What if question

I’m not sure if this is in the right thread…I want to go to a UC but I didn’t pass a nontransfer math class that I have to retake again…

I have a 3.80 transfer gpa though and am an anthropology major but anyway my question is what if I can’t get into a UC and go to a Cal State but the issue is that I want a graduate degree/phd eventually…

Cal State’s only offer up to a Masters so let’s say I get the Masters but then what? I can never get a PHD because I went to a Cal State or I could transfer again to a UC to get it?

Just curious. I’m a sophmore in CC now but I’d like to know anyway.

Thanks!

Graduate school is not like undergrad.

When you are finishing up your undergrad program, if you are still serious about grad school, you will investigate both MA and PhD programs all around the country, and possibly outside the US. Then depending on the specific emphasis you want for your grad program, you decide which places to apply to. Most often, the assistantship money is better for PhD programs, so you will probably want to apply to one of those. If your grades aren’t quite good enough for admission directly to a PhD, then you might consider applying for an MA first. However, you will probably not get good aid for that MA. In either case, UC vs Cal State won’t matter at all. What will matter are your grades, your letters of recommendation, and the classes you have taken.

Your professors will be able to help you with that whole process when you get there. So don’t worry too much about where you might go for grad school just yet. Focus on getting through your undergrad program first.

Many and probably most students who get a PhD do it at a different school than where they got their Bachelor’s degree. If you get a Bachelors and let’s say Master’s degree at one school, then go somewhere else for a PhD, this is not considered transferring. It is just getting another degree at a different school and requires applying in sort of a similar way that you applied to several schools to get your Bachelor’s degree. Alternately, you could get a Bachelor’s at one school and then apply to Master’s degree programs at different schools.

I honestly can only think of one student who I ever knew who got a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD all from the same school.

My older sister went to a cal state and went onto med school. When it comes down to it, it really doesn’t matter where you get your BA. what matters is what you do when you’re there.