So currently I’m in community college with the goal of transferring to UCSD. I planned my classes around what they have asked for both on their website and via assist.org, however if I were to only do the UCSD recommended classes would I still have a chance with going to UCB or UCLA? The reason I ask is because both UCLA and UCB have more classes they require for transfer, but if I were a few classes under the requirement and I maintained good grades would this be much of an issue?
I just completed my after a summer course and my first semester that just ended my GPA is 4.0, and I am planning on taking honors classes so that I can transfer with honors. I’m majoring in computer science and by the time I am done at CC I’ll have completed IGETC as well as the full math sequence for CS as well as some programming classes and physics classes.
If this is not enough information please let me know and I will add more. Thanks
@cberg97 Last fall I was in the same boat as you, so I scheduled a meeting with a transfer adviser at UCR (it was my first choice at the time), and here is basically what she told me: UCs care a lot about their so called “7-subject plan”, which is:
2 English composition
1 mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning
4 courses from at least 2 of the following:
Arts and humanities
Physical and biological sciences
Social and behavioral sciences
(taken from UCSD website)
She basically advised to ditch IGETC all together and concentrate on these 7 courses and major prep. As far as the major prep goes, UCB, UCLA and UCSD have a lot of overlapping subjects. If you do a full math sequence (calc 1,2,3 + DE or LA), a full physics sequence, and 1 year worth of programming (Java is good for all 3 UCs you named), I think you will be all set.
@lenocturne Oh ok, wow I was say off then. I was under the assumption I needed to complete IGETC as well as major prep, which seemed overwhelming. So what you’re saying is, I only need to do the 7-subject plan and the other classes and that’ll be enough? From what I have completed so far, and what I have planned for Spring 2016 I will have completed Calc 1 & 2 Honors, both English comp classes, Java programming, and 2 social and behavioral sciences (into to psych and into to econ). If I continue on just doing the rest of the math sequence, physics sequence (which is 3 separate classes at my school) and 2 more programming classes, would that be fine? And if I need more classes should I just continue doing other general ed classes?
CS majors generally don’t complete IGETC. Focus on technical classes - you will have to complete all major prep listed on assist.org. (it’s generally divided into required and recommended classes I believe - you need all required classes to realistically have a chance, and you’ll want to complete as many recommended classes as possible).
Different schools have different requirements… It’s best to compare the assist pages for UCB/LA/SD and any other UCs you plan to apply to, and complete everything available to you. CS is incredibly competitive, so you will want to keep your GPA high, and complete as many major prep courses listed on assist as you realistically can.
Many CS majors take more than 2 years to complete everything, but from what I understand, it’s doable in two, especially if you take summer classes.
@lenocturne Be careful with not completing IGETC. It will fly with most UC’s except UCB. UCB requires completion of IGETC. Also UCB requires applicants to finish all major prep before spring transfer.
@RAHforHEE Thank you for your advice! I got IGETC certified anyways, just looked at the requirements at some point and realized that I already had almost everything completed.
Btw, are you sure it is required by UCB? This is from assist.org (UCB, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science B.S):
“The College of Engineering does not recognize the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) and strongly discourages students from following this option due to the number of major-specific technical courses required for engineering transfer admission.”
@cberg97 Pretty much But like goldencub mentioned, some schools might favor IGETC, so just keep an eye on IGETC requirements when registering for non-major related classes. In my case IGETC certification happened naturally - I only had to take 2 extra classes to get it, so I went for it. Don’t stress too much over it though (especially if UCSD is your first choice). Here is UC IGETC requirements: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/transfer/advising/igetc/
You will have areas 1, 2, 5 completed just by taking what you need for 7-course pattern + major prep.
Great info in here, thanks guys. Also another quick question: for UCB/UCSD/and UCLA all have many overlapping major prep classes, however UCLA requires chemistry (which would mean I have to take 2 chem classes). Would I be able to still have a chance with UCLA, completing everything else except the chemistry?
