Transfer from University (not CC) to UCLA or USC??

College Search & Selection
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<p>I am graduating from a Los Angeles private school. While my gpa was strong, my SAT scores were lacking. My dream is to go to either UCLA or USC. My intuition says I should go to CC, fulfill my IGETC requirements and put myself in the position of applying to both USC and/or UCLA. When I speak to the college counsellor of my private school, she has nothing positive to say about this thought. She says that better thing to do is to go to Chapman or USF (where I was accepted), and I could transfer from there to UCLA or USC. She is concerned I will not have the "college experience" if I don't attend a university. I'm worried I'll miss out on a great education, thinking I may become "comfortable" at Chapman/USF and stay, instead of pushing myself toward a top tier school.</p>

<p>Can someone help me reason this out?</p>

<p>1) Go to Chapman, have college experience, and work on transferring? Does anyone know statistically how probably this is?</p>

<p>2) Go to CC and have faith that I will integrate into college world when I get to USC or UCLA?</p>

<p>3) Go to UC Riverside (which I was accepted into), and work on transferring?</p>

<p>Any help will be appreciated! Thank you.</p>

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<p>If you value the “college experience” then your counselor has brought up a valid concern worth taking into consideration. But if you don’t value it or could care less about it, then do what’s going to get you into UCLA or USC. CC is the easiest route, and you’d save yourself thousands. You could arguably transfer into USC after a year at CC or USF or Chapman, since they also accept sophomore transfers(as opposed to the UCs who only accept juniors).
However, I’d be more interested in learning if your counselor isn’t also giving you this advice because of school pressure or influence. Some private schools use statistics like that of saying that 90% plus of its students enroll at a 4 year school out of their high school.</p>

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<p>What is the financial situation looking like at USF, UCR and Chapman? And here’s another reality and I do not mean to discourage you at all so let me say that first. Admissions is getting more and more competitive annually for EVERYONE- transfers included. UCLA is the most applied school in the NATION and USC is no joke either, so you could very well end up right back at UCR or UCSB or UC Irvine or wherever. </p>

<p>Personally, I believe (having taught at both levels) you will get a much better education at a UC school (Riverside and Santa Cruz included) then you will at a community college. Not to say what goes on at CC’s is bad, its just about resources and in CALI the UC’s get the lions share-even UCR compared to the CC’s and the CSU’s. </p>

<p>Also, UCR is not a chumpy little school my friend. It is ranked higher than MANY major state universities check the US News rankings yourself. It is also part of the UC system and thus you will have the opportunity to take advantage of studying at another UC for a year if you want or using their study abroad programs. You can go to UCLA for quarter if you choose or Berkeley for a semester. Finally if USF is offering some aid, I would check it out for sure - the bay area is a great place to make connections and a great place to live. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Dear liek0806:
I am worried about the private school statistics also. Especially because my counsellor says, “You’re not guaranteed to get admitted at USC from CC,” and then in the same breath says, “You can transfrom from USF or Chapman to USC or UCLA.” How many people do it this way? My understanding is UCLA at least gives priority to CC and UC transfers.
Thanks for the info on transferring into UCs only as juniors. Didn’t know that.</p>

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<p>Dear Vociferous:</p>

<p>Thanks for your honest input and about the info on studying at other UCs and abroad!</p>

<p>To make sure I understand your first paragraph, you’re pointing out that if I chose Chapman or USF, I may do everything to position myself to transfer, but because of competitive times, I may be back to step one? Do you know if UCLA gives the same priority to private university transfers as CC or other UC campus transfers?</p>

<p>To go to USF or Chapman, with my financial aid calculated in, will be about 30K, not including books and other expenses. UCR about 6K. Huge difference!</p>

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<p>I’d also like to know if your high school counselor is more concerned with her school’s statistics than what is the right choice for you
</p>

<p>UCLA is an almost guaranteed admit into some less popular majors
 you will find them by looking at this transfer stats sheet. [Profile</a> of Admitted Transfer Students by Major, Fall 2009 - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof09_mjr.htm#CE]Profile”>http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof09_mjr.htm#CE)</p>

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<p>**At all of the UCs, priority is given to students transferring from a California Community College **over those transferring from 4-year universitities, including other UCs. Your counselor is giving you very bad advice if your goal is to transfer to a UC. It is unfortunate that she is putting her school’s statistics ahead of what is best for you. [University</a> of California - Admissions](<a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/transfer.html]University”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/transfer.html)</p>

<p>**USC <a href=“a%20private%20university”>/B</a> does not offer priority to community college transfers, but they do maintain articulation agreements with most California Community Colleges. This means that while your admission “chances” might not be affected by what school you transfer from, the likelyhood that your courses will directly transfer for degree credit is greater coming from a California Community College with an articulation agreement. <a href=“https://camel2.usc.edu/articagrmt/artic.aspx[/url]”>Error;

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<p>MissDayna, I have read a few posts about transferring into UCs, and my recollection is:</p>

<h1>1: CA Community College</h1>

<p>---------HUGE GAP --------</p>

<h1>2: CSUs or another UC</h1>

<h1>3 any other 4 year college (with the caveat that priority is given to the higher ranked colleges from which the student is applying
 e.g. Cornell to UCLA has high probability).</h1>

<p>Keep in mind that transferring into 7 of the UC’s, excepting only UCLA/Berkeley, is GUARANTEED as long as you fulfill the requirements of the articulation agreement between the CCC and the UC.</p>

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<p>it’s not guaranteed admission to the less-popular majors to UCLA, but the weeding out process probably through the time and effort of getting oneself through the rereqs, including counseling at the community college level that tells the student, that such-and-such grades isn’t good enough. </p>

<p>The reason why UCLA has a very low xfer success rate from other universities besides its fellow UCs is because there is no one telling the student, presumably, that such-and-such grades aren’t good enough.</p>

<p>Tthe bare miniumum standards to apply to UCLA as an xfer is mid 2-point. If you notice the less-popular majors at UCLA tend to have generally a 3.3 minimum or so.</p>

<p>One can go down the list of UCs, and find approximately the following:</p>

<p>UC Berkeley ~ 3.67 average transfer student
UCLA ~ 3.60
UCSD ~ 3.35
UCD, UCSB, UCI, ~ 3.20-3.25
UCR, UCSC ~ 3.15
UCM ~ 3.0</p>

<p>The reason why UCLA’s is somewhat lower than Berkeley’s is becuase UCLA doesn’t engage in spring admits as does Berk, and replaces those with xfers from cc and other colleges/universities.</p>

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<p>There is no way on Earth that USF or Chapman is worth 100K more than UC Riverside. I would go to UCR.</p>

1 Like
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<p>Again, thanks for your response. The honest really helps me.</p>

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<p>Dear Alamemom:</p>

<p>Thanks for the articulation agreement link for USC! so helpful.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>While most of what you stated is indeed referenced at the UC website, there are still individual differences at each UC campus that may vary somewhat from your quoted passage.</p>

<p>UCLA of all the UCs accepts the most general transfers, certainly more than Berkeley, but among which, includes a good amount of UC xfers. </p>

<p>And Berk, doesn’t accept as many higher-standing xfers (as UCLA) because the difference is made up in spring admits, students deferred one semester after graduating high school.</p>

<p>I don’t know if there’s still a UCLA shared-experience agreement with the newest campus, UC Merced. I don’t think the UC would want to advertise this, because the system wants UCM to gain its feet and start producing productive grads in the work force and not to be a glorifed community college. </p>

<p>This agreement if it still exists says taht a student accepted under this arrangement can attend UCM for two years and then xfer to UCLA or stay. The student accepted into this program would have the high-school quals (‘stats’ as some would say here) for UCLA, and this way UCM could gain an extremely high-quality student for at least two years. I’m sure there would be some romancing of said student, with special perks, etc. </p>

<p>After saying all this, I don’t think the program exsists anymore, but I spent a good 3-4 minutes typing these paragraphs, so I’m not erasing them. :wink: But regardless, someone interested should inquire about this program if it does still exist.</p>

<p>I think what determines the amount of xfers from CC, from other UCs, and from other four-year colleges/universites to any of the individual UC campuses would be the shear number of them, demanding space at, say, UCLA. Because the yield is very good, and there’s a great supply of them, UCLA has created space for xfers.</p>

<p>The other UC’s, other than Berk, don’t have the yield, sometimes as low as 25%, so they (don’t) accept as many xfers.</p>

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<p>MissDayna; You’e welcome! I hope it helps.</p>

<p>drax12: First priority to California Community College transfers is policy at all UCs. From the website:

</p>

<p>The UC Merced Shared Experience program not only still exists, it has been expanded to include transfers to other UC campuses. Unfortunately, students cannot apply directly for the program as it is an invitation-only program at this point. Select applicants who cannot be accomodated at the campus to which they applied are offered the program. [University</a> of California - Admissions](<a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/sharedexperience.html]University”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/sharedexperience.html)</p>

<p>Also, seven UC campuses offer “TAG” programs. These are [Transfer Admission Guarantees](<a href=“Understanding UC transfer | UC Admissions”>Understanding UC transfer | UC Admissions) If you fulfill the terms of your TAG, you are guaranteed to be accepted into the UC with which you have the agreement.</p>

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<p>alamenmom: yes, I forgot to mention the shared experience program is by invitation only. It’s good it isn’t something to and for which someone would apply, or the abuse would be great. </p>

<p>And if this is worth note, the average xfer gpa from other UCs to UCLA is not as good as from community colleges, which makes sense. Grade-wise it would seemingly be easier to xfer from another UC, but obviously grades are harder to maintain at UC.</p>

<p>I would agree though if this is what you’re intimating: I would rather chance my being accepted at UCLA by attending a community college over a four-year university.</p>

<p>And specifically, Santa Monica College is by far the largest supplier of xfers to UCLA. The smart west-side kids who may have been close, along with internationals and oos students have helped the college become far and away the best way for that side-door entry to UCLA. (Though), the acceptance rate there is still around 33% or so.</p>

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<p>Dear drax12 and alamemom:</p>

<p>You both gave great info. The link alamemom gave me as to how many students from California universities (other than CC or UCs) apply to UCLA and are accepted really clarified things. </p>

<p>I hope other students reading this thread understand that if you’re being told, “just go to the four year private university and then transfer to UCLA,” the odds are NOT in your favor. As an example, in 2009, 12 students from Chapman applied to transfer but only two were excepted; for USF, 16 applied and one got in; from Loyal Marymount, 26 applied and two got in.</p>

<p>I called USC to ask if they break down the transfers in the same way as the link that alamenmom gave me. No, they don’t. But for a high school student to transfer and NOT HAVE their SATs considered, I have to transfer with at least 30 credits and a 3.8 gpa – whether from a CC or a private university.</p>

<p>Things are making sense. Thanks, Guys!</p>

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<p>UCR is excellent school, go there you wont regret it. You wont transfer once you realize your still getting a UC degree and still take advantage of the same opportunities UCLA would offer you at UCR. this is the best school you got excepted into pick it. Then make up mind if still want to transfer it will a lot easier transferring From a UC school to a UC school or any other since its reputation. plus you will already be in the system for UC schools same classes, same requirements.</p>

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<p>i’m getting no answer</p>

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<p>i’m a physics student and i’ll graduate in june (B.S),can i complete my masters studies at a good university that accept my transfer from the Lebanese university??..thanks!!!</p>

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<p>ace5o2, your question is very different than the subject of this thread, so it is unlikely that posters with the specific information you are looking for will happen to look at it. Try posting a new thread in the Graduate forum [Graduate</a> School - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/]Graduate”>Graduate School - College Confidential Forums) . To post a new thread, click on “Forum Tools” on the right of the Graduate Forum page. You might also find useful information in the International Student forum <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/&lt;/a&gt; Good luck!</p>