<p>Berkeley admissions are unpredictable. If you’re really set on Cal, you might want to apply as a freshman, and keep the CC route in mind if that doesn’t work out. You may also want to apply to a couple of schools incase a year from now you realize you really do want that freshman dorm experience and such.</p>
<p>CC route is definitely cheaper, but it’s also more stressful. CS is still pretty impacted, it’s hard to get in. Again, no guarantee that you’ll be accepted, regardless of your grades. And most CS classes will not articulate at Cal, so you’ll end up retaking a bunch of classes after transfer. There’s a time crunch here as well, since you’re expected to graduate in 4 (you can petition for 5) semesters… which is a bit tricky if you’re missing the 3 class CS61 series.</p>
<p>You’ll also limit how many upper div classes you get to take. There’s a lot of different choices, but you can only take so many at a time. Transfers tend to take upper div classes only in their last 3 semesters, but those who enter as freshman often start taking them second semester of their sophomore year, or at the very least the start of junior year.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about ninjex’s “3-4 years” comment… I transferred in 2, and I know many others who did as well. Part of that will depend on how much you can handle at a time and how far along you are with math/science/whatever series.</p>
<p>Anyways, what it boils down to is this: There’s a chance you’ll end up at a different UC with either route. CC is definitely cheaper, but you’ll get a bit more out of it if you go the 4-year route right out of high school.</p>