| forluvnpeace: haha, I'm not skilled at deciphering double negatives... If you wish to go to UCLA, it's definitely possible to transfer from UCR. The deciding factor on whether or not you get in is NOT your college GPA, but rather your intended major. Keep in mind that for UC transfers, CCC students get priority, followed by UC intercampus. Despite the fact the overwhelming majority of students that get admitted via transfer are community college students, UC intercampus transfers still have a leg up on applicants from non-UC 4-year colleges. My roommate recently got into UCLA as an engineering student...he'll most likely be transferring.
I just discovered today that I've been accepted to Berkeley as an Econ major. Yet, I was rejected from UCLA.... Berkeley and UCLA are extremely unpredictable. However, all of the other UCs have far less stringent standards. As long as you can maintain a 3.5+ GPA at UCR, complete most of pre-reqs, you're pretty much guaranteed to successfully transfer to another UC. It may not be UCLA or Berkeley, but don't worry about being trapped at Riverside for your entire undergrad. Where there's a will, there's a way. Transferring to Irvine, Davis, or Santa Barbara is pretty easy...
Let us review a few advantages you'll have as a transfer applicant if you were to do lower-division with honors at UCR:
1) Since Riverside is a University of California campus, you will show the admissions officers at other UCs that you have successfully tackled university-level courses that are comparable to the ones offered on their campuses. This as a key indicator that you have the potential to do well academically if offered a spot at their campus.
2) Honors classes does a splendid job of decorating a transcript. I think I read somewhere that admissions officers look favorably on honors courses when evaluating transfer students.
3) Priority registration at UCR will ensure you get into those important pre-reqs that you may or may not need to complete prior to your transfer. There are a few select degree programs at Berkeley and UCLA that require every single pre-req to be completed. If you're aiming for one of those programs, you better be on top of this.
4) Depending on how many AP units you have or how quickly you're able to plow through lower divs and GE, it's possible to start on upper division class well before completing your second year of college. By the end of this quarter, I'll have eight upper division classes already finished. Some campuses/departments will allow you to transfer upper-division courses, which means you can graduate pretty quickly once you transfer... This is one perk that is definitely denied to community college students.
6) Lastly, I'd like to reiterate that the academic atmosphere of UC Riverside isn't exactly competitive, and certainly not stressful. Most GE classes are a cakewalk... and courses at UCR might actually be less challenging than the courses at your local community college (depending on your location).
Sorry if the above paragraphs are a mess... I'm trying to get this information in before you guys have to make a decision. The deadline for freshmen is May 1rst, right? |