Hi all, new to this forum but have been on several of the UC (non-transfer) fall 2023 admissions forums earlier.
My son accepted fall 2023 admission to UC Davis for engineering and then obtained a 1 year deferral to start fall 2024. He is now reconsidering his options and thinking of the CCC to UC transfer route.
Top of mind questions that we have, to help him make this decision, are:
What ideal (not minimum) credentials will he need to have a high likelihood of acceptance for engineering or CS at the top UCs - particularly UCB, UCD, UCSD, etc.?
Any potential pitfalls/ common mistakes CCC transfer applicants should be aware of when planning this route?
He is a very strong student - when he applied as a HS senior he got into his top choice (materials engineering) major at 4 of the 5 UCs he applied to (UCSD, UCSB, UCD, UCI) - with only Berkeley declining him. UC GPA based on 10th-11th grade was 4.48, overall weighted GPA was 4.2, unweighted was 3.96.
However in senior year of HS he did get 69.75 in an advanced college level math class (linear algebra) - which I HOPE rounded up to a âCâ - that of course would have pulled down his full high school GPA a bit. (The issue here was that he took this class at his local community college and the teaching was not very good, else would never get a bad grade in his strongest subject!)
ECs were ok, nothing great (he is a musician, plays in a band); had his own community service initiative.
Any insights would be helpful. Part of me hopes/ wonders whether he might have a chance at UCB applying as a CCC transfer. Doesnât hurt to hope!
CCC to UC Engineering transfers need to complete all the required major transfer classes (may vary depending on target UC campuses) along with the General Education requirements. The minimum transfer units required by time of matriculation (completion by spring semester/quarter prior to transfer) is 60 semester/90 quarter units.
Since he will be a Junior level transfer, his HS record will not be considered unless he has AP credit and Dual enrollment courses on his transcript. DE courses that are UC transferable will be part of his UC Transfer GPA.
Assist.org will help him figure out the requirements from his CCC to the UC target campuses. UC Transfer admission especially for UCB like all the UCâs will put priority on his UC transfer GPA, completion of the transfer requirements and PIQâs. Having some major related ECâs can also help.
I have linked the UC Transfer GPA by major and UC campus. This data is from 2022 admits but 2023 admit data will be available in February. It shows the admitted UC Transfer GPA range, enrolled Transfer GPA range, admit rate for each major and yield. This will given him an idea of what GPA can be expected to be competitive as a Transfer.
I think he should take the Davis acceptance and run with it. Itâs a great school!
If he wants Berkeley, and it is his choice and ONLY choice, then heâs going to have to take the risk of maybe not being accepted yet again.
Our daughter chose Davis because of her campus visit. The students looked happy.
When she visited Berkeley, to consider applying there, she knew a number of former sports teammates who attended there. They did not appear happy, but stressed and anxious, in a very competitive environment and relayed information about the housing issues and stress.
Our daughter did not major in CS, but had extremely good housemates who were CS at Davis, then went on to work at Silicon.
Davis a very collaborative environment, even within the stress of the majors. Is it a Berkeley? No, but I donât think it wants to be.
Plus, her friends who did attend Berkeley, would come to visit Davis, on the weekends to âchillâ and get coffee at Dutch Brothers or walk to In-N-Out Burger or get sandwiches at Trader Joeâs.
My advice to you is to have your son visit Berkeley and Davis. Go to the CS offices and note the environment. Completely different both intrinsically and extrinsically.
I donât understand why you are asking about ideal credentials @ a CCC to get into UCD when he already has an acceptance there? If you feel UCD is a top engineering program, why not just go now? Holding out for Berkeley seems like a major gamble.
I second @aunt_beaâs concern, what if he goes the CCC route and then STILL doesnât get into Berkeley?
Does he try for another UC? I would assume Davis would not want him at that point after deferring and then declining admission. Does declining admission last cycle to UCSD mean the same? I donât know. What if he meets with academic or other challenges that affect his grades and prevent him from those credentials to get into a âtopâ UC? Would he be happy at Riverside? Merced? Are there other non-UC options on the table?
In answer to your question about pitfalls, not every student who attends CCC in hopes of transferring into a UC has the stamina to make it through. Your son already has a touchpoint with the class he took at his local CC - what if this is more the norm than the exception? Friends with kids at our local CCâs complain that the majority of their classes are online so they arenât meeting new people, that they canât get into impacted required courses and thus transferring takes longer, that they are missing the âcollegeâ experience living at home, etc.
Finally, per their own website, the CCCâs have 2M students enrolled annually, only 20k of whom successfully transfer to one of the 8 UCâs each year. While there are goals in place to increase that number, it means roughly 2,500 kids per year per UC transferring in from a CCC - and Iâm guessing Berkeley does not take an equal share. Just food for thought.
FWIW we also loved UCD, though our student chose not to go there. Itâs a great campus. If it were my kid Id say go with the sure thing and get it started! Love the college that loves you back!
Absolutely agree with you - going to UCD now is much better than the CCC option. Heâs not considering the latter as a way to hold out for Berkeley -itâs entirely for personal reasons as he wants to spend another year or two living with his dad before going off to campus. UCD is a fantastic program and he chose it precisely because itâs more collaborative than say UCSD where he also got his 1st choice major (nano engineering).
Hi - totally appreciate your thoughts since I as a mother have been having the same worries! As I mentioned in another reply, his ONLY reason for considering the CCC route is personal/ family related, has nothing to do with UCD not being âgood enoughâ or holding out for UCB.
Thank you for highlighting the risks - I will share this info so that he can make a fully informed and balanced decision. UCD is a great option and he should be ready to accept not-as-great options if he risks the CCC route - eg maybe goes to a CSU instead of a UC. Who knows
@Gumbymom Is it true that UCD might decline him automatically just because he declined them after a deferral? If he speaks to the admissions office before giving up his deferred admit and explains to them why he is choosing the CCC and transfer route - ie for personal/ family reasons - would that not help? Surely there are other students who choose this transfer route for the same reasons and they can understand this?
None of the UCâs will auto reject an applicant but declining the deferral may have an impact, how much is up to admissions. I cannot say but they are holding a spot for him so the sooner he decides what his wants to do, the better. No he is not the first nor the last to decline for a multitude of reasons and I find it highly unlikely they will hold it against him if he reapplies as a transfer a few years later.
I think whether a UC or otherwise - he needs to meet transfer requirements. You wonât know until he tries. If he wants to live with dad - then heâll try. Letâs say he doesnât go to a UC But ends up at a CSU or other school like Arizona - so what ? The degree in engineering is what matters.
So either you take the sure bet or all bets are off.
I worry about the 69.75. Many HS kids struggle in college level work bcuz many HS grade inflate obnoxiously. Engineering is very hard and has a very high change major rate but your student, like others, will find out. When kids get a bad grade after being an A student, they tend to justify the why. It may be it just wasnât his wheelbase at the college level or that he needs to relearn the subject. Happened to my brilliant engineer - had to WD and repeat a class and blamed the teacher. He later unblamed them. Just wasnât ready and being new, didnât feel comfortable going to office hrs. Lesson learned.
But to me you take the sure thing now or you reassess after a year in the community college.
UC or not UC is likely not a huge deal in engineering although may be in budget.
Thanks for the additional info - it sounded in your original post that he was just holding out for Berkeley - I didnât mean to be a Debbie downer about future admissions chances, anecdotally we had a friendâs son who deferred and later was rejected for transfer from Davis, but it may have been any number of factors including his CC grades, they just ascribed it to Davis ânot wanting him after he declined.â None of us are AOâs and could say what may happen with any certainty.
Iâm sorry itâs a tough spot - but agree with @tsbna44 that the degree is what is important for his field, and not as much the where. Heâs obviously a strong student - Iâm hoping for the best!!
Yikes. The anecdotes are indeed a little scary. I wonât lie, my tiger mom brain is having a minor panic attack
Sounds like if he goes the CC route the key risks are around (1) ability to enroll in the engineering classes he wants/ needs, and (2) his ability to get good grades in CC courses, regardless of quality of teaching.
I like the suggestion of re-assessing after a year in CC. The question that came to mind there was - he would only be starting CC classes this August (hasnât been enrolled during this gap year), and he wouldnât have even completed a semester by the time the UC freshman application deadline comes around in fall of this year. So if he doesnât do well in CC classes and wants to apply as a freshman, the earliest heâll be able to do this is in Oct 2025(!!) for entry in fall of 2026 (at which point heâll be 21 years old). Am I missing something in terms of UC admissions options - eg do they take freshman in the spring?
Given admissions timelines it may be that once he gives up his current UCD admission his only choice may be the transfer route.
The best way to deal with fear is to gather info - so thatâs what Iâll have him do. Get examples of other students from his local CC that did get into UCD, ask for info on course availability, understand which CC courses are potentially risky and will need extra effort or should be avoided altogether.
Just to be clear, the grade in linear algebra will be part of his transfer application. If it is a C-, you might want to check with the CC, if the class can be repeated for a higher grade?
If the main concern is staying close to home, you can consider other cal states and private colleges within commuting distance rather than go the CC route.
Thatâs an interesting angle. If he goes to say SJSU and gets good grades, are transfers to UCD possible/ likely after a couple of years? Or Cal Poly since itâs a great engg school?
I think they are saying if distance to home or dad is an issue, the student can choose a four year alternative to which get a degree vs reapplying to a UC.
