<p>So I'm going to be attending UC Berkeley this Fall. I've lived in the Bay Area and have gone to school in Berkeley my whole life. Middle school, high school, now college.. My mom works at UC Berkeley, and it's just all that I know. Now, I'm giving it a shot, even though I'm a bit bitter that I am staying in the Bay Area. Funny thing is I got accepted into UCLA but my mom pushed and pushed me into UC Berkeley. Don't get me wrong, I love Cal, but it's just I really didn't want to spend another 4 years in the Bay Area. Too late now, though, since the SIR has long passed.</p>
<p>So then I visited the Claremont colleges and absolutely loved Pomona and CMC. & I can transfer after freshman year, which is perfect since I can also give Cal a shot and see what happens.</p>
<p>Basically, what are my chances of getting accepted as a transfer to CMC and how would the transfer process go? I am most confused about transferring credits. This semester I am taking a college writing course, political science- intro to internation relations, classics 10a, and either a 2 unit decal course or another course that may be more useful to me to transfer to CMC.</p>
<p>Soooooo I need help. Opinions. Anything. Lol. Break it down. Thank you!</p>
<p>Pomona College? I applied to Pomona College and didn’t get accepted. Lol. Can’t really compare the two. Pomona is a small LAC while Cal is a HUGE university. So I’m also battling with fit here. Idk where I fit, yet.</p>
<p>The Claremont colleges are very good colleges, though outside of the area they may not have as much name value as Berkeley (not saying one is better than the other, just saying the truth). To get into Berkeley (and UCLA), you must obviously have been a very good student in HS which is good if you decide to transfer after a year. However, I do believe CMC and Pomona take VERY few transfers. So really just try your best at Berkeley and don’t be in a mindset of feeling like you’ll definitely transfer. Give it a shot, and if you love it, then it’s perfect, if not, well then you can send in the application.</p>
<p>This really does not need to turn into a “Whose more prestigious?” thread. I don’t think such a question was even raised.</p>
<p>As an out of state student, I can definitely understand your longing to get out of town, even when there’s a perfectly good university in town. At the same time, don’t get too obsessed with Pomona/CMC and miss out on your first semester of college, certain that you can’t be happy just because you don’t think you’re at your dream school. I’d say fill out the transfer application before school starts, while you have the time and you’re still in the groove of filling out applications from last year. Then forget that you are considering a transfer, and make the most of your first semester at Berkeley. A good number of college students (myself included) fall in love with their college and the friends they make there despite earlier misgivings, so you very well may find that you won’t have any interest in transferring by the time the deadline comes around. But if you’re semester hasn’t gone so well and you’re still suffering from wanderlust, then you’ve got the transfer application. CMC and Pomona are small, so they don’t accept a whole lot of transfers, but coming from Berkeley should give you a pretty good shot at it.</p>
<p>All highly selective colleges have a high retention rate. Thus, there are few slots in which to accept transfers. Two years ago, Pomona accepted 19 out of 181 transfer applicants. Some years the number could be zero. </p>
<p>Without a hook, transferring into a highly selective college requires a high gpa first and foremost. A 3.0 will not likely be competitive. At this point, the only thing you can do is earn as many A’s as you can.</p>
<p>Fall 2008: 86/283
Fall 2007: 33/189
Spring 2007: 2/29
Fall 2006: 22/205</p>
<p>I’d imagine the admission rates at Pomona are pretty similar.</p>
<p>Fall 2008 is an aberration as that was after the opening of Claremont Hall (new dorm) so there were more spots open. This Fall, 297 applied and there was room for 20 (not disclosed how many were accepted). I was originally waitlisted as a transfer to CMC, then rejected, and then got an “unexpected admission offer” a couple days ago. </p>
<p>If you get good grades at Cal and involve yourself in ECs, you will stand a solid shot at admission.</p>
<p>I HIGHLY advise that you give Cal a shot though. It’s a truly amazing school with a terrific reputation so enjoy your freshman year! If you feel that it isn’t the right fit for you though and you want a smaller school with amazing academics, then look into transferring to CMC or Pomona. Best of luck!</p>
<p>You should go for it! I didn’t think I had a very good chance when I applied but things turned out fairly well despite all the things going against me.</p>
<p>Pomona’s for 2009 was 15/250 if I recall correctly</p>