I just finished my first year at UCSB as a pre-bio major with a 3.8 overall gpa. The only problem is I really am not enjoying my time there at all. I have struggled mentally and socially there, as I do not feel like I fit in and I have a difficult time dealing with mental health issues without the support of my family. During my first month or two at UCSB, I tried to give it a chance. I joined a pre-veterinary club (was in this club all year) and went to events with the people in my residence hall. After awhile, I still was not happy and it went downhill ever since. At this point, I am unsure if I want to continue to force myself to be at a school I never wanted to go to in the first place. I have considered 3 options:
Stay at UCSB
Take a leave of absence, go to CC for a year, and transfer to UCSD (my local school)
Go to UCSB and transfer to UCSD after this coming year
I really do not want to return to UCSB, but I am afraid my future might be significantly impacted if I choose to leave. If I stay there and try to transfer, I feel like I will have a very low chance of getting in, considering I would be applying to UCSD as a biology major, which is an impacted major. My gpa is not bad, however after next year it will probably not be as high because I will be taking biology and organic chemistry, which I know will be difficult. Also, there is no way I could finish my GEs by the spring. I will also not have completed the physics series.
On the other hand, if I go to CC for a year and then transfer, I am worried I will not get accepted either due to applying into an impacted major. But this may be a better option because community college transfers get priority and I will be happier at home. If I do go to CC, I will be taking biology and physics, but not organic chemistry (because it is upper division at UC). I also would be able to complete IGETC, but I am not sure that I am eligible for that, as apparently some UC campuses do not allow students who have been previously enrolled at a UC campus to be eligible.
I guess my overall question is: would it be a better idea to stay at UCSB until I graduate, go to UCSB for another year and transfer, or take a leave of absence, go to CC and then transfer to UCSD? I am really torn on this situation and would like to hear other opinions. Thanks.
If you are not happy at UCSB you will do better at a CCC. You will get priority and you can do IGETC. The only time IGETC is not accepted is if you transfer back to the same UC you left. However, you also have the option of not doing IGETC and doing the general breadth path instead, which is less courses (although without getting too technical, UCSD has that weird 6 college system and each college has different GE requirements).
Regardless, it sounds like you should go to a CCC. Your GPA from UCSB is very good so you should be able to maintain it or even raise it a CCC.
Thanks for your reply. I think I will probably choose the CCC route. Do you think it is a better idea to take organic chemistry at the community college level or could I get away with having that as the only prereq left? I do not want to risk having a poorer foundation in organic chemistry when I go on to my upper division classes and I also plan to apply to vet school. So, they may look down upon my choice to take ochem at a CC as an easy way out of a hard class. If I take ochem instead, I won’t complete physics because that is too heavy of a load for me.
On the other hand, if I don’t get into UCSD and I don’t have ochem completed, I may not be able to take upper division courses until it is completed. But this may also be true for UCSD, I’m not sure. Using this website, it shows that for molecular biology and microbiology, that ochem can be taken concurrently: http://plans.ucsd.edu/
I’m assuming you are from the SD area given the context of your posts. UCSD has a guarantee admission program with some area CCC’s. See the “UniversityLink” section of https://admissions.ucsd.edu/transfer/planning-ahead.html and then check to see if you will qualify if you didn’t attend one of them for 2 years. the info online does mention 1st-year student and has an income qualification, so maybe it works and maybe it doesn’t…