<p>Hello, college folk. I have a question about transferring from a UC after junior year to a private college. Plus, if you happen to be a wise, mature person, I would like some overall advice about this decision, and maybe about college in general. </p>
<p>I attended a community college for 3 years, trying to decide upon a major, before enrolling at UC Davis this fall. My GPA in community college was ~ 3.7. I took lots of math classes, lots of art classes, and almost no humanities / social sciences.</p>
<p>My high school grades were abysmal due to complete apathy. While both my grades and interest were raised in community college, I was still more indifferent than successful people probably are. One consequence of this vague indifference was that I didn't care about where I would go after community college; I hardly thought of colleges at all, wrote my personal essays an hour before they were due, didn't bother to tour any campus, and didn't mind that my only two options after the admissions process were UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis.</p>
<p>Without question, my apathy toward college was an outgrowth of my apathy toward life in general, but there was also a more concrete reason: I am very quiet. I tend to learn from books and practice more than from teachers and other students, and don't socialize nearly enough. So I didn't care about selecting a college that was the "right fit", as many people put it, because I figured that I'd learn on my own and not even be involved in the social life that colleges provide.</p>
<p>Now, I realize that this reasoning is far off the mark. I am too self-reliant, and I've underestimated the college experience. After a short time at UC Davis, my opinion is that it's a good school, but not the "right fit". I'll always be a quiet person, and a self-teacher, but I have underestimated the power of choosing the proper environment, the environment that most pushes a person to expand his/her limits.</p>
<p>If I were to transfer out of UCD after one year, I'd have to spend two more years at the college of my choice, but I think it would be worth it. To graduate at age 24 from a college of my choice is better than graduating at age 23 from a college that I fell into, half-heartedly.</p>
<p>So these are my questions for anyone that has familiarity with the transfer process: </p>
<p>**1) Is it possible to transfer from a UC to another high-caliber college, possibly a private college, after one's junior year?</p>
<p>2) If I show a lot of promise during my year at UCD, is it possible to transfer to a college that is vastly more selective?</p>
<p>3) Which of the highly-selective colleges tend to accept a reasonable number of transfers?**</p>
<p>And these are my questions for anyone that tends to offer sound advice:</p>
<p>Do you agree that it's better to graduate later, with no regrets about college choice? Or is it better to earn a degree from a less-than-perfect-for-me college and stop forking over money for an undergraduate education?</p>
<p>(I may seek guidance from a college counselor, but I can better articulate my thoughts in writing, and I've read plenty of great advice on these forums.) Thanks to anyone that may reply!</p>