UC to UC transfer or Community College? Need advice!!

Hello everyone! As decisions are coming out i’m starting to weigh my options. I’ve taken around 10 AP classes in High school and had a 4.25 gpa and a 2200 sat.
I got accepted into ucsb/ucd/uci, waitlisted at ucsd and rejected from ucla. UCLA has always been my first choice and I could not imagine myself anywhere else. I know the other ucs are good schools but I do not feel strongly about them. I’m planning on opting in for UCSD and IF i get in I still don’t know if I should go. It may sound stupid to some people but I want to graduate from ucla class of 2020 no matter what. I need advice on whether it is easier for me to do a uc to uc transfer or go to cc and transfer to ucla after a year( i have a lot of ap credit). If I plan on going to either what are steps I need to take? What does UCLA expect when looking at transfer applicants? If it helps I’m a biochemistry major but I don’t know if that’s what I want to continue as.
Thank you for your help!

I would love to know also!!

It’s hard to go from UC to UC. You’ll be better off finding a CCC with a relationship with UCLA. Assuming you’re in CA talk to your GC about options.

Yes I would like to know how easy it is to transfer from UC to UC as well…
I’ve heard it’s still easier to transfer from CC to UC, but not impossible to go from UC to UC. However, I’ve heard it’s nearly impossible to transfer from CSU to UC. That’s very difficult (so I’ve heard)

It’s very hard, much harder than from a community college, and you need to have a legitimate reason (mostly : the UC you’re at doesn’t offer the major you want). And yes csu to UC is a lost cause.

Check out the cc 's near your home :how good are they with transfers to UC 's? Are you allowed to start right after graduation in order to start accumulating credits and building a record?

If I were you I’d take ucd or ucsb but you’re lucky enough to live in California where you can attend a cc and try to TAG to a flagship. So choose one and don’t look back.

While technically possible, you need to understand the risks here. When ucla reviews your application and asks for your grades, they will have to evaluate you based on just 1 semester in college. That may affect their willingness to admit you, compared to the standard CC xfer with 1.5 years at a CC at the time of review.

Second, some majors have required classes and others have recommended ones. You’ll have 1 year to complete the required ones if they aren’t covered by your AP classes (some you’ll have finished at the time of review, and you have that 2nd semester for classes listed as “planned”). As for recommended ones, while they can admit someone without completing all of them, the more you’ve finished the higher your changes. And again, you’ll just have your AP credit plus that one year to do them.

edit: I noticed you listed biochem as your major. The list of required & recommended classes is here: http://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/lsmajors/biochem.htm You can see the credit they give you for AP at https://www.admission.ucla.edu/Prospect/APCreditLS.htm

I suggest giving an advisor a call. See http://www.chemistry.ucla.edu/academic-counseling The worst that can happen is they say they can’t answer any questions for you, nothing to lose by calling them.

BTW you can see info on admit rates by majors and the 25-75th percentile for gpa at https://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/adm_tr/Tr_Prof15_mjr.htm

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/admissions-source-school
If you play around with this table a bit, you’ll see that lots of students transfer from one UC to another each year.

If you REALLY REALLY want to attend UCLA, I would recommend going to a CCC. Looking at your stats, I’m sure you’ll do great at a CC and get the possible grades you need to get accepted! Biochem is a competitive major to get into as a transfer, which might also be true for freshmen. GPA is the main thing that’ll get you into UCLA as a transfer… but also, a few outstanding EC and great personal insight essays, and you’ll most likely get in.

If you further want to secure your chances of getting into UCLA as a transfer, I’d recommend going to a CC that has a Honors Program… becoming an Honors Scholar will give you priority consideration for admission over all the transfers and freshmen for UCLA. Just be aware that it isn’t GUARANTEED admission, but it HIGHLY increases your chances. For my CC you just had to be involved with 8 hours of volunteering and taking 5 honors classes (which can go under you classes for IGETC, and then you can get into TAP with UCLA.

Btw… I’m in the TAP program and I’ll be applying to UCLA as a physiological sciences major… I knew a person who was in the TAP Program with that got in for Fall 2016 with a 3.3 gpa!! I have a 3.80 right now… So hopefully I should be fine! But just letting you know that TAP will help.