<p>Currently I am attending UC Irvine and I really want to transfer to UC Davis. I just finished my first quarter with a 3.4 GPA majoring in Chemistry. Which option is better?? I wanted to finish this year at Irvine, withdraw and attend a community college in my hometown and transfer in junior year to Davis or should I stay at Irvine and transfer to Davis from there? Please give me tip and advice on which way I would have a higher chance on transferring!! Thank you!!</p>
<p>Technically community college transfers gets preference over UC transfers…</p>
<p>Keeping that in mind UC to UC are second on the priority list and get preferance over everyone else (private, OOS, international, ect). I know a fellow math major that transfered from UCSC to UCLA.</p>
<p>I think that you have a realistic chance at Davis either way… The advantage UC to UC transfer is that if you still get your degree from Irvine in case that Davis rejects you. </p>
<p>The advantage of going to a CC is that you will have a slightly better chance of getting admitted to Davis (assuming you have the same GPA). However you have to beware of a few things</p>
<p>1) you must leave Irvine in good standing, if you are in academic probation at one UC you cannot transfer</p>
<p>2) if you attend a CC you must have more units as a community college student than at the UC or else you will still be considered a UC to UC transfer (for ex: 32 units from CC vs. 30 units Irvine)</p>
<p>3) As a UCLA community college transfer student I can tell you UC students have it very good. You need to realize that cc’s classes (especially STEM) are very packed. Most classes are full and professor dont like adding students on the waiting list. The reason that the average STEM student takes 3 or 4 years to transfer is not because they are dumb (we are not) is because it takes us forever to get all the required courses. So you will very likely delay your graduation 1 or 2 years.</p>
<p>However you have done only 1 quarter at Irvine and if you want to do UC transfer you have to stay at Irvine for 2 years. The decision is personal and you have to take everything into consideration (time, money, and hapiness) good luck with your choice.</p>
<p>Irvine has amazing faculty in chemistry (except the evil lab people). I’d stick it out, unless going there is having a huge financial impact on you/your family. The first quarter is always like testing out the waters. You’ll gain confidence soon enough.</p>
<p>One thing to look into is whether you would be eligible for the TAG program to Davis if you left UCI now and enrolled in your local CC. According to the TAG matrix for Davis
Now I’m not an admissions counselor. There may be other conditions you also need to meet. But rolling the dates forward a year it seems as if this is hinting that if you enroll at a CC for spring 2014 then you could use TAG to get guaranteed admission to Davis for Fall 2015. Check this out carefully with a counselor at Davis or your local CC to see if it would work.</p>
<p>As for advice, though, I would encourage you to think the whole xfer thing thru. It just isn’t a matter of now you’re here, then you’ll be at Davis. As a junior xfer you will have to build a new set of friends, get to know profs, with a Chem major I imagine research might be useful for your future career plans and you’ll be on a compressed schedule to get in on that, etc. You may well have compelling reasons to want to change schools, and many people are very satisified at xfer students. I’m not saying don’t do it, I’m saying spend some time giving all the pros and cons serious thought.</p>