Transferring into UC Berkeley or UCLA, what do you think of this course load?

<p>CSUs also use IGETC. The only 2 differences are the UCs have a foreign language requirement, while the CSUs have an Oral Communication requirement. Not sure specifically what Breadth refers to. Maybe that’s a UC to UC transfer thing???</p>

<p>Oh, okay.</p>

<p>So if I were to transfer in one year, since my IGETC requirements are practically out of the way, should I just do breadth? Is it even worth it?</p>

<p>My course load would look like this…</p>

<p>-Freshman (14, 17)
3-History of Western Civilization
3-International Politics
3-Political Thinking
5-Animal Biology</p>

<p>4-History of the U.S. since 1865, Honors
3-History and Philosophy of the Great Ideas of Physics
3-Argumentation and Debate
4-Elementary Statistics, Honors
3-American Literature, Honors</p>

<p>This would (with my AP credits) take care of IGETC and Breadth, letting me transfer in one year, right? With this and APs, I’d have over 60 credits.</p>

<p>Would this actually be better than doing two years? Would it help me?</p>

<p>Just at a quick glance it looks like you’re missing the physical science requirement. That may be in your AP courses and I missed it.</p>

<p>The advantage you have is that with your AP units you potentially have the option to transfer in 1 year. You can apply in November for Fall 15, and see what happens. If you get into your choice schools, then you can go. If you don’t get in, then you have 1 more year to show more college grades, and you haven’t wasted any time.</p>

<p>Oh, I thought “History and Philosophy of the Great Ideas of Physics” would take care of it, but I guess not.</p>

<p>AP Physics B won’t take care of it for breadth, so I can’t use it. I guess I’ll replace it with “Conceptual Physics, Honors”? With that one, I’ll have 15 credits worth of honors, making me TAP eligible for UCLA?! Or would I not be because I haven’t “completed” 13 credits of honors, only “will complete”?</p>

<p>I checked, with only the APs that I’ll report (so not AP Statistics, AP Comparative Govt, or AP Physics B) I’ll have 40.1 units of transferable UC credits. That, with my course load, will put me at 72.1.</p>

<p>Looks really good. And if I can’t transfer, I’ll just take a bunch of courses that I like the next year?</p>

<p>Let’s say that I don’t want to transfer to a UC, but instead, an Ivy (everything hypothetical), would they care that I don’t have any grades? </p>

<p>By the way, with the original course load I suggested, I had 90.4 credits (including reported APs).</p>

<p>If I was to report all of my AP credits, I’d have 53.5. And if I reported everything in my original course plan, I’d have 114.5. </p>

<p>I think one year would be good, because again, I’d have 72.1 credits, making me near a “second semester junior” just in one year! @2016Candles‌ , do you think I have a decent chance if I maintain straight As when applying to UCs? I think I’d be eligible, applying with 40.1 completed and 72.1 in the horizon. Would TAG work for other UCs? As in, would I have a GPA to use it?</p>

<p>Please don’t take mine or anyone else’s word over doing your own research. To determine whether a specific course meets the IGETC requirements varies by school, so you need to look at whatever info your school provides regarding IGETC. Perhaps the class you originally listed does meet the physical science requirements, but I can’t know that. </p>

<p>You have a lot of questions about the transfer process and requirements, which is great, but it may be beneficial for you to meet with an advisor at your school. Listen to what they have to say, and then do some research on your own. </p>

<p>All we can give you are hypotheticals based on our experiences, but you can’t plan your academic future based on what strangers on this forum tell you. </p>

<p>What candles said. :)</p>

<p>@2016ca and @fulllI, I checked for all of my courses, just not that one because it was listed under “physical sciences” and UC approved on the SBCC catalog. I checked before I took your word for it :). </p>

<p>Yeah, I’ll contact my adviser. But until then, one more question: is it common to transfer to a UC after only one year, and do I have an actual shot?</p>

<p>It’s not typical, but it can be done. As long as you throw in Summer and Winter courses and max out your Fall and Spring units. Again, all highly dependent on your major prereqs and IGETC fulfillment. If you stick with poli sci, sure, it’s only 4 major prereqs.</p>

<p>However, by cramming that many units you take the chance of lowering your GPA, and remember, the ultimate goal is law school and GPA and LSAT are everything for law school admissions. The difference between a 3.5 and a 4.0 could be a full ride to a T14 or getting a 30% scholarship with stips at some T100 school. Just be careful.</p>

<p>Not to mention, poli sci is impacted everywhere which means 3.7 is usually the lowest a UC will accept (the better UC’s anyway).</p>

<p>So I did some research, and it turns out that I’ll be eligible to TAG into Davis my first year! I’ll have 48.1 credits of reported APs, and I structured my schedule to complete breadth (not that it’s even required) in one year. If I wanted to, I think I can even TAP into UCLA in that same one year because I’ll have 19 Honors credits in one year!</p>

<p>I’ll be taking only 33 credits freshman year (15, 18), but actually have 81.1 with APs. Davis will have to take me if I get above a 3.2 freshman year, and UCLA would be “encouraged” to accept me if I maintain a 3.7+ (which I could probably do, since I’ll be repeating a lot of classes that I took as AP <em>but I won’t report the AP, that’s why I’ll only have 48.1, and not 55ish</em>. Lastly, I’ll get to skip to junior year just after my one year!</p>

<p>TAG INTO UC DAVIS.
Freshman Year (15, 18)<br>
4-History of Western Civilization: 1600 to Present, Honors *
3-International Politics* (took AP Comparative, easy A)
3-Political Thinking*
5-Animal Biology (took AP Bio, easy A)</p>

<p>4-History of the U.S. since 1865, Honors (took AP US, easy A)
4-Conceptual Physics, Honors (took AP Physics B, easy A)
3-Argumentation and Debate
4-Elementary Statistics, Honors* (took AP Statistics, easy A)
3-American Literature, Honors (took both AP Eng, easy A)</p>

<p>And I’ll figure out where to put
3-Comparative Politics*
3-American Government and Politics*</p>

<p>for UCLA. Maybe the summer before, and Ace them, so I’d be applying with a 4.0 and 54.1 completed!</p>

While later,

Got into UCLA (candidate for regents). Rejected from UC Berkeley.
At UCLA right now. Political Science.

Ended up taking:

3-Western Civ. 1
3-American Government
3-English Composition
3-Introduction to Theater
3-International Relations

5-Elementary Spanish 1
3-Biological Anthropology
3-Social & Political Phil
3-Comparative Politis
1.5-Improvisational Comedy 1
3-Introduction to Logic

3-Mass Comm.
3-Introduction to Criminal Justice
3-Microeconomics
3-Introduction to Business

UCs only saw my first semester grades. Half my units were APs. Accepted as a “first year” junior-level transfer. I highly recommend all of you who are eligible to do the same to do it. 100%. Also, from what I’ve seen, the courses you take don’t really matter. Just complete IGETC and prereqs.

I have a 4.0. In retrospect def. not as difficult as I thought it’d be.

thanks for the update. Congrats!