<p>I have a little bit of a dilemma. I wanted to major in Cognitive Science and only UCLA,UCB,UCSD,UCM offer the degree... Sadly I was rejected by all of them and the reason being is that I still need PRE-CAL and Calculus in order to have my pre-reqs, I figured I might as well try. Anyways I did also apply to UCR for Philosophy/Law and Society B.A. I did get into that school but I am not sure if I really want to pursue that field. I have already done 3 years of CC and want to leave already but Im stuck as to if I should stay 1 more year and finish my math and while Im at it finish up some bio/chem classes and be guarantee for next year and maybe even apply for a Bio major and at least I will be able to get accepted as Cognitive Science major. But it would mean 1 more year of CC and I hate it already also I really wanted to get into UCSD. I've talked to my family they said do whatever I want but I was just wondering what would you guys do? </p>
<p>Also if I do wait would I still be able to transfer after 4 years? Will I be considered a JR or SR once I do transfer?</p>
<p>How do you know that you’ve been rejected by UCB already?</p>
<p>What’s your GPA? Do you think that you will do ok in those classes?</p>
<p>Just throwing it out there- UCSC has got that major too, and its a lot easier to get into (and more beautiful, in my opinion) than most of the schools listed above, with the exception of Merced. You could always consider to add that to your list if you do indeed plan on staying another year and then transferring. :)</p>
<p>I’d stay an extra year and take Precalculus and Calculus 1, plus the bio classes you mentioned. It’s a fraction of the cost, not to mention that the class sizes are much smaller at a CC. Just be prepared to work your butt off, and don’t get anything lower than a B.</p>
<p>If you want to get into the bio department at UCSD, you MUST have at least two semesters of calculus and preferably multivariable calculus as well. You also pretty much have to have finished a full year long sequence of biology and a year long sequence of general chemistry and to be competitive you should finish organic chemistry and physics as well. If you don’t have the majority of those pre-requisites completed you should have a 3.7+ with at least half of them done. If you want to go to UCSD, biology (along with engineering / bioengineering) is probably the hardest department to get into because it’s heavily impacted, as a biology department probably more so than at any other UC. UCSD also has a very highly regarded Cognitive Science program so it’s imperative that you finish those pre-reqs and maintain a 3.5+ GPA to have a shot. If UCSD is your ultimate goal and you’re struggling with pre-calc, you may want to reconsider what major you apply as to give you the best shot of getting in. Cognitive Science and Biology are two difficult majors to get in to at UCSD and furthermore, require a lot of classes that are heavily math-dependent (Calculus) for pre-requisites.</p>
<p>If realistically you feel like you can complete those pre-requisite courses and do fairly well after you transfer at UCSD, then I say go for it and apply again next year. You just have to stay on top of your grades this semester and next semester or effectively you’re just prolonging getting your degree. It is possible though if you’re motivated enough. Last year, I was rejected from UCSD as a gen bio major with a 3.43 GPA and most of the pre-reqs completed including Calc, Bio, and Gen Chem. I got into a few UCs like Riverside, Santa Cruz, and Davis but still really wanted to get into either UCSD or UCLA. So I had to make the same decision you’re currently facing; I decided to stay back a year to make myself that much more competitive and it paid off. I raised my GPA to a 3.67 and re-applied and so far I’ve gotten into every UC I’ve applied to including UCLA and UCSD. My advice would be if you’re genuinely motivated to get to a specific UC or specific major then don’t be afraid to re-apply, don’t feel like you have to go somewhere you’re going to be miserable at. However, you have to be truly motivated and know with 100% percent certainty where you want to go. If there’s any doubt, you’re more likely to lose focus and slip up again and you can risk being in the same position next year as you are now. With only having a few schools that you’re not really interested in to choose from.</p>
<p>Regarding your last question, if you’ve taken all of your units at a community college, regardless of how many you’ve accumulated from 60-1,000,000+ you’re going to start as a junior when you transfer. If you’ve accumulated units from a four year university you can’t exceed 80-95 (not sure as it depends on the UC) because you’ll reach senior level standing, which UCs don’t admit.</p>