Transfer Options to get into a UC....

Transfer Students
1

<p>Sorry in advance for a long post.</p>

<p>As of now, I am attending SJSU as an incoming freshman and I am really beginning to weigh my options in really leaving a Cal State and going into a UC. My dilemma at SJSU is that I am undeclared for my major, and for this school, undeclared IS a Major. Essentially, if I want to get into my major of choice, which is Computer Engineering, I will have to be able to transfer majors from undeclared to you know. I felt very misled and very stupid for not knowing (or looking further into it) that undeclared was a major in itself at SJSU, and I fear that with my GE filled schedule (since I'm undeclared after) that I will be unable to get into the Computer field. Due to this, I feel that if I can't transfer majors after my freshman year, I will want to consider my possible options.</p>

<p>I had aspired to go to a UC, but I know this is a case where I didn't apply myself in high school, so I was left between Cal State LA and SJSU, and I only chose SJSU cause it was away from home. I am considering two options:</p>

<ol>
<li>Stay at SJSU and work to transfer out to a UC (I know Cal States are at the bottom of the barrel)</li>
<li>Drop SJSU and go to a CC and then transfer to a UC.... I didn't want to go to a CC initially because I wanted to "experience" college I suppose, and I didn't see myself going to a CC. However, after this huge feeling of sadness at SJSU due to my major, or lack thereof, CC seems a good idea to transfer.</li>
</ol>

<p>I am very reluctant to follow #2 also because connections and people I meet and build at SJSU throughout at least 1 year will be gone, and I think it'll be difficult going to a UC as a transfer Junior or whenever I could get into a UC and meeting new people there. I am a bit shy, so being a freshman has worked in my favor with other freshman around me as well. I also fight against it cause it's not a guarantee I will make it into a UC, so throwing away a guarantee Cal State admission is something to consider too. I feel terrible that my parents are paying so much for me to so to SJSU, for me to only take GE's for an undeclared. I am torn between what to do, but if someone else has another viable option to mention, or just wants to reply to the topic, I'd love to hear it.</p>

2

<p>I was actually in the exact same position as you this summer. I was at SFSU, wanted to transfer over to a UC. I noticed that there are many tough decisions I had to make.</p>

<p>1.) UCs require that you complete all your GEs as well as all the pre-requisite courses for the major you aspire to apply for. At SFSU, ALOT of the classes that were pre-requisites did not transfer into the UCs or my school didn’t offer the pre-requisites needed for transfer. You need to look at <a href=“http://www.assist.org”>www.assist.org</a> to see what classes you need to transfer.</p>

<p>2.) Keep in mind that you need 60 TRANSFERABLE UNITS to be able to transfer to a UC. If you took 15 units a semester for two years and one of your classes doesn’t make the cut, you’re automatically ineligible for transfer.</p>

<p>3.) I also thought about going back to CC for a year. However, at my particular CC, they wouldn’t do a credit check until September, so there was no way I would know what classes made it and which classes didn’t make it from SFSU. On top of that, although the CC offered all the classes needed for transferring into UCs, there was no way I would be able to complete those pre-requisites in a year. I took 15 units a semester for two semesters, and I would have to had taken around 21-24 units a semester to be able to apply within that year (and I would have to bank that I would get all my classes as well).</p>

<p>I’m still transferring out of SFSU, but I decided to apply to private schools instead. It will be a little more expensive, but if you do well in school, you’ll earn grants and scholarships, as well as financial aid. Good luck!</p>