<p>Okay so I want to study something that is out of the ordinary--astrophysics, and obtain a Ph.D. Their are 3 UC's that have this major: UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz. The only problem is that my GPA isn't quite up to par with UCLA's and UCB's (about 3.9). (My ACT is a 30). So my main concern is that if I get rejected from all 3 (possibly UCSC), where would I go? I know that Cal States are and option (I applied to Cal Poly Pomona) but they don't get the priority that California Community Colleges do. I really don't want to waste my high school career going to a CCC, but if it is the only option, I guess i have to.
I want to graduate from one of those 3 UC's with a bachelor's in astrophysics and hope to go to Cal Tech in Pasadena for grad school where i will obtain a Ph.D.
P.S. I am applying to UC Irvine and UC San Diego as well because they are close to my house, and because the application says they have physics with a specialty in astrophysics as majors. </p>
<p>Worst Case Scenario: If i get rejected from all UC's I applied to, would it be better to transfer from a Cal State or a Community College? (my top choice school is UCLA because it is so close to my house)</p>
<p>Can you consider other schools? If you need financial aid, you could consider a private school in or outside California. GPA 3.9 and ACT 30 make it possible.</p>
<p>“physics with a specialty in astrophysics” should be enough preparation for graduate school. You need a deep and solid physics background before you can even think about doing actual astrophysics. So I wouldn’t fixate too much on this. UCSB also has a famous physics department, you may want to look into that as well.</p>
<p>I personally wouldn’t dare attend a community college than transfer, but for many its not a bad choice at all. Well have you’ve looked into San Diego State University, University of San Diego?</p>
<p>If your goal is to transfer, then you are much better off at a CC. It is much much easier to transfer from a CC to a UC than from a CSU to a UC.</p>
<p>You do not need to study astrophysics as an undergraduate to study it as a graduate student. A straight-up physics major is more than fine for admission to top-notch astronomy/astrophysics grad programs. </p>
<p>Like Grumpster said, UCSB has an outstanding physics department. Professor friends in the field think it’s one of the best in the nation. With a (UC?) 3.9 GPA you should be on track for getting in to Santa Cruz, which has a stellar astronomy program. </p>
<p>Using a community college for your first two years is going to be very very tough for a physics major. The curriculum offerings and the rigor just aren’t there. You’ll start your junior year and most likely immediately feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. You won’t like the sound of this…but consider applying to Riverside, Just In Case. A family friend is a freshman who wants to go into astronomy. Young Friend went grumpily off to UCR determined to transfer…and then discovered that the department has lots of professors but few undergrad majors. Go visit the department and see if it would work for you. I know it’s not what you want, but I think it’s a better path for a physics major than community college most CSU’s</p>
<p>I have heard that the UCs accept very few transfers from Cal state schools, while anyone with a certain GPA at a CC gets automatic admission to the University of California. so if you are truly set on going to UC for astrophysics, i would reccomend going to a CC</p>
<p>Technically, in CA, it’s easier to transfer as from a community college than it is from a four-year college (at least if you’re transferring to a UC). The logic behind this apparently is that at a four-year, you can always continue on with your education there, whereas at a two-year community college, you have to transfer if you want a bachelor’s degree. It you want to transfer to CalTech, I’m not sure that this logic would hold true (UCs are a bit special because they favor CA residents/CCC students, etc.) but it may have some merit there as well. Don’t know really. Just something to ponder.</p>
<p>^ While I don’t know for sure, I imagine that it is fairly difficult to transfer from one UC to another unless you have a legitimate academic reason like…they don’t have the major you want. Since they are public schools, the UCs are not in the business of shuffling their students around, and instead have to focus of admitting new students and transfers from California Community Colleges. You will probably run into the same problem as you would with a CalState, the CCC kids are favored because they HAVE to transfer. Cal State kids could stay put. That’s even more true with a UC; not only could you stay put, but you could get a good education at UC Riverside, going to UCLA would probably not be radically better or different.</p>
<p>There’s a pretty large myth concerning transfer between UCs and transfer from CCs… It completely depends on the school and your stats. A large emphasis is also put on your choice of major. One of the facts that brings down the apparent UC to UC transfer rate is that, for example, the transfer rate from say UCSB to UCLA for theater is around 5% while the transfer rate for social sciences is in the mid 30s percentile. The total transfer rate from UCSB to UCLA was around 35% last year, which was higher than basically all community colleges other than Santa Monica College which has a 39% transfer rate because they are nearby and a good proportion of those who attend SMC can’t afford 4 years of the UC cost. Likewise, the transfer rate from UC Riverside to UCLA was in the 20s percentile and transfer rates from smaller, norcal community colleges are typically below 10%. You would be better off going to a UC or Cal State just in case you don’t get in as a transfer, and, as your GPA isn’t bad (I’m at UCSB and I had a 3.6), you should have a good chance of getting into at least UCSC or Davis.</p>
astronomy program. </p>