<p>Hey, just looking for some help here. I'm a first time freshman here at Cal. However, I can honestly say I hate it here. The only reason I'm here is because of my parents, really. They were in it for the prestige and so that I would be closer to home. Where I really wanted to go was to UCSB. You might be thinking it's a huge step down from Berkeley, but I think it's all about fit. It's not that I can't handle the workload; it's just that I go to sleep every night and wake up every morning wishing I was at SB. </p>
<p>So anyway, I'm thinking about transferring down there. What are my options at this point? I know I can wait two years in Cal and transfer but I really don't want to spend two years here. What else can I do to get to UCSB ASAP? I really don't know what else to do. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>One possibility would be to go to a Santa Barbara community college and transfer to UCSB.</p>
<p>Really though, talk to a few counselors here and call UCSB admissions office. People on the board may be able to help you somewhat, but those people establish and follow the official policies, and are therefore your best bet.</p>
<p>i did the same thing, going from uc irvine to a community college, before coming here. it was "uphill" as opposed to your situation, so it might be easier to just do the intercampus transfer. </p>
<p>i'm just curious as to why you desperately want to transfer there.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses; I really appreciate them.</p>
<p>ccmadforever,
Like I said, I'm really here because of my parents - specifically my father. He started to look at the rankings and everything and thought that Berkeley was a better choice because of it. Both of them begged me to stay in Berkeley not only because it was a "better" school, but also b/c it is very close to home. Cal is just really not for me. Maybe it's the urban setting or the large student body or the lack of focus on the undergraduate population. SB is more of a mid-sized school in a sort of suburban setting - to me that's perfect. I guess the reason I didn't go there in the first place was because I wanted to make my parents (and all my teachers and friends) happy. Looking back, I realize that I shouldn't have been worried about them - I should have looked after my own interest.</p>
<p>I spoke with the admission office at UCSB and they gave me some options. One is to apply again and send in a letter explaining why I chose to go to Berkeley and why I want to go to UCSB. Another is to stay in Berkeley two years and transfer. The third is to go to a CC and then transfer. I guess I'll try and apply and if that's no good, then I'll swallow my pride and go to a CC. </p>
<p>Whoa dude, is it THAT bad? I personally am not having "the best time of my life" here at Cal either - but it's by no means unbearable. I think that as time passes and you make more friends you should progressively like it more. Wish I could do something to help...</p>
<p>Question for you all, my junior son plans to apply to UCSB, UCSC, and UCSD. Frankly, I think his chances are slim given the fact we do not live in CA. He will not have a 4.0 when he graduates, maybe a 3.4 to 3.5 unweighted and he does take a difficult courseload and AP classes. He is determined to head for California. I've suggested he enroll at SBCC or at Pasadena City College and go for the honors classes and the guaranteed transfer. Will this impact him negatively in any way? Thoughts? Any regrets about the City College for 2 years?</p>
<p>Your son would be missing 2 years of college life that can never be replaced. That to me, would be the greatest regret of going to a community college.</p>
<p>"yup" bluebayou, distance to the ocean, distance to the mountains...those were high up on his list but he hates winter so I can't steer him anywhere midwest or east even though his childhood buddy and friend ended up applying to east Ivies. We are flying out in a couple weeks to visit the campuses, which might help. We have family in southern CA so he knows alittle and we are visiting Occidental. I went to a LAC so I do worry about missing the first two years with a transfer, but he's going to go I know in my heart and as an "out of stater" I worry about the GPA and getting into the UCs as a freshman. My sister transfered to UofM her junior year and she will certainly tell you that it didn't bother her in the least so he's getting that information, too. He's a a pretty independent soul so maybe what you don't know you don't miss?</p>
<p>Santa Monica City College (near the beach) is also a great feeder to UC's, primarily to UCLA.</p>
<p>Try to calc his UC gpa, since that will give you a better idea where he stands in the admission pool. UC gpa counts a bonus point for all AP/IB/college courses, and UC-approved honors courses (not sure how they count OOS kids, tho). The bonus points are capped at 8 semesters worth. The stats you see posted on the school websites are the UC gpa, so SB's 3.9 w is really lower uw.</p>
<p>Thanks Blue. If I weight his GPA he's well within "acceptance" standards for at least UCSC and UCSB, but again that out of state acceptance rate is pretty low. Our school does not report weighted GPAs, do the UCs recalculate the GPAs to weighted GPAs when they receive transcripts? They must, because our school certainly cannot be the only school that doesn't rank.</p>
<p>m-3
Approx 50% of Calif publics don't rank.</p>
<p>Yes, UC does re-calc everyone's gpa when the grades are entered on the app. Again, not sure how they handle OOS honors classes. In Calif, each HS submits a request to UC for honors approval, so kids know in advance which class is UC approved honors. UC even posts the classes online by HS, but again, only Calif schools.</p>
<p>btw: only academic courses count in the "UC gpa" so exclude PE, TA work, etc.</p>