<p>I just graduated high school and I'm set to start UCSB next month. I don't want to go, its simply not my place to be (and I'd really like to have the discussion about reconsidering in this thread). I was rejected from UCLA and on appeal (same with USC). I wanted more than anything to go to one of those schools, but UCLA more because I live close by. I literally would have turned down a full ride to any top 10 school for UCLA.</p>
<p>Now, do you think it would be easier to get in as a transfer from UCSB by applying this fall (I have 40 AP units completed and if I push my schedule I will be junior status for both UCSB and UCLA at the end of spring quarter) to UCLA or dropping out before I start UCSB and reapply. I was actually oblivious to the whole college admission process before I applied, I discovered CC a month after. My accomplishments in my community are a lot better now too, since January. I can retake the SAT if need, my previous score was a 1860 (it sucks, I went in too arrogant with little sleep and absolutely no preparation).</p>
<p>I think you should give UCSB a chance. There is a HUGE party scene at the school, but the academics are still very good. College is really what you make of it. If you come into UCSB with the mindset that its going to be horrible, you’re not going to have a good time. Make some friends, enjoy yourself, and of course, study hard. Keep an open mind and you never know what you may grow to love. I know plenty of friends that went to schools that were not their first picks and they love it there now.</p>
<p>With that said, if you after spending some time at UCSB you realize you really can’t take the atmosphere, I recommend staying in UCSB instead of dropping and work on keeping a very high GPA. Transferring is still competitive, and a good gpa could make or break you. Look into taking courses that transfer for UCLA/USC. Try not too wound up in the party scene or you’ll loose sight of your goal.</p>
<p>To sum it up, give UCSB a chance: its a great school and you might like it alot. To give yourself a good chance to transfer, you’ll have to maintain a high GPA</p>
<p>good luck and enjoy freshman year, it only comes once!</p>
<p>the UCs accept transfers from other UCs, although california community college students have the highest priority. </p>
<p>There was a guy in my orientation for UCLA who transferred there from UCR (which is one of the lowest ranked UCs) so it’s definitely possible to transfer there with hard work.</p>
<p>as i said, if you want a bit more of a guarantee, you can always do your GEs in a community college to increase your chances of getting in. if you work hard and keep a high GPA, you should get in fairly easily (and you can get out of there quick if you’re well prepared and take a lot of classes at once)</p>
<p>you have quite a few options available to you. I’d say check out UCSB and see if you can see yourself there. A few years ago i thought i never wanted to go to UCLA because i wanted to leave L.A. and now i’m going there. And even more importantly, i like it. So best of luck on making the right decision. around 90% of the students who go to ucsb return the next year, so hopefully you’ll be one of those 90, but if not it’s not that uncommon to leave. Just remember that If you truly hate it, you can always transfer out.</p>
<p>It’s MUCH harder to transfer from UC/CSU to a different UC. If you want to go to UCLA so badly, then you have to go to community college. But again, like people said above, just give UCSB a try.</p>
<p>I already gave the school a try, I’ve been trying to like it since april. I’ve visited a bunch, sat in in a class, did overnight orientation. I just can not stand the general culture and mentality there. Plus their poli sci department is nothing compared to UCLA’s (one of the top in the nation).</p>
<p>Its too late to go to CC now. My financial aid has been sent to UCSB and the two local CCs have filled up this semester (SMC and WLA).</p>
<p>You can’t always get what you want. Stick with UCSB. It may not be the most ideal university but at the end of the day they are all the same anyways.</p>
<p>I would not take a year off to try out for a university I might get rejected from again.</p>
<p>Cowman809, a friend of mine is at UCSB and she absolutely loves it. She too was rejected from UCLA and UCB, so UCSB was definitely not her first choice! Besides from being in a gorgeous/jaw dropping location, UCSB is also academically solid, and is ranked 4th or 5th among UC schools. What kind of mentality and culture are you up against? They can’t be that bad!</p>
<p>it’s important to go to a school you won’t be miserable in. That will affect your grades as much as other things (like financies.) I’ve heard this from at least a few people. Some people even had to transfer from their universities because they disliked it so much. If you really find yourself struggling to like it, then you probably shouldn’t go there. </p>
<p>you could always commute to another community college (assuming it isn’t ridiculously far, it isn’t full, and you can get financial aid) several people do it (even though it’s usually a huuuuuge pain.) Although by doing so, you’d probably be spending some time taking a bunch of GEs (that might take you a few years to do. Transfers from community college are only accepted at the jr level, which is 60 units.)</p>
<p>A word of advice though, if you do stop going to UCSB, realise you won’t be attending a university for at least a year (it takes one semester to apply, and another to get accepted/rejected.) If you’re certain you want to major in poli. sci it might be in your advantage to just take a break and take some classes at a CC to see if the major’s really for you.</p>
<p>At the end of the day you’re asking a bunch of people who aren’t you what they’d do in your situation. The problem is we’re you’re not in your situation. Only you know what you really feel comfortable with, and ultimately, what you should do. This is a difficult decision, and i wish you good luck in making the decision which is best for you.</p>
<p>UCSB was dead last on my list, I only applied because it was free. I only chose it because of financial reasons, I was going to go to NYU.
The location really means nothing to me, I can see the beach anytime I want in LA.
The general culture of the school is partying, every time I asked someone at the accepted students day why they chose UCSB all they said was “it has the best parties.” Not a single person mentioned anything academic.
Plus UCSB isn’t academically solid in my area of study, I mean the best things at the school are marine science and physics and even then only really excel at the graduate level. The liberal arts at the school only exists to give people degrees, its not exactly focused at what I want to study.</p>
<p>Thanks beyphy. Now I just feel stuck because my mom paid off a lot of fees at UCSB which the finaid didn’t cover and I didn’t get a chance to say I wanted to drop out. We could barely afford those fees too. ****.</p>
<p>I can see you really don’t want to be at UCSB. Have you talked to your mom about that? She might not care at all about those fees expenses if she knows how unhappy you are. Let’s face it, you won’t do well if you are unhappy( or can you?) and in that case you will end up wasting more money down the road.</p>
<p>She knows, she suggested I go for a quarter and drop out then attend SMC or LMU (they offered me a spot in spring after I asked to be readmitted for fall). A quarter there won’t be so bad, but I really don’t want to be there. When I was in catholic school for 1-8, I hated it and my grades weren’t so great. I loved my high school and besides the fluke in 10th grade I had straight A’s or a couple B’s every semester. Only got on C+ my last semester in calc BC (i guessed on the final).</p>
<p>Its just that we are really low income and I would feel horrible if we just lost that money. I was just thinking it might have been easier to get to UCLA if I applied as a freshman instead of a transfer, guess its not going to happen now. Since I can’t afford LMU (3k gap per semester after financial aid and loans) I’ll be at SMC this january.</p>
<p>Give UCSB a try! I know a guy who loved the school, and he was just like you, wanted to transfer to UCLA. As much as I don’t like UCSB that much, but what do I know, I have never visited it, I recommend giving it a chance. :)</p>
<p>cowman809, in that case your best option is to give UCSB a try! Everything is paid for and you just have to show up. If you still hate the place at the end of the quarter, then u can transfer to SMC knowing that you have made the right decision. Here is the thing though, I know that you will work hard and get good grades at SMC, but that still does not guarantee that you will be able to transfer to UCLA. For now though, I strongly suggest that you give UCSB a chance and have good grades there so that you can transfer those units to another institution.</p>
Instead of posting here, you should be talking with a counselor at UCSB. No school is right for everyone, and it sounds like you have your mind made up about UCSB. Depending on when you do it, you may be able to get much or even most of the money back, but every day that goes by diminishes the odds of that. </p>
<p>Second, to succeed at this (or anything in life) takes persistence and determination!
A paper I think you ought to read. So rather than sitting around moaning about all the classes at SMC being full, you need to get off your duff and figure out some ways to get into the classes you need, at least ones that will be useful even if not your 1st choice. In another thread you started someone explained how they helped a friend do just that. If you sit around waiting for the pieces to all fall into place for you, that’s what you’ll be spending a lot of time doing – sitting around. If you want this, go make it happen!</p>