So this has already been asked on this forum but is a little outdated and doesn’t quite hit all the topics for what I need.
The question: What is the best community college to attend in California that offers me the best chance of transferring to UC Berkeley?
My situation: At the moment, I am an active-duty Airman in the U.S. Air Force and a photojournalist stationed at Malmstrom AFB, MT. I have just entered my last year of military service and plan on moving to either LA or San Francisco. My dream school to attend has always been UC Berkeley but unfortunately, even though the AF provides Tuition Assistance for active-duty members to attend school online, I have not been able to take the amount of classes required to complete my gen-eds and transfer directly to Berkeley.
My plan: I would like to attend a community college to knock out these credits while completing some more community service. Obama has just passed a bill that allows military members to immediately receive in-state residency after separation, so I am in the clear there. I have always liked Santa Monica and was thinking of applying there but would just like to hear from everyone if this is a good idea or what you believe the best course of action would be for me to take.
Funding is not a problem as I have the Post 911 GI Bill to cover costs and I understand that I still need to meet their admission requirements, but aside from this, is there a better community college to attend for me to accomplish this goal or should I consider a different course of action all together?
http://www.assist.org can help you find CCs that have better versus worse coverage of the prerequisite courses for your intended major at each UC and CSU. Be sure to check the CCs’ catalogs and schedules to make sure that the courses are offered, and in which semester/quarter. For example, for some majors like computer science, Laney, Diablo Valley, or a combination of the two have better coverage of the lower division courses than other CCs.
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/california-community-college-enrollments-uc can show you which CCs have the largest number of transfer students. If several CCs have similar levels of coverage of your desired major’s courses, then choosing one with a large transfer-prep cohort may be socially advantageous (but be careful to make sure that this does not result in the courses you want being over-enrolled and difficult to get into).
My goal and dream is to get in the Haas program at UC Berkeley. I am currently a student at Las Positas and have been accepted to the TAP program. If I apply to Diablo Valley will my chances become higher vs. Las Positas?
Both Las Positas and Diablo Valley cover all of the UCB business prerequisites, although Diablo Valley has more choices of foreign languages if you need that.
Thank you for the replies. They are very much appreciated. My intended major is marketing/business, but I believe that I will have to focus more on the business side of things if attending UC Berkeley.
The prerequisites for the business major are widely available at California community colleges. Check http://www.assist.org to check whether a given community college has all of them. Also, check the community colleges themselves about how often each course is offered and whether it is difficult to enroll (due to overcrowding).
Hey Collin, congrats on your last year! I got out of the Army a few years ago.
Regarding the new law with President Obama, I’m pretty sure you can move to any state when you ETS and gain residency. My home or record was WA, and I was also a resident, but I moved to California. Granted I waited a little over a year before I started school, but I believe I could have started school earlier. My interpretation of the new bill was that a veteran could simply go to school out of state and get in-state tuition. I could be wrong though.
I too am trying to get into Berkeley’s business program, having just submitted my application several days ago for this coming fall semester. I would say that the CCC you attend doesn’t matter all that much, you’ll just want to make sure you attend one that as plenty of options for classes on ASSIST. I actually go to a few Bay Area CCCs, but one of them, for example, only offers Calculus 1 and Calculus 2. This is instead of the business calculus sequence I could take at other college (which I do).
Another thing to keep in mind is the BAH you’ll get. This is crazy, but City College of San Francisco (CCSF) is $3,840.00 per month. That’s $2100 MORE than my local CCC. You can also go to more than one CCC, you’d just have to make one of them your primary school. I lived 50 miles north of SF but commuted in once a week and was getting $3,840 while living in an area with a BAH of around $1800. Make it work in your favor.
But really I wouldn’t worry too much about the CCC. Any in the Bay Area will suit your needs and all are mostly looked at the same, and if for some reason you can’t get a class you need at the school you’re at, there are plenty of options at the dozen CCCs in the area.
Yes going from a CCC to Berkeley is the best option. The UC’s in general give high preferential treatment towards CC students. I know several of the CC’s near Berkeley have great relationships with the school, and by living near there, you have access to enrichment programs, and advising.
There are many schools though throughout the state that send a lot of transfers to Berkeley and UCLA. Santa Monica College, Sierra College, etc. My school has the Berkeley TAP program, and I was able to meet with a Berkeley admissions rep several times throughout the year. I would call the counseling offices of the community colleges that you are interested in attending, and find out their relationship with Berkeley.
The law is called VACA, google it. Basically vets and their dependents get three years after getting out to establish residency somewhere else, within those three years a school that accepts the Gi Bill must also charge in state tuition. So you have to be using the GI BIll to get the in state tuition rate.