<p>I wonder what the possibility would be of going to cc for a year, then transferring to a private school that gives great aid, near one of his parents.</p>
<p>dsmouse: “trying to improve his SAT” … UCs only consider SAT scores for freshman applicants, so there’s no sense spending any more time trying to improve it.</p>
<p>Taking a year off of taking classes one could easily end up with a lower SAT score anyway since it usually amounts to a year away from math, a year away from writing, etc. He probably already took the SAT 2 or 3 times, trying to improve the score with each sitting.</p>
<p>I think a gap year is a reasonable plan. I’ve never seen a single student who didn’t grow by leaps and bounds during a gap year. He may not get any different admissions results…but with additional maturity, he may FEEL differently about the offers he has. That’s what it’s all about: wanting what you get, not getting what you want.</p>
<p>It also sounds perfectly reasonable to me to move in with Dad, spend two years at a local CC, and then aim for UCLA/Berkeley while accepting that he may get Davis, Irvine, etc.</p>
<p>“the path is less clear, and possibly more difficult, transferring from another 4/yr college, including the CSUs, to a UC.”</p>
<p>Definitely more difficult. The top UCs are explicitly hostile to transfers from other 4-year schools.</p>
<p>“Doug. So unfair that you have a smart kid like that, are paying state taxes, and can’t even get into his own state schools. That is just plain wrong.”</p>
<p>He did get into his own state school – UW. He’s OOS at present under CA’s rules. Even if he were a CA resident, though, it sounds like he only applied to UCLA and Berkeley. Anyone who can get into UW’s engineering program could certainly have gotten into some 4-year public school in CA, and would likely have gotten into at least UC-Riverside or UC-Merced had he tried.</p>
<p>“He did get into his own state school – UW. He’s OOS at present under CA’s rules”</p>
<p>Yes. Initially I thought he was a California state resident, not Washington. But I don’t know if he would want to pay high California OOS tuition rates for a college that wasn’t very high on his list, as far as Riverside or Merced goes.</p>
<p>I’m concerned about your statement that he will not be considered “in state” after one year. the whole purpose of him and my family moving to san diego would be to get him through the 2 year CC and into a UC school with in state tuition. If he works hard, has a job and both parents in state I would think he would be considered a california resident but maybe I’m way off. This is getting complicated and frustrating as I have him convinced this would be a good path if we studies and works hard to reach his goal.</p>
<p>Here is what SD Mesa College’s web page has to say about establishing residency:
[Admissions</a> - San Diego Mesa College](<a href=“http://www.sdmesa.edu/admissions/residency.cfm]Admissions”>http://www.sdmesa.edu/admissions/residency.cfm)</p>
<p>For further information, contact the residency clerk in the Admissions Office.</p>
<p>Ed code:
<a href=“http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/CAResidencyEdCode.pdf[/url]”>http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/CAResidencyEdCode.pdf</a></p>
<p>Check out 68076 in the above link. According to my read of it, your S may well be a CA resident, immediately, under that exception. But you’ll need the residency clerk to confirm that for sure.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I agree with sopranomom.</p>
<p>OP, definitely begin to call San Diego community colleges to get the straight facts and don’t stop until you fully understand everything to do with residency.</p>
<p>I completely understand about the diabetes. My soon to be 16 yos is a type 1 diabetic and he definitely doesn’t manage it independently of us yet. Some kids are just more mature than others in this area and since it’s a deadly disease if not managed well, I am in agreement that he should be where he can continue to get care and be moved towards independently managing it.</p>
<p>Sounds complicated; I sure wish you the best. </p>
<p>We’re in San Diego but I’m not well versed in UC policy other than to say that yes, UCSD has phased out their TAG program. I would definitely look at SDSU for engineering, particularly if you’ll be living south of the 56 as these students have priority over North County ones.</p>
<p>UCB and UCLA are just plain tough to get into. We have a young friend, a transfer student, with a 3.9 gpa who did not get into UCB. I think he had one B on his record.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to a couple of decades of transfer pathways data compiled by the state. It flags community colleges with “large” and “medium” pathways to individual UC’s and CSU’s.</p>
<p>[California</a> Postsecondary Education Commission – Transfer Pathways](<a href=“http://www.cpec.ca.gov/OnLineData/TransferPathway.asp]California”>http://www.cpec.ca.gov/OnLineData/TransferPathway.asp)</p>
<p>I agree with others that you should ask UW if they will allow him to defer his acceptance for a year so that he has an automatic fallback position. If he moves to CA, I wonder how quickly he “loses” his WA residency.</p>
<p>Assuming you have checked how long you or he has to live in CA to become a cA resident, consider Cal Poly San Luis Obsipo or Cal Poly Pomona for engineering along with CAL and UCLA. The cal poly schools are great for engineering.</p>
<p>Perhaps he really is not ready or willing.If he thinks this is your agenda you own it not him.</p>
<p>I’ll go against the grain here. If you set foot on a a CC campus in California, you are basically locked into 60 (the right 60) unit commitment if you plan to transfer to a competitive campus. For most kids, that takes more than 2 years. In fact, according to this article, 75% haven’t transfered after 4 years. </p>
<p>[Transfer</a> club at Oakland’s Merritt College helps students navigate path to universities - ContraCostaTimes.com](<a href=“http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23271683/transfer-club-at-oaklands-merritt-college-helps-studentsMost]Transfer”>http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23271683/transfer-club-at-oaklands-merritt-college-helps-studentsMost) </p>
<p>Here’s a telling quote from the article:</p>
<p>“Each year, more than 100,000 students flock to California’s community colleges with the hope of transferring to four-year institutions. Only about a quarter of them make the leap within four years. The reasons behind that statistic are many, from a lack of academic preparation to the formidable balancing act that some students manage with work, study and family. But the notoriously complex transfer process hasn’t helped. With its countless deadlines and a different set of requirements for each university campus and major, the path to a bachelor’s degree is often hard to see”</p>
<p>Most California community colleges are over crowded and students have a tough time signing up for the required classes. If you send your son to one, expect it to take 3 or more years to accumulate the courses he needs to transfer. If that alone doesn’t discourage a motivated student, the transfer requirements are different by school and major. Meaning, UCB, UCD, UCSD and Cal Poly SLO all want a slightly different mix of coursework. Furthermore, the acceptance rate for Jr transfers at most of those schools is substantially lower than for incoming freshman applicants.</p>
<p>For someone who has no idea what they want to do and/or lacks funds, CCs can be a good option. For students wh want to transfer to an attainable school, (like Sac State) CCs can be a good idea.</p>
<p>For a kid like yours, most CCs would be a vortex, draging him toward mediocrity at best.</p>
<p>A Gap year can be great but, for high end schools like UCB, you better do something great with it. 30 more SAT points and a Mc Job ain’t gonna make a difference. Sail the world alone, work a mission in Latin America, stuff like that (neither of which makes sense given your son’s condition). With a change in residency, he might not get into UW again. I like the deferment idea - if he must take the gap. It would be a non-starter without one. </p>
<p>I think the best answer is to go to UW and wear it proud. A big school like that will have a support network for diabetes and immaturity. Go Huskies!</p>
<p>Listen to NCalRent. We have a sad situation with a young lady in our neighborhood. She started CC and due to very ugly issues at home, really really needs to get out. She is now trapped because she has a ‘file’ at the local CC. She can not transfer to any CSU or UC until she completes those 60 units.</p>
<p>A gap year sounds like a bad idea to me. More like he is disillusioned.</p>
<p>What are his friends doing? How is he going to feel when they are full bore in college and he is still at home? I think he would regret this decision before Thanksgiving.</p>