<p>I just started school at UCSB, but I do not like the vibe here. I plan to transfer to a community college next year, then transfer again to UCLA after I complete GEs. </p>
<p>Do you think it is a bad decision to go from a UC to a community college? How difficult is it to transfer from a community college to UCLA?
I currently receive Cal Grant and aid from FAFSA, would I still have them for my third year at a UC if I transfer out of a UC to community college?</p>
<p>Be sure to read and fully understand everything having to do with unit caps.</p>
<p>This is exactly the same case as me, except I’m going for UC Irvine (went to UC Santa Cruz previously). I would say that if you’re REALLY bent on going to CC to transfer, know everything you need to do beforehand. There’s a lot of little things that I didn’t learn and am therefore stuck-ish right now. There are lots of little things you need to consider: TAG req’s, IGETC, budget cuts/class cuts, getting the required/necessary classes, and all that. At my school, there is no TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) for UCLA since it is such a prestigious school. </p>
<p>To be honest, I only transferred to a CC with TAG in mind (which I’ve completely screwed myself up with) so that I would have some guarantee that my hard work would pay off. To give you a comparison, at my CC to TAG for UCSD, you need a 3.5 GPA or higher. But once you get that, you are GUARANTEED admission to that school for the major you TAG’ed for. As for UCLA, since the standard is definitely higher, I would expect you need to work your butt off and just grind for two (maybe 3, depending on the situation) years and HOPEFULLY get to UCLA (try for TAG is your CC has it so you always have something to fall back to).</p>
<p>P.S. Visit campuses, that was my biggest problem is that I didn’t visit UC Santa Cruz before I attended and that was my mistake. Go to a campus to see if it’s something you could see yourself at. Personally I’m Asian with a liking to Asian communities so UCI would be pretty fitting to me. :P</p>
<p>Just to be clear TAG requirements are set by each UC. NOT by each individual CCC. And nobody at any school can TAG to UCLA because UCLA does not have a TAG program. Neither does UCB.</p>
<p>If you just started school at UCSB, then you have been taking classes for something like 2 weeks? So on the one hand, there’s a school of thought that says give it more time because a lot of students have a few bumps transitioning to college. Personally, I don’t think that advice is always appropriate; there is a lot that goes into “fit” and it isn’t always based on things that can be put into words. I think you might already know it isn’t the college for you, even after just a short period of time. Thats why I agree 110% with the part in post #3 about visiting before deciding. Have you visited UCLA to make sure it is more of a fit? </p>
<p>And if you’ve decided UCSB isn’t the right college for you, why stick out this year? I agree, again, with post #3 that says even if your goal is UCLA there’s no reason not to apply via TAG to another campus so that if you don’t get into UCLA you have something in the bag. Take a look at the matrix at <a href=“University of California Counselors”>University of California Counselors; and you can see there are many more restrictions if you have a mix of 4-year and 2-year units than if they all come from a CC. </p>
<p>Withdrawing from UCSB now to start at a CC in the winter might seem like a letdown, but it may be a better path to your goal. And if you have AP credit you may not even lose any time (again, check carefully the TAG rules on how many units you must have in order to submit a TAG, which is different from how many you must have to complete it). </p>
<p>So in response to your question about it being a “bad decision”, going from a UC to a CC, my response is that for your circumstances it might be the best choice. But only you can make that decision. Attending a CC is not like a 4-year; different students (although you can still find a group of smart kids if you look), classes perhaps taught at a different level, living at home vs living at college, etc., etc. On the other hand if you are miserable at UCSB, or even just don’t feel like its right for you, it may be the thing to do. </p>
<p>Also, while UCLA does not have a guarantee program they do have something called TAP that gives preference in admission. Worth looking into. See [Transfer</a> Alliance Program - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/ADM_CCO/tap.htm]Transfer”>http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/ADM_CCO/tap.htm)</p>