tell you that it is not the “best” CC. If anything, it is usually difficult to get into the classes that you need since registration dates differ for different students. With that being said, it is a good school that will get you where you want to go if you are willing to do the work. I have had friends transfer to UCB from De Anza, Mission College, Foothill and the only thing they had in common was that they were very hard working students and earned their grades.
As far as easiness is concerned, it obviously depends on the Professor. I didn’t find De Anza to be easier.
De Anza is consistently noted as one of the higher-rated CC’s and has a great reputation. Every CC has staggered enrollment. Generally, De Anza is not considered an easy CC.
De Anza is in Cupertino, where many parents of high educational attainment live. This is likely related to the high numbers of UC bound students there.
^EXTREMELY ON POINT.
From what I understand CC bureaucracy is the same as almost anywhere else and teachers are good and bad like anywhere else(maybe slightly better), but at De Anza the one thing that is extremely different is the peer group.
There’s a huge amount of International students at De Anza for one. If you’re doing a science major you might end up thinking that over half of De Anza is International. And Cupertino is wealthy area and with a few of the top schools in the nation calling it home. (Monta Vista, Lynbrook, Cupertino, ect.)
Since these high schools are extremely competitive/intellectually stimulating, the students that don’t do as well (Don’t get into college out of hs) are usually still quite “intelligent.” These individual end up going to De Anza and since UC admission through CC is much “easier” than in HS they do well and transfer out through TAG and regular admission.