<p>When I found that I didn’t make most of the schools that I wanted, I figured that I would go to community college and transfer for a chance at them again. I got into CalPoly Pomona, which I kind of wanted to go, but not too much.
My mentality was, if I go to CC, I’ll just just as well as I did in high school if not better. If this was the case, I would get into Pomona again or a better school such as UCSD.
However, I heard from some people that this is a fairly risky route. If I miss a date, or forget to turn in something, or even get bad grades, I may not be able to transfer, and if I miss the chance to transfer after 2 years, than I pretty much lose all hope of transferring to any school and I’m completely screwed. If I miss something while attending Pomona I may have to go to school for another year or something, but nothing too critical.
This is why I get the impression going to a CC may be risky. I just wanted to how it really is.</p>
<p>Also, my friend is in a similar situation to me, but he decided to go to CSU Fullerton instead of trying to transfer from CC. He said that he’d want to pursue a Master’s and that undergraduate schools won’t even matter. He did make a good point, and since I am thinking of going for a Master’s as well, I was thinking I could just skip the stress of having to go through college admissions again and instead attend Pomona because it wouldn’t matter anyways. Is this a good idea?</p>
<p>I don’t know about private schools, but there is no risk of not being able to transfer to a public university after 2 years. There are people who work full-time, raise kids, and go to school part-time over the course of ten years and then transfer to top public universities in California, such as UCLA and UC Berkeley. Personally, it took me five years to get through community college. I was accepted to UCSD and UCLA, so neither school seemed to care about how long it took. The most important point is that you maintain a high GPA, because any grades you earn from here on out are permanent as far as graduate school is concerned.</p>
<p>@Popsuker The variable of risk is undeniable - to give one perspective, on days when I have an exam or something to hand in, I drive more defensively than an 80 year old lady. I make sure to set 2 alarms, and space out a few on my phone at 5 min intervals. The most important thing at CC is that you have to learn risk management. 1 missed exam, even if it’s not your fault, could throw you from a high A to a D or F. If you got 3 As and failed 1 class, your average out of those 4 classes comes to a 3.0. By the nature of the environment, you have that feeling of all or nothing hanging over your head.</p>
<p>But with that said, there is a safety floor that most people reach. Since you’re in Cali, most community colleges have guaranteed transfer agreement to the the lower ranked UCs and CSUs. I think managing a 3.0 to 3.3 can get you into the likes of UCI and UCSB and getting a 3.5 might secure you a spot in UCSD even without anything fancy on your application other than your grades (gotta check if they still do this).</p>
<p>If you go to a party instead of finishing up that paper, or can’t be bothered waking up for a quiz, then that’s on you. I’ve seen plenty of people who were very decent students in High School slacken up and end lower than they would have gone out of High School. On the other hand, the competitiveness and brutality of the environment might fuel your ambition.</p>
<p>There’s no 2 year clock or time limit or something. A lot of students take 3 years to finish up the necessary units to transfer. Furthermore, if your end goal is grad school, you might be well served by the cheaper and more lax classes in CC. If you say that undergrad school doesn’t matter then I feel like you have a free shot at the most ambitious schools you can think of transferring to. I doubt anyone who is capable of grad school work wouldn’t be able to transfer to at least a CSU out of CC. I think in your case, you have the benefit of hedging your bets by going to a CC.</p>
<p>I went to a cc right after high school, and I actually did even better in CC than HS. I’ve only been at CC for 2 years and I’ll be transfering this fall. So far I already got accepted into a capped major at UCLA and waiting for Cal’s decision. </p>
<p>Just put in the effort and you will minimize the risk. Good GPA, EC, and something nice to write on your PS, then you’ll have a good shot at the top UCs.</p>