Basic background from me. I’m interested in majoring in Engineering specifically Mechanical Engineer. So I’m currently a Senior who is about to graduate and I was not accepted to the colleges I want to go to, which were UC Santa Barbara or UCLA. But I am on the wait list for UC Riverside and Cal Pomona. So my question is about transferring.
Can anyone tell me their opinion of transferring after 2 years from CC? Is it difficult?
Also, if I get in Cal Pomona is it possible to transfer to a UC like Santa Barbara?
If worse comes, can you guys give me tips, during my CC, to what to do for a better chances to transfer?
P.S: I live in LA so my choice for CC is LACC, but others are saying that there is a higher chance to transfer in Santa Monica CC. Would going to a CC near your home be more reasonable?
Transferring in two years can be difficult for engineering majors just because there are so many lower division classes to take. For ME at UCSB, they require:
Physical & Biological Sciences (covered in your major prep)
So already you’re looking at ~65 units to cover all major prep + other requirements. If you’re not calculus-ready it’ll be even more. It’s possible to do it in 2 years, but it’s tight, so most take 3 years (especially if you’re shooting for a good GPA).
It’s possible to transfer from a CSU to a UC, but it’s more difficult than transferring from a CC. Specific CCs don’t increase your chance to transfer outright, but the cultures and courses offered at different CCs can vary a lot.
Otherwise, CC is a better route to a UC than a CSU. Kids from a CC are given priority because its the only way they can earn a 4-year degree. If you go to Pomona, count on graduating from Pomona (its a pretty good program, BTW)
Choice of CC is a tougher choice. It is true that SMC sends many more kids to the UC system than LACC, 1,061 vs 112 according to http://www.smc.edu/StudentServices/TransferServices/Documents/Transfer_Statistics/2013-2014/2013-14_transfers_to_uc.pdf The tough question is what do these numbers mean. Students are not randomly assigned to attend these schools, and you know the area around SMC is much wealthier. More informed parents, expectations of hard work, better high schools, lots of other factors mean that kids in more affluent areas do better in education. To the extent that these factors explain the difference and not something SMC is doing, going there will make no difference. There is no real magic in admissions, secrets that SMC “knows”. Get a good gpa and you’re a good candidate. Nor do they have special ways of teaching that are more effective. So its hard to find institutional differences that explain the different outcomes. I believe, however, there is truth to the argument that if you’re around more motivated kids that rubs off, and if you’re around kids that look down on kids that study or ask questions in class that has an effect too. But its a tradeoff. If it takes 1.5-2 hours a day commuting to get to SMC then the time lost from studying will probably hurt more than being around a better student body will help.
The most important thing, regardless of whether you go to a CC or 4-year, is what you do. Develop good study habits, probably 5-10 hours/week on each class; reading, doing homework, doing extra problems. The latter is important to really learning the material and doing well on tests, yet many kids never do it. There are books for many science/math classes like the “Calculus Problem Solver” with thousands of worked problems so you can keep practicing until you are consistently solving problems, and then the tests in class will be nothing more than what you’re already successfully doing on your own. There is one recent book about learning I strongly recommend you read that talks about effective strategies, called “Making it Stick”
so I’m a Civil Engineering major currently waiting for transfer decisions. I’m 3 years at SMC. To answer your questions, it is definitely doable to transfer in 2 years; however, depending on the school you go to and how you start off, it is likely you may do 3 or more. In my case, I could have been able to transfer in 2 years, but I was really pushing my chances had I applied last year, since I had to cram everything. So I decided to wait another year to fulfill all requirements. It’s very important that you finish Calc 2 ASAP, since it will open up many classes.
If you end up going CC, then I highly recommend going to SMC. They offer opportunities to transfer more easily to schools that other schools do not offer. IMO, it is worth the commute.
Thanks for all the replies. I’ll keep an eye on the classes I choose.
Another background:
I have taken AP English and AP Cal AB. I am currently taking AP Literature, AP Cal BC, and AP Physic 1. The only one so far that I have gotten a good score on is AP Calculus AB with a 4. My AP English was horrible with a score of 2. I am studying hard for the upcoming AP test for BC and not so much on the rest.
Does taking these classes count for the requirement to transfer? or do I need to have passed the tests with 3 or higher? If it doesn’t, do I need to retake them?
Also, if a CC doesn’t offer a certain class, is it possible to take it outside of that CC and if so where do I find these classes?
So, from what I’m getting is that I will be looking at 3 years in CC to increase my chances to transfer. About increasing my chances, do extra curricular really help or should I focus on my GPA? I was never really active in my community or school previous years but now I have the feel to participate in extra classes and after school clubs. However I noticed that my GPA went down this year compared to my previous year with no clubs. So should I participate in after school clubs during my college or focus on my GPA or balance it out? I am thinking of joining an internship since I have not done one and would like to experience it fully but I’m afraid it might collide with my studies.