<p>I’m an international student from Singapore admitted as a freshmen to Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach, and University of Illinois at Chicago. I’m planning to major in philosophy, and none of these schools were my top choices. I have very good high school records but due to some reasons, I was only able to apply to very few schools outside California, and I didn’t meet one of the UCs admission requirements as an international student so none of the UCs accepted me. I was thinking like if it would be a good idea to go to any one of these three universities for the first year and transfer. I was wondering which would be a better choice? I actually want to take a few Greek classes in college for the foreign language requirement but Fullerton doesn’t offer Greek while Long Beach and UIC does. I heard Long Beach is a ghetto area, and on the other hand, maybe California would be a first step for easier transition to the United States in terms of the climate/weather (since I was born and raised in a hot, humid country) and culture? Fullerton has the cheapest tuition so since I’ll be transferring after the first year, anyway, it doesn’t matter whether the school offers Greek language or not? I heard students usually take foreign language classes during their first year. Thoughts? Thanks!</p>
<p>The University of Illinois Chicago has a lot of OUTSTANDING faculty members. It is also a superior institution than either of the Cal State schools. Chicago is also a great city and you can get around without a car.</p>
<p>Long Beach and Fullerton are not in Los Angeles but are south of it. You would need a car in L.A. and Fullerton is in Orange County which some people either really enjoy or really hate. </p>
<p>I would go to Chicago.</p>
<p>if your heart is set on transferring to a UC, this first destination is less important…look for the best personal fit…
location, atmosphere, clubs that may help you feel comfortable over here/away from home, etc…since you will taking mostly General Ed classes (if not all) the Cal St schools may have smaller classes…</p>
<p>they are not as well regarded but if this is Not your ultimate destination then that is less of a factor than your transition from Singapore</p>
<p>good luck and enjoy!</p>
<p>There is no guarantee that you’d be admitted to a UC school. Your transfer priority would be relatively low - below community college students and inter-campus UC student transfers.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies! Hmm, my transfer priority would be lower than community college students and inter-campus UC student transfers? Really? So the UCs actually give priority admission to community college and UC students? Do you have a source for this? Thanks!</p>
<p>… And what if I work extremely hard and score like at least a 3.5 GPA during my first year?</p>
<p>Yes, UCs give priority transfer admission to California community college students. It’s mandated by law as part of the California Master Plan for Higher Education.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/transfer/index.html[/url]”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/transfer/index.html</a></p>