What makes Santa Monica College so great?

<p>I have been doing a lot of research on community colleges in general, and it seems that the acceptance rate for transfer is greater from this college in comparison to others.</p>

<p>Why is that? I live near Riverside, so I am currently attending Riverside Community College (RCC), where the transfer rate isn't completely as high as SMC.</p>

<p>What is the difference between SMC and other CC's?</p>

<p>(a little about me: I plan to use UCLA TAP and -hopefully- get into UCLA. I plan to apply to most UC's come time for transfer)</p>

<p>Any input is greatly appreciated!</p>

<p>There are probably many reasons, but there’s one specific thing I can offer as an answer.</p>

<p>Santa Monica College has been the #1 in transfers for 20 years now. Though there are many community colleges in Los Angeles, lots of people prefer to go to SMC because of the good reputation. (That is to say, individuals who live closer to another LA area CC don’t go there, but instead travel the extra distance to SMC.) The students who care enough to do this are typically the ones who will also care enough to work hard and get the best grades, and there’s a lot of them.</p>