After this year’s brutal college admissions process I’ve unfortunately been rejected by all but one of the UCs I applied to (currently waitlisted at UCSD) but I’ve somewhat come to the conclusion that I may not end up being accepted to said UC since I haven’t heard back from them yet. I’ve been accepted to all my safeties including San Jose State University but am still set on trying to transfer to a UC. I’ve been pondering back and forth and think that maybe I’ll end up falling in love with SJSU and would want to stay there, but if I don’t I wouldn’t mind dropping out of SJSU and attending a nearby community college.
I’m aware that the smarter choice would be attending an instead of SJSU then a CC just because I’ll not only be saving money but there’s a higher chance of me being accepted if I do. However, I’m really set on attending SJSU just to see if I would like it. I understand that it has a great Comp Sci program & its proximity to Silicon Valley has led to many employers hiring SJSU graduates. I’m not completely against attending SJSU and I’m falling in love with it bit by bit, but I can’t see myself staying there are all 4 years and would want to see if I could transfer in a year or 2.
If anyone has transferred from a CSU to a UC please drop some advice or any information you have below, I’m aware that it would be more difficult just with credits possibly not transferring & whatnot but I still don’t think it’s impossible.
hey i started out at sf state to see how i would like it even though i really wanted uc berkeley. after one semester, i was super depressed, failing my courses and really unhappy so i dropped out and went to a cc in berkeley. im way happier and my grades have gone up too, as well as im transferring to either ucsd or cal this fall as an honors student. i think you should do what your gut tells you to do and try out sjsu first but if money is a big constraint, i would say just go to a cc.
Ahh would definitely recommend going to a CC if you’re intent on going to a UC! There are several paths you can take (TAG to a UC eligible campus) or taking TAP which can help increase your chances of transferring to UCLA or UCB!
I remember being rejected by both UCLA and UCB my senior year and I was so devastated, but I don’t regret my decision going to CC at all. I was able to save money and get my pre-reqs out of the way at my own pace. This time, I got accepted to every UC I applied to and I’m currently deciding between UCB and UCLA! You can take the CSU route, but I wouldn’t recommend it since it’s technically harder to transfer to a UC later on. Wishing you the best!
@plslovemeucsd were you accepted into your major at SJSU? Or undeclared? Also what CC or group of CC’s would you attend instead of SJSU? What are your career goals, and why do you think a UC would be better?
I was accepted into my first choice major at SJSU & if I were to attend CC it would be either College of San Mateo, Skyline College, or Cañada College, but I’m leaning towards the College of San Mateo since I want to major in STEM.
For my career goals, I really wanted to explore my interests and see what field interested me most in biomedical engineering, I know it’s a broad field but I’m hoping to pursue some sort of career that intertwines Computer Science and medicine. I believe UCSD would be a better choice because of its outstanding bioengineering program and the tons of research opportunities available. I know that SJSU potentially has some research opportunities as well but they might be of better quality at UCSD.
So basically there’s no advantage to SJSU v. CC since you won’t have the “college experience”.
I’m not seeing why you’d pick SJSU, especially since it’s more expensive.
SJSU has a renowned Comp Sci program and its proximity to Silicon Valley may pave the way for more internship opportunities. SJSU overall is a commuter school however there are still ways to be involved. I can still fill out a housing application and apply but I’m not 100% sure I’ll be offered a dorm.
I was admitted for bioengineering but I heard that that program was great as well. I’m just fortunate that both programs are great b/c I might plan on switching to CS if I don’t like bioengineering that much.
The problem here is that your two rationales for SJSU don’t really dovetail.
On the one hand, you want to try out the school and maybe switch to CC-to-UC if you don’t fall in love with it.
On the other hand, you want to explore your intended major and figure out whether you really want BME or if you would rather be a CS major (which may not be super easy to switch to.) Looking at the curriculum plan https://www.sjsu.edu/bme/docs/Degree%20Roadmap%20BME%204%20Year%20Plan%20Fall%202020%206.5.20.pdf , you won’t take an actual BME class until sophomore fall, and you won’t take a CS-adjacent class (Programming Applications in BME) until sophomore spring. Meanwhile, CS and Software Engineering students will have started the Intro to Programming sequence immediately in the fall of freshman year.
If you really want to keep both paths open, you may be better off going the CC route, where you can cover the bases for both, in terms of lower-division coursework, until you figure out what you want to do. The downside is that you won’t experience any actual BME classes there.
First of all, find out whether your admission index (however they computed that this year, without test scores…?) would have qualified you for admission to CS (or Software Engineering) at SJSU. Often, switching into a major is only an option for students who would have qualified for it when they applied.
Have you looked at the Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics program at UC Santa Cruz? The BS has two tracks - one is similar to the major you are in at SJSU, and the other is a computation-focused track that includes a CS foundation. https://undergrad.soe.ucsc.edu/sites/default/files/curriculum-charts/2020-10/BMEB-BINF%2020-21_0.pdf If your interests lean more in that direction, this might be a better fit for you. And UCSC is extremely transfer-friendly; you might even be able to pull off an early transfer after one year at CC rather than two.
SJSU is an excellent school, and if you were fully invested in the major you’re actually admitted to, I would urge you to go for it. But the fact that you want to hedge your bets on a CS major makes it a less-good fit. If you think you want the SJSU CS major, attending a CC that offers the ADT in CS could well be a smoother path than starting at SJSU and trying to change majors. But don’t take my word for it; speak to an advisor in the CS department and see what they advise.
Thank you for the lengthy reply! I really appreciate the superb insight regarding my interests in both BME and CS. I definitely believe I would have qualified to be in the CS program since my GPA is above the average GPA at SJSU (3.88W, 3.68UW), so I don’t believe it would be too difficult to switch majors but again I don’t want to assume anything.
I’ll definitely speak to an advisor to see what they think during orientation!
Oh, you’re right - I don’t know how the index was computed this year without standardized test scores, but the threshold for BME was higher than for CS so that shouldn’t be a worry. (Software Engineering is higher than BME though.)
The course-to-course articulation guide could also be useful to you, if you want to try to keep up with CS prereqs by doing CC summer classes (not this year - I don’t think you’re allowed to do that after you graduate from HS but before you matriculate - but after freshman and/or sophomore year). The info for what you’d need at each of the CC’s is here: Artic.sjsu.edu
Note that engineering majors had different admissions indices for SJSU, as noted on that page.
CS and other non-engineering majors were just GPA * 800 (+200 for frosh applicants graduating high school in Santa Clara County). The CS threshold of 3400 means a 4.25 GPA, or 4.00 GPA for a local applicant.
I understand that UCSD has a renowned bioengineering program & has tons of research opportunities, I’m sure SJSU offers them as well but I feel like they would be better financed at a UC.
