Should I plan to a CC or choose the best college I have been admitted?

Applying to College
1

I applied to all the UCs, SDSU, Cal Poly and University of Pacific. Until now i know I’m admitted to UC Merced, Cal Poly and University of Pacific. UC Santa Cruz gives me a waitlist. UC Davis, LA and SD rejected me.
I’m still waiting for UC Berkeley, Irvine, Riverside, Santa Babara and SDSU’s notifications. (Berkeley seems unlikely to accept me)

I think after i receive all the colleges' notifications, should I choose the best one that accepted me, or should I apply to CC so I can have a chance transferring to UCs?

English is my second language, I spent a lot of time studying SAT but didn’t do well on my 3 SAT tests. (highest 1580, highest combined-section 1660)
I just wanna know, is CC a good choice for me? My dad said I i can’t get into a good college now, i should probably do CC for 2 years and transfer to a good UC.

2

All the colleges that have accepted you so far are “good” colleges. What does your Dad consider a “good” UC? You will get a very good education at all the schools. Is “good” actually prestigious? If Dad is paying, then you might have to ask him which schools he is willing to pay for? There is no guarantee that you will get into a better UC as transfer in 2 years. Much will depend upon how well you do a CC.

3

Well my dad said UC Berkeley, LA and SD are the 3 that he considers as “good” UCs.

4

None of those schools offer TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) but they are very possible if you do very well at the CCC.

5

Here are a couple of reasons to go CC first:

  • Your English will improve considerably by the time it's time to apply for a UC (since that was a problem this time around).
  • You'll save a considerable amount of money
  • If you do well in CC you have a good chance at getting into a UC. A better chance than now with your low SAT scores.

I have 4 siblings who went to CC first (within last decade): 2 transferred to UC Berkeley, 1 to UCLA with a Regents Scholarship, and 1 to CalArts (not UC but even more competitive). So it’s possible! (3 attended SMCC and 1 attended Foothill.)

6

@insanedreamer thank you for your advice!

7

UC Santa Cruz isn’t a bad school…
Cal Poly is pretty good depending on your major.

8

What’s your UC GPA?
What would your major be?
Are you a CA resident (do you pay in state tuition)?