Transfer to a UC in one year or two?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
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Hi all,

I need some advice. I just started cc this quarter. I have about 49.5 credits including this fall quarter along with AP credit. I fill finish IGETC requirements while doing my major requirements. I am planning to major in cognitive science and will be applying to Berkeley, Davis and SD. I was planning to tag to Davis but I’m aware the deadline already passed for this year. Should I try to apply this year or wait until next year to apply because by then I’d have most of my classes completed.

In order to reach 90 units I’d have to take 5 classes per quarter with 2 quarters left. I also heard that ucs want you to finish your math and English during the fall quarter before you apply. I still have to take one more English class and about 3-4 more math classes. I thought that if I wait until November of 2023 to apply the ucs would have more to go off of because currently they’d just have my fall grades of 2022. I really want to get into Berkeley and SD badly. Waiting to apply as a sophomore would allow me to do more ecs, especially a summer program or internship related to my major. Also, I’m not sure how good my essays would be as I only have a month left.

My main concern is overworking myself to reach the 90 units because I’m worried my GPA could be affected and that’s the most important thing. I’m not sure how well my essays would be either because I’m just working a part time job that I started a month ago. If I apply next year I can comfortably take 3 classes a quarter and also be able to work and volunteer. Additionally if I get rejected this year, I know I can always apply next year but it’s a hassle to do the same process for the third time.

What do you guys think? Is waiting and doing more stuff related to my major worth it (so I can show them I’m really committed). Or should I try to apply this year? I’d have to write the essays in a month but I’d be done with all my classes except 2 math classes for SD. I’m only really looking to apply to these 3.

Thank you if you made it this far. Please help!!

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Only you know what you are capable of doing and if you feel you would be too stressed to complete all the requirements by Spring 2023, taking another year and getting a competitive GPA will only help. I highly recommend TAGing to at least 1 UC since this is a guarantee.

“Life is a Marathon, not a Sprint”. Submit the best application you can provide so if that takes an additional year so be it.

Best of luck.

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Only you can decide if it’s too much to do, but it was me I’d take two years. People that do it in one year commonly have around 45 units prior to the start of the Fall quarter from AP and taking summer CC classes during/after HS. That makes the year at a CC relatively normal.

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Trying to transfer to a UC in 1 year requires a lot of preparation as noted by @mikemac that most successful 1 year transfers have significant AP credit along with having some CC classes taken during the summer and fall under their belt. Also Intended major can make a huge difference when it comes to transferring to a UC in 1 year since some majors have a large amount of major prep classes that need to be completed prior to transfer.

Taking 2 years to transfer is the norm and having your Math/English courses completed at time of application is a plus but not a requirement except if applying through TAG. Just remember if you are on a quarter system at your CC, you need to hit the ground running which adds additional stress to the process.

Best of luck and make the decision that is best for you.