mooseG

How should I go about doing this? Right now I have turned in my tag application to UCI and it got accepted... But now I have decided I am going to take a gap year to gain some more experience in programming as a computer science major by practicing more and possibly look into some internships because I feel i am not ready enough in the field to transfer... Should I go ahead and complete my application and essays to make sure I can get accepted and then let them know I plan on taking a year off to work, save money and gain more experience? Or should I not send in the application and essays and reapply again next year?

Shannon13

don't complete your application. you most likely won't be able to take a gap year if you do so.

xelink

Elaborate on your plans exactly.
Do you need to take more classes still?

If you're able to and you have the courses done, take off a semester prior to transfer.

mooseG

no Ill be done with all the classes on assist (just for UCI) and IGETC by this coming spring semster... basically I wanna take an extra year because I don't feel like where I need to be in terms of my major and programming.. I want to take that time to do my own studying, working to save money, and possibly interning in my field... I won't have to take any further courses for the year I plan on taking off unless I want to fill further requirements for other UCs other than UCI

art2CS

Worst case scenario: You wait a full year, brush up on Java/Python, feel totally awesome and prepared - come transfer, you unpleasantly find the entire paradigm (or at least a significant aspect of it) has shifted dramatically, and you're no better prepared than you were the previous year.

Seriously, putting off a year because you feel shaky seems really, really stupid, especially considering you have your prerequisites in order. Why not jump in and bust ass to cover your perceived limitations? If you're still lost on OOP, use the summer prior to cover loose ends, stuff like that. A full year off to be better prepared (whatever that means) is pretty drastic.

mermaker

The whole point of college is to prepare you. Why would you take off a year to learn something they're going to teach you in college? It seems like there's more to this.

andrewexd

umm the classes you took at CC are the same ones the students at UCI take. Why would they have an advantage? I say apply and go to UCI. At the very least, apply and give yourself time to think about it,

mooseG

because I really have difficulty catching onto concepts as quick as most people..My first two years was just general ed and useless classes and I wasnt sure what my major would be even though I had computer science on the back of my mind and the decided to go with it..and then I was just introduced to programming a year ago but did not do really well in the classes (even though I got A's) because the computer science program at my college doesn't prepare you enough... Now I don't want to completely blame the school for doing that because programming is something you should do outside of your classes on your own time and I could have done some on my own but I still need to brush up on some basic programming concepts and I have been reading books or watching videos.. I also work and am taking math and physics classes at the moment that I need to focus on until next semester.. So thats why I feel I need to take a year to completely focus on computer science itself while working and saving money and then when I do transfer i will actually be able to understand clearly whats going on and have newer perspectives

Shannon13

Maybe a better idea would be apply now and then meet with a counselor to see if you could be part time.

mermaker

What you just said makes no sense. If you got A's in the classes, then how are you not prepared? Why don't you program during the summer of next year? You have all of June, July, August and pretty much all of September(most UC's start on September 20ish). You can learn so much in 4 months. You can also program during the winter. Why don't you program right now on your spare time? I just don't think taking off a year is worth it. Are you really going to spend a whole year to just program everyday? I highly doubt it. You can spend all your time programing during the summer; I'm pretty sure you can learn a lot during that time.

Dannysan34

Ever thought of doing extra curricular volunteer with what your major is about, that way you will actually "learn" what you are up against? If you take this year off, make it worth every single minute. Work for money, find a volunteer space or something that has to do with your major. Don't fret, this isn't a race, even though students treat it like one.

xelink

I'm NOT advising against a gap year. If you can do it, you'll have a huge edge on a lot of the people applying for internships.

Resume whore. Do it. Dedicate one full year to polishing your skills and doing interesting things provided it's income/debt neutral.

dilapidatedmind

UCI's policy on deferring admission:
"Generally, admitted students may not defer enrollment. However, a student with a compelling reason, (i.e., medical, military) for not entering in the quarter for which he or she was admitted may request a deferment of enrollment to a subsequent term by writing a letter to the director of admissions (204 Aldrich Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-1075) stating the reason for the request. The student will have to file a new admission application for the deferred term."

Call admissions get their take on it. I think it's always worth it to apply. Worst case scenario you're out $70, hardly the end of the world. Whereas, best case scenario you're admitted and don't have to worry about admission later, plus you gain the work experience. Also, if you're interested in UC Davis they DO allow you to take a gap year specifically for gaining work experience. They're just about the only UC that does without requiring a special evaluation.