Transfer to Cal or UCLA?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>I'm going to be a freshman at a private college this fall (Albion College in Michigan).</p>

<p>I chose to attend Albion because when it came time for me to pick a school to attend, it was my only financially feasible option.</p>

<p>However, after choosing Albion, I have come into some money that will allow me to afford other, 'better' schools, if I can transfer in.</p>

<p>My two top choices are UC Berkeley and UCLA. I want to transfer in as soon as possible. I want to get a head start in terms of planning my schedule for freshman year, working on applications, etc., sooner rather than later.</p>

<p>So: how should I go about trying to better my chances of getting into Cal or UCLA as a transfer? What do the schools look for in their transfers? I've done some Internet research but I haven't turned up much.</p>

<p>If it helps, here's my information:
3.0 HS GPA, unweighted (okay freshman year grades, horribly dismal sophomore grades, okay junior grades, straight A's senior year), from a highly regarded public high school
6 AP classes/tests taken (all but one passed with a 3 or better)
Score of 30 on ACT
Score of 1790 on SAT
730 and 700 on SAT Subject Tests
Strong extracurriculars in HS: Girl Scouting (for 11 years), newspaper staff writer, horseback riding, dance, softball, summer camp counselor for five years running
Will be in an honors program at Albion
Will have strong extracurriculars at Albion: Model UN, horseback riding, dance, College Democrats, Equestrian Club, writer for college newspaper, potential sorority member. Will also be holding a job during time at Albion.
California native (but I believe that mainly has to do with being eligible for Cal Grants, etc.)
Completed A-G requirements</p>

<p>Also-- I'll be applying, no matter what, because I don't know how I'll feel about Albion by the time acceptance/rejection letters roll in. If I love Albion, it won't have mattered that I applied elsewhere, because I'll just stay at Albion. But if I do end up disliking Albion, and still want to go someplace else by then, then I'll have at least done my best to ensure I have the option of transferring out as soon as possible.</p>

2

<p>It’s hard to “chance” you at this time because all of those stats will not matter when applying to UCLA and Berkeley. They do not take soph. transfers so you are going to have to wait to transfer when your a Junior. Being an out of state you are going to need a substantially high GPA depending on your major and completion of all pre-req classes. When looking at the averages from last year for each major, you are going to need a higher GPA than reported because of your out of state situation.</p>

3

<p>As was stated above, you’re going to have to wait until you can transfer as a junior. All California state schools (UCs and CSUs) only accept upper-level transfers (junior transfers). Also, it is really important to take the right classes. If you are majoring in something highly technical (math, physics, engineering, etc…) then both schools, especially Cal, pretty much will overlook your app if you haven’t completed all of your pre reqs. For the less technical majors, you want to get all of your gen ed out of the way, plus as many classes that pertain to your major. Depending on your major, they may only look at applicants with IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) completed. (To learn more about IGETC, go here: [ASSIST</a> Help Pages](<a href=“Welcome to ASSIST”>Welcome to ASSIST)) Obviously, gpa is very important, but if you don’t take the right classes, then it doesn’t matter what your gpa is: you’re not getting in.
In the end, I bet you’ll like your school just fine, an won’t want to transfer to a brand new college after two years there. Good luck, and have fun!</p>