Should I go to UCSB or a CCC?

Applied to UCLA UCB and UCSB both last year and this year (I took a Gap year).
Surprisingly, the results are exactly the same:
UCB rej, UCLA wl, UCSB accepted.
So now I’m totally lost.
Should I just go to UCSB or apply for one CCC and find a way to transfer to UCB or UCLA next year?
My stats are fine, SAT superscore 2210, high school accumulative GPA 3.91 UW. So I assume if I went to a CCC, GPA higher than 3.9 wouldn’t be a problem.
5 APs, 5s and 4s.
So… I need some advise.

Oh btw, i’m an international

You might get into UCLA via waitlist. Still, UCSB is a really good school, and by going to a CC you may be putting all of your eggs in one basket. If you have your heart set on either UCLA or UCB, sure, go to a CCC, TAG to UCSB or another school, and try your best to apply for the top two. You would also be saving a lot of money as an International student, so there’s a plus.

Do you have any idea what you would like to major in?

@goldencub if I got in UCLA or UCB I might major in Art History. Both choices have advantages and also risks. So really hard to decide.

@bw68apply‌ For UCLA’s Fall 2014 admits, 69.35% of Art History majors got accepted. The average GPA of admits was 3.47; you could always go to CCC, apply for TAG for guaranteed admission to UCSB, and then try your best to get into either Cal or UCLA.

I really do recommend going to a 4-year instead of a 2-year, though! I currently go to a community college, and while it has been a very good experience academically, I do wish I weren’t missing out on the entire university experience. UCSB is a good school, and you ought to consider the pros and cons of going to a CCC vs. UCSB and trying to transfer later.

The risk for going to a CCC is relatively minimal in your case, as you are strong in academics. If you plan everything accordingly, you will have guaranteed admission to UCSB, and likely admission into Cal or LA (if all prerequisites are taken, etc.)

If you are really set on UCB or UCLA and you are willing to give up the first half of your college social experience, I would go the CCC route (assuming you don’t get picked up off the waitlist for UCLA). Your high school stats are a pretty good indication that you will do well in community college, and transfer admission is a little bit less competitive than freshmen admission.