fishsticks

Hi! I am currently a freshman at a private christian school in California. My parents insisted that I attend this type of school, so I didn't have a lot of say in where I ended up or really get to investigate the college selection process.

Unfortunately, I really do not like it here. I have no desire to base my education around a religion I don't believe and am tired of chapel and church attendance requirements. About a week ago my parents relented and told me to go ahead and apply somewhere else.

Ideally I would like to attend UC Berkeley or UCLA but believe that any UC would be an improvement. My problem is I can find very little information for people in my situation. From what I gather it is not possible to apply to UCs at this time as either a transfer or a freshman.

The information on college websites for transfer students seems to cater towards those transferring from community college. This is not the case with me. I am at a private school. My grades from high school are very good (I believe I graduated with a 4.3 cumulative GPA, but I'd have to double check). I had a significant amount of AP credit under my belt and was considered a sophomore when I entered the school I currently attend. I don't think I will be considered a junior by the end of this year though since I have not taken a ton of classes. I have gotten A's in everything here so far and anticipate A's in all my current classes at the end of the year.

What I'm trying to find out is when is the next time I could apply to UC's, specifically UCLA or Berkeley, and how do I go about it? Do I apply like a community college transfer or a high school senior? I would like to study art or english. I'm a good writer and a fairly good and quickly improving painter and sculptor. I just don't know a lot about this process since I haven't really gone through it this way before. I'm a little clueless at the moment. Thanks in advance!