Hello, I have just started college and I hope to transfer to Cal Poly SLO or Cal Poly Pomona as an Electrical Engineering major. However I do plan on transferring to some of the UC schools as either an Astrophysics major or physics major.
The thing that has confused me are these GE classes I have to take. So far most of the people I have talked to have said its mandatory to complete your GE’s or the IGETC. But I also heard I don’t have to complete it since I want to major in engineering.
So… now who do I believe? I’d like to know what you guys did and what schools you guys are transferring/transfered to as well!
I was also confused about this when I first started at my CCC. I know for any engineering school completing the IGETC is not required and often discouraged. Most schools want you to focus on completing your physics, math, and chemistry requirements. The counselors at my school did not give me much information outside of IGETC requirements so I had to do a lot of research on my own about transferring as an engineering major. I used assist.org to create an education plan for myself. I would also recommend going to each school’s website and search through their transfer admissions section for more information on what they want. http://admissions.calpoly.edu/applicants/transfer/criteria17/eea.html check that out.
I would also recommend calling or emailed the admissions offices of all the schools you want to go to if you have any questions about which classes you should be taking. I did and most people were very helpful.
Lastly, if you really want to have a strong application have a high GPA, that’s a give, but something most people don’t talk about is finding an internship or enrichment program while at CC.It shows your dedication towards your major and towards science. If you are more interested in this I have a few links I can send you. If your not too interested, I would recommend getting involved with clubs at your CC or even starting your own club.
My time at CC:
I’m applying to transfer as a chemical engineering major (alt. major, mechanical engineering) to most UCs, the Cal Polys, USC, and Stanford. My GPA is a bit low for most schools, 3.4, maybe a 3.5-3.6 after this semester, but I spent almost a year working at an electroplating lab for an aerospace company and a summer at USC in a research lab, so I’m hoping that will make up for it.
Most majors at most UC campuses accept IGETC in substitution for their general education requirements, but not all do. CSUs should accept IGETC in substitution for their general education requirements, since they are closely aligned with CSU general education requirements. But note that there are slight differences in IGETC for UC and CSU (foreign language for UC, oral communication for CSU).
Completing IGETC or general education is not necessarily required for transfer admission (check each campus and major); if you are admitted without it completed, you need to complete the remaining general education requirements specified by the campus before graduation.
http://www.assist.org can be very helpful to you, assuming you are a California community college student aiming to transfer to a UC or CSU.