Hello CC:
I am a uprising senior in high school and I’m thinking about going to CC for 2 years then transferring to USC, CalPoly SLO, UCSD, UCD, or UCI for chemical/materials or mechanical engineering primarily because of cost (I live in a single parent home with 3 kids and all of us attend private school). I don’t want to go into serious debt with loans; I know it’s a huge problem and I don’t want to be part of that problem.
Based on suggestions and other things I read, it would be best to do most STEM-related classes (ie, Calc II, Gen Chem II, Thermo, whatever it is) and not worry about getting all GE’s done. Can anybody, preferably somebody who has gone to CC then transfer to one of the schools I mentioned, elaborate on/suggest a strategy for taking CC classes?
Compared to my peers, I for sure have the number 1 extracurriculars. Here are the ones I am most proud of: Eagle Scout, started a organization that reaches out to underserved elementary/middle schools to have hands-on science activities, Treasurer and VP of Key Club, fundraised $1000+ for a cancer organization I started, robotics team for 3 years, Cabin leader at 2 different summer camps, attended a selective summer engineering program at USC Viterbi… when applying to community college or applying as a transfer, will they care about my extracurriculars that I did in high school? Does CC offer any merit scholarships (of course, this may be something I have to research myself)?
Regarding transferring and writing personal statements to schools, does CC offer any STEM-related activities that could help me when applying? I know I have to be engaged in the field to be selected.
I’m also afraid of being ostracized by my peers for attending a CC over a UC school (especially considering I’m ranked top 5 in my class of 400), like people are going to think I’m really stupid or I’m really poor or something like that. Should I care? This question is surprisingly important to me because I feel like everybody around me wants to attend Stanford or UCLA right out of high school and I’m here wanting to take what may seem like the easy route.
A thorough answer that addresses everything I asked would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!!
You may want to try the net price calculators on the web sites of UCs, CSUs, and other schools to see what kind of financial aid and net price you are likely to see. UC and CSU financial aid can be good for California residents. Also, if you are a top student, the merit scholarship opportunities at UCs, CSUs, and other schools are generally best for frosh; they are much less common for transfers.
In a divorced parent situation, UCs and CSUs will only consider the finances of the household of the parent you live with, but many private schools will require financial information from both parents. Look into this carefully; if a school requires both parents’ financial information, use that in the net price calculator, although they may be less accurate for divorced parent situations in any case.
You can use http://www.assist.org to see if your local community colleges have good coverage of the frosh/soph level courses for your target majors at your target UCs and CSUs. Unfortunately, engineering programs often have some unique frosh/soph level courses that are not commonly covered by community college courses, so students taking the transfer route may have to spend an extra quarter or semester after transfer taking “catch up” courses.
Here are some lists of large merit scholarships that you may want to look into. Be sure to verify on the college web sites, since some may have changed. Also, check if there are high college GPAs needed to renew them in following years (3.0 is usually not that difficult; 3.5 can be significantly more stressful).
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/
I"d encourage you to apply to a couple of UCs, a couple of privates and see what happens. if you are ranked in the top 5/400 in your class, and come from a low income environment, I’d be shocked if there weren’t a combination of merit and need based aid to cover tuition/room/board at a very good college. Don’t know your stats but, USD, LMU, Santa Clara as well as mid tier UCs are worth a shot.
If none come through with enough aid, a CC is still a viable option. Don’t worry about being ostracized - there will be a fresh crop of students there. Also, I’ll be shocked if several of your friends plans UC don’t work out… trust me on that one.
Good luck
It’s time to start making decisions that are right for you, not that impress your HS friends.
From your previous posts I see you’ve been considering several engineering alternatives, as well as econ. It can be hard to switch majors even inside engineering at a UC, and probably also at a CSU. So the unfortunate implication is that its important to make the best decision you can regarding major when applying as a frosh rather than counting on working it all out later. You should read online to understand what the various engineering fields are like. If you have any relatives or if the parents of any of the kids you know are engineers you should talk to them also this summer.
Figure out your FAFSA-calculated EFC (don’t estimate, fill it out). What’s your EFC? Do you have test scores? To me, it sounds like CC is likely not the cheapest option for you. It might be less expensive to go to a private that meets need; admission to these selective privates will be more difficult as a transfer student.