HS senior asking about junior college to university (in the state of California)?

Question

It's been said that doing a transfer from a junior/community college to the UCs is pretty do-able.
~Really, is that true?
~And how difficult/easy it is?
~My counselor is trying to encourage me to attend a CSU instead b/c [A] you could get "stuck" at the CCs and [B] they have low grad rates (meaning do people drop out of CC or after they transfer they drop out?).


My HS transcript has been "okay" until this year. I overtook difficult AP/IB courses and my grades will hurt my chances of going far. I'm looking into community college to ease my nerves a little, keep my parents happy in their own little world, and most of all: figure out what I want to do. I also want to open back the doors to the UCs; it's been something I really wanted before my family held me back (along with other issues).


Hopefully someone will have some answers for this...
And if there's anyone who made it to a UC from a community college, I would truly appreciate what you have to say! =]

Grades: acad-GPA 10-12 = 3.45-ish. Overall GPA = 3.54-ish

Ate it last semester (acad GPA = 2.8). This semester could be just as bad/worse.

Highly involved in band, student clubs, & volunteer-work. & yes, I hve friends (a few close ones 2).

Reasons: 1st to challenge myself and 2 surround myself w/ students/teachers who R also focused w/ their work (I did took a few regular classes & didn't feel like I gained enough). My parents/relatives R naturalized citizens & there's LOTS of misunderstanding b/w us; early @ da time I was focused on going to a UC, every1 was telling me 2 stay home & go 2 CSU or CC nearby). I'm @ some disadvantage 2 having a solid support system, AND that I wasn't quite mature yet to handle pressure

Classes were difficult 4 me (no matter how much/hard I try, I only get B-/C+ when I'm used 2 getting A's since "forever"), & they brought some light to bad work habits I've never experienced B4 in my life

IC these problems & will learn from it

Any more advice?

Answer 1

Transferring to a UC from a JC is definitely doable. The single most important acronym you have to know is TAG (transfer admission guarantee). You local JC will have contracts with some of the UCs (also CSUs) where if you maintain at least 2.8 overall GPA (slightly over B- average) in all transferable courses and complete 60 units of general education (GE) classes specified by the UC, you are guaranteed admission! How about that! If high schools kids knew about this, they wouldn't have studied so hard and stressed about the SATs.

The GE classes that you have to take are similar to what other students at UCs take during their freshman and sophomore years so you don't lose time unless a certain major is not available at your JC such as electrical engineering because you will get started on your major classes also.

One thing to keep in mind is that not all JCs have contracts with all the UCs. So if there are multiple JCs in your area, you should check out their webpage and see which schools they have the TAG. Also I believe that TAG is not available for Berkeley and UCLA but there are similar programs that will increase your chances for admission.

Of course, not everything is easy as your counselor suggests because at a JC, you will meet people with different objectives and not everyone's goal is to transfer to a UC. Some people are there to earn a 2-year AA degree or some are there because their parents forced them to go to college after high school. You will have to work hard and stay on course for about two years. But my logic is that if you struggle at a JC, you will also have a hard time at a CSU and there is a danger of washing out at both places.

If you do choose to go to a JC first, TAG is definitely the way to go. Also it helps to meet and study people with objectives similar as yours to keep you focused.

See link for a sample TAG requirement (this one is for UCSD).

*** Appended
In response to your additional details, my question for you is, are you getting mediocre grades in all your classes or in ones that are considered harder, such as in math and chemistry? There are really two kind of classes, one that assumes little or no previous knowledge of the subject matter such as high school U.S. government class versus one that keeps building on. Any kind of math or math-based classes or even third or forth year foreign language classes will become more difficult as you go up. If you have been getting by in those classes with mediocre grades, one day everything will crumble down because of weak foundation.

So in the past if you are used to getting A’s, the reason may be because those classes were easier. The same trick may not work in these harder classes. I think the first thing I learned in college was how much more serious studying I had to do compared to high school. It may be time for you to roll up your sleeves and spend some real quality time studying. If you want to learn better studying habits, watch what the A students do. Try to imitate their work habits and make friends with them if you have to. When they start asking you questions instead of the other way around, then you will know that you have became a good student. To let you in a little secret, those smart kids that are unpopular in high school will actually become very popular in college because people there really care more about how much a person knows.

Answer 2

Gradjim had a great answer. For his answer, the only thing I'd suggest is to look for the junior colleges that have contracts with a specific UC. From all my friends who transfered from JC's, going to a JC that had a contract seemed like the best route to go.

So, yes, it's certainly doable. How difficult is mainly up to your grades and how you do.

Your counselor brought up some very good points about the dangers of doing the transfer route.

JCs aren't filled with the best students in the world. If you're not highly self disciplined, it's easy to fall along and cruise with the other students and just do the bare minimum to get by. Hard to maintain a high GPA that way. That's why many of them never garduate and get "stuck". CCs have low grad rates b/c many students never graduate and just "drop out" so to speak.

How bad were your grades? Was it really cuz you took too many AP classes? If there's a danger your family or some other factor might make it hard for you to maintain a high GPA at a CC, then going to Cal State would be safer in order for you to get a bachelors.

If things weren't too bad (altho, it's not too hard to get a GPA to get into UC Riverside, especially if you took AP/IB classes which bump up your GPA), then you can take the risk of going to a CC and then transferring. You can transfer to both UCs and Cal States so neither are "closed" to you.

Answer 3

I'm a student at UCSD, and one of the girls in my sorority just transfered from Cuyamaca College, in San Diego, to UCSD, and she's doing just fine. The only thing is that she is going to be here for a long time. She is technically a 3rd year, but she has a long way to go. I would suggest going to a CSU, since anyone can get into one of those, because most only require a 2.5 to be accepted, and that way you can at least get some more classes in. I know that a lot of the classes that JC's tell you to take will not transfer for credit. It kinda screws you over. I'm a freshman, and a winter admit, so I've done the whole community college thing, and nothing I took will transfer, so I wouldn't reccommend doing that. If you have a 3.45, you can get into lots of schools, even if they aren't UC's. Good luck!

Answer 4

I do not have direct experience in California, but in Nebraska, where I went to college, this was not a problem. Typically, junior or community college credits will transfer pretty well to the state universities, but you need to explore it on a school by school basis. You will likely have to re-take a class or two, but you should still save money/stress in the long run.

Transferring to private schools can be much more of a hassle. They can be pretty picky about what they accept.

You need to decide what you top 2-3 universities would be, and contact them directly about transferring. The admissions office should be able to help you. It's likely that they will accept classes from one Junior College and not another, so you should probably be prepared with a list of Junior Colleges that you are thinking about attending. Ask lots and lots of questions, and try to get it in writing in case you have problems later.

The link below is a directory of schools in California. It should be able to help you find a good school in your area.

Good luck!

Answer 5

THE JUNIOR/COMMUNITY COLLEGE OPTION
http://www.ophs.opusd.k12.ca.us/junior_college.htm