Hi guys, so I’m currently at a junior college in Lincoln Illinois but it’s been my dream to go to school in California and then possibly move there after. Anyways, my grades in high school were awful so I thought it was my best bet to go to a junior college first instead of going to a four year school that was sub par and not in California due to my GPA in high school. So my question is: I know it’s hard to transfer to a UC from out of state and my GPA after this school year, my freshman year, I’ll have a 4.00 GPA if my grades stay around what I did my first semester. Anyways, would it help at all to transfer to a California Community College next year, my sophomore year, to help get accepted as transfer since they prioritize transfers from Cal Community Colleges? Would it help or hurt me? I want all answers without money and cost of tuition involved, just the answer of whether it’d help or not. It’s been a dream of mine and I’m not going to let simple things, such as money, get in the way of me achieving it. Thanks a lot!
Yes it would very likely help.
I was curious on how exactly it would help too since when I’ll be applying in the fall I’ll only have the transcript from the junior college here in Illinois?
The problem is that you are OOS and a number of things are an issue:
Costs of going to a California CC will be at full pay of ~$20K or more.
The California public colleges DO NOT fund OOS students. No financial aid for the time you will be in a CC and at any public California university because you are coming for educational purposes. The California universities won’t grant you instate residency status because you haven’t paid California state taxes. They know all of the tricks.
The state taxpayers help fund the university system, so if you aren’t a resident, you will pay full fees (Cal States run about $40K per year and the UC’s run about $55K-$60K per year for OOS residents).
There is no housing at most California CC’s. Rents and deposits are extremely high. Finding jobs is not so easy. Public Transportation, in the southern part of the state, is not good, this is why everyone drives.
Some of your classes may not transfer to a 4 year university so you would have to retake some courses at a CCC because the CC doesn’t have to accept any of your courses; its their choice.
do affect you, and do get in the way because California is a very expensive place to live.
I’ve looked at costs of community colleges and I found Sierra College which would cost around $18k a year including room and board which is a little less than what I’m paying now for my private community college ($19k) which doesn’t include room and board, I’m staying at home. I know technically money will affect me but money isn’t that much of a problem, thankfully!