<p>I was looking for the transfer thread to post but couldn't find it-- anyhow, if you don't get into the top tier UC you want as a freshman (specifically UCB, but also UCLA and maybe UCSD) , which is better for a top student...to go to a cc and then try to tag into the UC, or to go to a lesser UC or even a CSU and then try to transfer to the UC?
Is it harder to tranfer from UC to UC than to tag into a UC from a cc? Is it any easier or harder to transfer to a top UC from a private school?
Just trying to think ahead in case this happens...</p>
<p>You are much better off going to a community college. The admissions rates are much higher, especially since many people have been promised admission to UCs in the past if they go to 2 years of cc if there isn't room in the UC system.</p>
<p>i'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE FIRST PART OF YOUR QUESTION BUT CAN ANSWER THE REST. UC's give preference to cc students over uc intercampus transfers. </p>
<p>If you apply to 4 or more UC's, espcially if you live in state, you will probably get in.</p>
<p>Frankly though, the quality of education you'll get at one of the "lower" UCs or a CSU isn't that much worse than you would get at Berkeley or LA. Really the only reason to go to a CC for two years instead of one of the other UCs is if prestige is high on your list of priorities. If its just about education, go to one of the other UCs and you might find yourself really happy.</p>
<p>I agree with Just_Browsing, and would add that not only is the education going to be similar at another UC, the quality of your overall experience is likely to be much better at a UC than a CC. I don't mean to slam people who go to CC's, it's great they have the opportunity to go there and then end up with a diploma from a UC school. But college is more than just the classes you take or the name on the diploma. A lot of the college experience is getting away from home and meeting new people. CC students tend to live at home, and research has shown that only about 1/2 the students that start at a CC intending to get a 4-year degree actually do so. Peers are very important in the college experience, and your peers at a UC school are much more likely to get their 4-year degree.</p>