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Old 02-06-2010, 12:56 PM
 
10,629 posts, read 26,679,352 times
Reputation: 6776

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One thing you should know about community colleges in California: they are NOT just for "failing students." Many, many students, including very good students, attend them for two years and then transfer into the UC system. Considering how expensive the UC system is for out-of-state students, this may well be a route to at least consider. I know where you're coming from, as in my home state of MN community colleges aren't seen as being a regular option for the college-bound, but it's a very different situation in California.

Not all community colleges are created equal, of course, but many of them have very good reputations. I think a lot of of people who transfer into UCLA go to Santa Monica Community College. I'm more familiar with the Pasadena City College, which is also quite large, has a nice campus, and ranks quite high.
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Old 02-06-2010, 01:19 PM
 
Location: Northridge, Los Angeles, CA
2,684 posts, read 7,366,352 times
Reputation: 2411
Quote:
Originally Posted by ck201014 View Post
To lifeshadower: I plan on studying psychology, my GPA is unweighted, I understand my stats are lower than what some universities want to accept (UCLA etc), but I'm not a failing student and it is kind of insulting for me to go to a community college--but I understand your suggestion. I'm still researching many colleges and I've been accepted to a few around where I live..so we'll see. Thanks again!
To tack onto what uptown_urbanist said, the University of California system actually FAVORS transfer students from community colleges, since it shows how serious you are into studying. The acceptance rates for transfer students are actually SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER than those who applied straight out of high school.

Most of the transfer students I know at UC Berkeley weren't failing students in High School either, but were in fact really good students. Most wanted a cheaper option to pay for university (compare paying $16,000+ for two years as opposed to $2000 at most for community college).

University of California Office of the President
http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/...ns_table_4.pdf
http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/...fer_table2.pdf

Admission Rates Per UC Campus for 2009-2010 *not counting out of state students
UC Berkeley: 23.0% Freshman; 28.3% Junior Transfer
UC Davis: 46.2% Freshman; 72.4% Junior Transfer
UC Irvine: 42.8% Freshman; 65.3% Junior Transfer
UCLA: 21.4% Freshman; 35.4% Junior Transfer
UC Merced: 79.1% Freshman; 87.8% Junior Transfer
UC Riverside: 79.8% Freshman; 79.1% Junior Transfer
UC San Diego: 37.8% Freshman; 62.3% Junior Transfer
UC Santa Barbara: 48.4% Freshman; 73.7% Junior Transfer
UC Santa Cruz: 63.7% Freshman; 75.0% Junior Transfer
University-Wide: 72.5% Freshman; 84.1% Junior Transfer

Before making rash judgments about a suggestion, do more research on the secondary education system in California.

http://ucfuture.universityofcaliforn...an_summary.pdf

It's mostly a thought exercise though.
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Old 02-06-2010, 01:32 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,595,462 times
Reputation: 17830
These two posts 11 and 12 above have some good information in them. I don't think people realize Berkeley and UCLA are equivalent to the Ivy League.
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Old 02-06-2010, 10:31 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
4 posts, read 11,820 times
Reputation: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by ck201014 View Post
Hi. I am a high school senior and I live in Ohio. I plan on attending college in the fall, and I applied to a few Ohio and PA colleges. But, I've always wanted to live in California, and was thinking that college could be my way to get there.

There are many reasons I want to live in California. I am in dire need of warm weather! That is one of my main reasons for wanting to live in CA. Also, I really want to try out big city life, as opposed to the small town I live in here in Ohio. I just need a lifestyle change; I feel like I am not meant to live in wintery, boring Ohio. I want to meet diverse, interesting people, visit new places, and most of all I want sunshine 24/7!

So, I am wondering if anyone from CA can help me out. I don't know anything about your state or your univerisities, I need some insight. What colleges/universities would be the best to apply to in California? I have a 3.4 GPA, 23 ACT. I'm a decent to average student, so I need to find universities that will accept me.
Please help me out! Thank you so much!
I'm in grad school out here in L.A. (at USC), so I can help you out! Your GPA is fine, but it is not competitive enough to be accepted into a UC school. Your ACT score is also too low for admission into the UC system. A community college would be a great option (cost, ease of transfer), but if I were you I'd check out the Cal State schools too. They're not prestigious, but they're good schools. And with your stats, you would be able to get accepted into a CSU. If you're looking to be in L.A. and are interested in a CSU, check out CSU Northridge, as it is, in my opinion, the only CSU in the L.A. area that gives you a real college experience (campus, clubs, activities, etc.) And plus since you seem to be not so sure about the community college route, you could also transfer from a CSU. But if you're looking at a place like UCLA, try to go to a community college that has a high transfer rate to that school. Santa Monica College is a great example. Check it out too!
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Old 02-11-2010, 05:46 PM
 
3,393 posts, read 5,266,610 times
Reputation: 3031
Quote:
Originally Posted by ck201014 View Post
Hi. I am a high school senior and I live in Ohio. I plan on attending college in the fall, and I applied to a few Ohio and PA colleges. But, I've always wanted to live in California, and was thinking that college could be my way to get there.

There are many reasons I want to live in California. I am in dire need of warm weather! That is one of my main reasons for wanting to live in CA. Also, I really want to try out big city life, as opposed to the small town I live in here in Ohio. I just need a lifestyle change; I feel like I am not meant to live in wintery, boring Ohio. I want to meet diverse, interesting people, visit new places, and most of all I want sunshine 24/7!

So, I am wondering if anyone from CA can help me out. I don't know anything about your state or your univerisities, I need some insight. What colleges/universities would be the best to apply to in California? I have a 3.4 GPA, 23 ACT. I'm a decent to average student, so I need to find universities that will accept me.
Please help me out! Thank you so much!
That depends on what you would like to study. ? Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Cal Tech, and the other schools in the University of California system are very good choices. Some of the UC schools are right on the beach UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. The only way to find out if you qualify is to apply. Let the pros decide.
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