Transfer Credit

<p>I'm hoping that Berkeley transfer students can help. I'm going to Duke for my first year of college, and am considering transferring to Berkeley as a junior--which means I have to worry about the transferability of courses I take for that one Duke year. I'm trying to compare possible Duke classes I might take to those in Cal's course catalog, but there are just so many classes listed (and no easy way, it seems, to just look at the titles of the classes--I could, for instance, glance at a 160-page PDF file). I look for a specific course and wonder if it's in one department, or perhaps another. Argh! </p>

<p>Does anyone have suggestions on how to more easily compare courses? Or does anyone have the experience to tell me that, by some miracle, most classes will probably be accepted, so long as they are not too specific or obscure (oh, that's what I'm hoping, 'cause I'm getting dizzy looking through all this)?</p>

<p>Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>Well, as Im sure you already know, almost everything written for transfer students is written for CA community college transfers. The only way that I could think of for you to review the class titles easily is to go onto the Fall Course Schedule. There are way too many classes for you to be able to just find that info easily. Even if you could look at the titles though, I dont think you could count on the transferability of the courses. Also, youre going to have to be at Duke for 2 years. You need 60 transferable units before you cal be admitted.</p>

<p>Yes, I'd have enough AP credit and whatnot to apply as an incoming junior. And you're saying that most Duke classes probably won't be transferable? I honestly think that would be pretty stupid on Cal's part, to consider community college classes (a lot seem to be accepted, according to that Assist website) for credit, but not those of a high-end private institution. This does not bode well for me...</p>

<p>Most classes will transfer just fine even if there is no match with a course at Cal. The admissions office hands out transfer credit like candy. Only remedial, professional, or vocational courses will be denied transfer credit. But transferred units are pretty worthless if your college or major at Cal refuses to recognize those units for the purpose of satisfying a requirement. This is already a problem with AP credit. Concentrate only on Duke courses that match exactly at Cal which meet a college or major requirement. </p>

<p>Keep in mind you are at a severe disadvantage since admissions prefer Cali community college transfers and your time to graduation will be longer since you won't have any GE reciprocity program like IGETC for CCC transfers.</p>

<p>if u were accepted to Duke, im sure as an in-stater you would have been accepted to Cal....why didn't you just apply and go from ur freshman year instead of worrying about how to transfer?</p>

<p>To answer slimlic's question, I did apply for Fall 2005 admission, and was accepted. My mom was the problem. She even sent the deposit to Duke without my even knowing it! It is a bit difficult to say that Duke automatically has more prestige (especially considering the fact that I have no idea in what area I wish to major), but in any case, mommy dearest hated the idea of my not going to a private institution, that I would be going to the same college as my boyfriend, and that around 35 people from my school will be going to Cal (she considered this a "distraction"). Bleh, what a disgusting lack of parallel construction in that sentence! Where was I? Oh, yes. Duke seems so far away, and so much less inviting than good ol' familiar Berkeley, that I still think I'd like to go to Cal despite all the trouble--being miserable for a year is the only way I'll be able to get mama to see things my way. I may grow to love being a Blue Devil after a while at Duke, but for the moment, I must try to prepare to transfer.</p>

<p>Thanks for the response, BouncingBoy. I guess the only way to go about getting transfer credit is to try to match up Duke to Cal courses as best I can, and to take as many LACC classes as is possible over the summer. I'm hoping to visit Cal monthly (I must be kidding myself) during my freshman Dukie year for social reasons, but I'll be able to talk to advisers at Berkeley then, as well. And...AP scores don't count for much either, eh? Another one of the appealing things about Cal is that I have eight AP exam 3s (yes, EIGHT), all of which are useless everywhere except a UC. But if they're not worth much either...<em>grumbles</em></p>

<p>I'm feeling pretty dejected, but I must ask the same question from the beginning: can anyone more familiar with the way Cal organizes classes link me to a site with which I can most conveniently prepare classes? If it ends up being to burdensome to do, I'll just pick classes the normal way at Duke, and hope for the best. No sense in getting myself into a tizzy.</p>

<p>fuzzypenguins12,</p>

<p>I don't think your reasons for transferring to Cal are very good. A good reason would be you realize your major doesn't exist at Duke but exists at Cal. </p>

<p>I think it is best to plan to graduate from Duke, believe that everything will work out fine at Duke, forget about transferring to Cal, and let go of your high school friends. You won't need your high school friends in your next stage of life. You won't need them to be happy. You'll probably be much happier without them around as a crutch. I know that's hard to believe right now but you'll see the truth in the first few weeks at Duke. Maybe your mom is a bit harsh to say your high school friends are a distraction but I do agree with her on letting go of your high school friends. You will grow up much faster without them around. Most adults my age keep their college friends through life rather than high schoolers. </p>

<p>If you go to Duke planning to be miserable in an attempt to prove you're right instead of mom, you'll be miserable. Try to go to Duke with a positive attitude, give Duke an honest try, and make it your main goal to socialize and make new friends at Duke. And giving Duke an honest try means not flying to Berkeley at all to socialize with your highschoolers and college advisers.</p>

<p>into a "tizzy" - how cute!!!! :D</p>

<p>anyway...yea, what i recommend is to just take whatever classes u want....i suspect that you won't attempt a transfer cause it's so much of a hassle- and im sure that you're gonna love going to Duke.
(btw, you can only transfer to a UC after you have completed 60 units, equivalent to two years...not one...sawwy)</p>

<p>but anyway, good luck! hit me up on AIM, id love to talk to a fellow LA resident...especially one so enthusiastic about Cal!</p>

<p>Go Bears!</p>

<p>I agree with some of what bouncingboy is saying. You should attend Duke hoping that you will enjoy it, or else you may fulfill your prediction of hating it. Letting go of all of your high school friends is probably not the best way to grow up. You can become more mature and have your old friends, too.<br>
You won't necessarily need your friends, but you will probably want them. Why not keep some of them? It seems rediculous to not. Should you ditch the college friends when you get into grad school? How about med or law or professional school? Then ditch those people when you get a job? Should you ditch your middle school friends when going to high school, or grade school friends when going to middle school? It might not make much sense in many situations. They shouldn't be your crutch and reason to live, but they shouldn't be forgotten and let go completely. </p>

<p>Give Duke an honest try, but that doesn't mean never going to Berkeley for your friends.</p>

<p>DRab,</p>

<p>You won't ditch your high school friends on purpose but they will drift away on their own as you go through life no matter what you do. I'm 33 so I went through all of this long ago. You might keep in good contact with a very, very few high school buddies over the next decade but that's all you can expect and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that since you will easily replace them during college if you socialize. This applies even if the OP was able to go to Cal with her boyfriend. What I'm afraid of is that the OP will get homesick and get on IM with the high school pals all the time or something like that instead of spending 97% of free time socializing with the other Duke students. That's why I really, really discourage putting much effort into keeping in touch with the high school pals if it is at the expense of socializing at Duke. </p>

<p>And of course, I discourage trying to transfer to Cal as well unless there is a good reason. No IGETC, risk of becoming inadmissable due to being a senior transfer with AP units and no unit caps for going to a 4-year schol, do-it-yourself articulation of courses, no major so don't know what major courses to take, very high risk of being rejected, etc. Too much trouble.</p>

<p>Just cut the rope now.... it'll all work out fine.</p>

<p>Hi, all! I'm sorry I haven't come back here in a while--I guess I've just been scurrying around too much, doing these last senior activities (we have graduation on Wednesday, and yes, I still have not yet graduated). I was planning to tell all of you folks with your kind advice that I wanted to transfer for vicinity-of-college reasons more than just for friends (Duke <b>is</b> in the South, and the people there are just different from my bubs in California)...but I'd only be lying to myself. I'm truly just most worried about having to be in a long distance relationship for so...well, long. Transferring, in my first thoughts, just seemed easier, but those who said it here are right: it seems like I'd be "overtransplanting" myself, and as if it would be a hindrance to my education. This whole long distance thing still is troublesome, nevertheless...</p>

<p>It seems like Cal would have been a better option for many reasons... not so much because of your boyfriend and friends. Though it would be nice if you could be near them, you'd just be stuck in the same comfort zone. By going to Duke, you're not only getting out of your comfort zone, you're also expanding your group of friends by making new ones and still having the old ones, and you're testing your relationship with your boyfriend and your friends; If it's meant to last, it will, despite the long-distance. It would be good to go to Cal since all those AP credits you have will count there, and you will certainly save a lot of money by going to a UC as an in-state resident. If you still really really want to go, why not contact Berkeley and see if you can still go, and try to cancel going to Duke?</p>

<p>Oh, but bluevartouhi, you seemed to make more of a case for Duke than for Cal--Duke would be the place to expand my horizons socially, while Cal would only be useful to get AP credit validated. The money thing is definitely not an issue, either, 'cause I have a full ride to Duke (with extra outside scholarships); Duke with its lovely aid package was only a few thou first year to begin with, and Berkeley was a few thou more (state schools have less money to give, but wow, it was a lot less, since Duke's tuition is double Cal's for me). If I really wanted to go to Cal now, and they allowed me to, there'd still be my mama's disapproval lurking over my head. Sigh. Maybe I'll get off the Columbia waitlist by some miracle, and that'd solve things--it's not caught up in this horrible conflict, which makes it seem very appealing at the moment.</p>

<p>Ok, if money isn't a concern, then go to Duke. It's a very good school (I did some homework yesterday, and I have to say, I never realized how good a school it is. Here in SoCal all I hear about are Cal, UCLA, Stanford, and the big Ivies. I never knew Duke was so prestigious.), you'll expand your social horizons, get away from controlling Mom, and give your relationships room to grow, as well as growing individually as a person. So you won't get AP credits, eh, so what? That's not as big of a deal when weighed against all the other benefits. The money issue would make Cal more attractive, but if that's not an issue, then Duke is by far the best choice. And with that free ride you're getting, you can afford to take the extra classes that your AP credits won't replace. Not many people get a free ride at such a great school; no wonder your Mom sent in your deposit without your say so. </p>

<p>I say go for it, take the leap. You might end up having an awesome experience. Plus, if you go to Cal, you'll probably never really step outside your social circle and expand your group of friends. Who wants to repeat high school? (It sucked the first time around, for me at least.)</p>