My daughter really wants to go to a UC school, but her grades are only around 3.0 (junior yr). She takes a very difficult course load and has SATS of 1480. I read that it is easier to transfer into a UC school from a community college, but she has already taken most of the science classes (she will probably CLEP out of bio, chem and physics) and I don’t know if a CC would offer any useful classes. She doesn’t really know what she wants to major in, but probably science.
Does anyone have any experience with California community colleges and universities?
Should my california daughter with 3.0 but good test scores go to a two yr community college or 4 yr
I’ve heard it is definitely the way to go. We are in So. Cal and lots of kids do Santa Monica CC or Pasadena CC which have a good record of transferring into UC. She could use the year to get some of her General Credits out of the way.
I know someone who did it and graduated from UCLA Summa Cum Laude. I just wonder what classes she could take if she has already taken the general credit classes in high school (AP classes.)
If she wants to be a science major it might be a good idea for her to take science classes, even if she has AP credit. College level chem, physics, bio can be harder than high school courses.
I was wondering if CC have science classes beyond the intro level.
What classes to take would be something to discuss with the advisors at the community college. Ideally she takes things that help her figure out her major. CC’s generally offer courses for the first two years and an AP credit is only one year (or for some tests just a semester).
Good to know. Thanks!
As a current CC student transferring out this semester, it’s my personal opinion that your daughter attend a CC. I am majoring in chemical engineering and can support the statement that CC’s do teach science classes that most UC undergraduates take within their first two years. Being a science major, I meet a lot of people that take the same classes as me throughout their two or three year plans. In order to transfer as a science major, courses need to be taken in math, physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science, depending on her specific major of course.
Speaking of my community college (Fullerton College) and other nearby ones (Mt. San Antonio College, Cypress College), the math series goes through single variable calculus, multi-variable calculus, and linear algebra and differential equations. The physics series features three classes based on mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and theoretical physics including: special relativity, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics. Chemistry courses include general and organic chemistry and there are a large variety of computer science classes. It really depends on the school your daughter will attend if going to a CC because some do not have all the classes that she may want to take. For example, Fullerton College offers four different computer science courses many CC’s want but Cypress College only offers one course.
I can also speak from experience that the quality of teaching can be on par or even better that UC’s at times. I have visited physics lectures at UCSD (where I hope to attend) and chemistry lectures at UCI where the same textbooks and homework assignments are being used. The difference is that tests may be curved at a UC while they’re not at a CC. I have also found my physics professor’s textbooks on a UC Davis resource page. The other difference, possibly the most important one, is that classes at a CC are filled with ~35 students while UC lecture halls can be filled with hundreds, so the teaching is more personal and intimate if your daughter prefers learning that way.
Overall, I am a big proponent of attending a CC. I had a 2.78 GPA from high school with an SAT of 1790, but I am now transferring from a CC with a 3.82 GPA confident into getting into top CC’s. Other than financial costs that saved me and my parents thousands of dollars, I think community college humbled me and made me think of how unnecessary it is to attend a UC the first two years. Hopefully your daughter chooses to do something in science wherever she goes!