I got into UCR as an economics major from a community college, but I’m not necessarily enthusiastic about it as I got rejected from Davis and SB which I value higher than Riverside. I am now contemplating if I should wait another year in community college and reapply to Davis, SB, and Irvine.
My application was very weak because I didn’t satisfy economics lower division requirements for most UCs and had a 3.1 GPA. After this semester, I will have finished all of my lower divs and most likely have a 3.3 GPA, with 90 transferable semester units (meaning TAG won’t apply).
I really want to get out of community college and take courses in my subject matter, but I’d also prefer to do it in a campus with better networking, extracurriculars and prestige. Any thoughts?
Keep moving forward. If you now will have 90 semester units and will have completed all your lower div reqs, that is the equivalent of an associate’s, half of the 180 req’d for graduation from Riverside, so it’s time to move on up to a UC. Be happy that you have the opportunity to transfer to Riverside. For freshmen, it has only about a 65% acceptance rate, with a minimum required high school GPA of 3.0. Your comm college performance is a match for Riverside, and although you wanted Davis or SB, Riverside is still a UC, you will still be able to get a job afterwards with a UCR degree. Honestly, I don’t think that your results would be any better, were you to stay at your comm coll and take more classes there. Past performance is the best predictor of future performance, which makes me think that nothing much would change were you to continue taking extra comm coll classes and reapply. I recommend that you move on over to Riverside, and focus on getting the most you can out of Riverside. Start planning your classes, your intended major, internships, intended career. The prize is not admittance to a more prestigious UC - it is getting yourself launched on your future employment and career. While I understand that you feel that Davis or SB would have given you a better shot at that, it is better to take the UCR offer and keep on moving toward your goal, rather than stalling and gambling that a reapplication would have a different (unlikely) outcome.
6 Likes
I agree with the above.
If you want a better shot at a “more prestigious” UC, get amazing grades at UCR and then transfer.
Please see page 34 in this pdf. There is a limit to the number of units campuses will allow a transfer student to have.
UCD - Accepts some high unit juniors (<80 units) and some senior transfers (requires a dean’s review)
UCI - Accepts some high unit juniors (<90 units) and some senior transfers
UCSB - Accepts high unit juniors (<90 units) but no senior transfers.
2 Likes
This student is at a CC and there is no indication they have ever taken college classes anywhere but at a CC. Hence the note at the top of page 34 on the link you gave applies to this student:
If all of a student’s coursework was completed at two-year colleges, the student cannot be at risk of being denied admission due to excessive units.
To the OP, this is a tough decision to make. You write “My application was very weak because I didn’t satisfy economics lower division requirements for most UCs and had a 3.1 GPA” but I have some doubts. You tell UCs your planned schedule when you apply so even if you hadn’t finished them when applying they can treat you as having taken them if you list them (although they won’t know your grades); if it turns out you don’t take them they could then revoke admission.
I’m not a UC counselor, just a guess, but my advice to you is to talk to the xfer staff at your CC and to the UC counselor that regularly visits your CC (every CCC is regularly visited by UC counselors). You could also call the admissions office at the UCs you prefer. The key is to find out whether your assumption that another year at CC could raise your chances of admission is correct. You’ve assumed it is true, I think you ought to get confirmation. If it is then you have a tough choice but I’d lean towards waiting to xfer; you’re only going to go to college once and it’s better to do it at a place you really want to be.
I believe @lkg4answers was referencing if the student attended UCR and then tried a UC to UC transfer, that a high unit transfer may be an issue.
True if they stay at the CC for another year, the high end limits do not impact a CC transfer since the lower division CC credits are capped at 70 semester/105 quarter.
Regarding TAG for UC Davis directly from the website:
- Can I have too many units to be eligible for TAG?
- A student who has enrolled only at California community colleges (CCC) is not in jeopardy of having too many units to be eligible for the UC Davis TAG. There is no unit limitation for these applicants.
To be eligible for a TAG, students who attended any colleges or universities other than a CCC must have less than 80 UC-transferable semester-units (120 UC-transferable quarter-units) overall, after applying UC lower-division unit limitations and exclusions,
@Little_Squirrel
Are you aware of the UC transfer GPA by major information? Did you attend another university other than a CC since you stated you are ineligible for TAG?
This data is for 2022 admits but I filtered by Econ for UCD, UCSB and UCI with screen shots to show you the UC admit range and % admitted.
@Little_Squirrel
If you think you can raise your transferable UC GPA to within the ranges posted by staying another year at a CC, then you might want to try. If not, UCR is a very acceptable alternative.
Why do you think your life will be any better at Davis or SB? Riverside is very respected.
Your gpa is your gpa. Even if it goes up, so what ? Why sue d a wasted year - extra year - just for a possibility of a different school.
