<p>What are both the campuses like? Does San Diego have the same college-feel as sbcc? And what is housing like for transfer students? </p>
<p>In terms of location or geography (not speaking in terms of academics) SBCC is more dynamic due to its location, and while Mesa has its own campus, it’s in an area that is sort of dull, some retail, some small offices, so the opposite of college like off the immediate campus. I reprint below a post that you might have seen from a few years ago:
March 2008 edited September 2013 in University of California - Santa Barbara
With admission decisions coming in the next few weeks, this is my annual post to pass along some advice to those who didn’t get in. If UCSB was a top choice there is a “backdoor” way to get much of the experience of being a UCSB student. You can live right with the UCSB students, get a UCSB diploma, and spend 4 years enjoying the same social life, campus events, groups, etc. that UCSB students do. The only difference is that for a year or two you won’t be taking classes on the UCSB campus, and there’s even a partial way around that!</p>
<p>I’m posting this now so that you have time to think it over and investigate, since some of the deadlines are in March. You should consider an appeal to UCSB as well, but the odds of this succeeding have historically been small. First off, don’t take it personally. They haven’t judged you and found you wanting. It’s a numbers thing. Due to the boom in HS graduates and the increasing cost of privates, more students are turning to the UCs every year and they don’t have room for everyone who’s qualified. Students are being turned down today who would have gotten in even a few years ago. Although it stings to be turned down, you need to figure out your best strategy for what to do next, and that’s the purpose of this post.</p>
<p>In a nutshell, the advice is attend Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) for 2 years, enrolling in the guaranteed transfer program. Live in private dorms right by the UCSB campus the 1st year, in IV the next 3 (just like the 4-year kids do). Take part in campus life, and finish up with the UCSB diploma. And if you have a lot of AP credit it gets even better; maybe you can spend just 1 year at sbcc and 3 at UCSB (more on that later).</p>
<p>Many students refuse to consider a community college because they want the full “college experience” and want to spend 4 years at the same place making friends, learning the ropes of the school, and getting to know the area. That’s where UCSB is different, though. It’s one of the few residential colleges in CA where students live on/near campus. So if you live in the community adjoining UCSB (“Isla Vista” AKA “IV”), you’ll be in a much better position than a junior just showing up for the 1st time. By living in IV you can take advantage of the social opportunities, you’ll be living in the same place as UCSB students, you can attend campus events and activities. You can participate in intramural sports at UCSB at a slightly higher fee than students pay, and you can join many of the same career-related clubs as a non-voting member. See UCSB Campus Organizations to contact clubs you’re interested in and see if they allow sbcc students to join. And you can even join the UCSB Rec Center and use the weight room, climbing wall, etc.</p>
<p>A big concern of many frosh is where to live. One advantage of being a 4-year student at most colleges is you start out in a dorm with meals taken care of, an RA for advice, you instantly get to know some kids at the college because they live on your floor, and so on. Turns out that you can do much the same thing at SBCC. There are 2 private dorms right by the UCSB campus that house SBCC students. See SBCC Housing Note, though, that some deadlines for dorms are in March. Even though they aren’t the official UCSB-owned dorms, you’ll still get a lot of the same1st-year experience. And 2nd year you find an apartment in IV, which is what most UCSB students do anyway after frosh year. Given the size of UCSB your neighbors aren’t going to know you go to sbcc until you tell them; they’ll just assume they haven’t run into you on campus.</p>
<p>Now that we’ve talked about living in the UCSB community, lets talk about that UCSB diploma. As a transfer student you get the same one a 4-year student does; nowhere does it say “junior transfer”. Your BA or BS degree is from UCSB, period. UCSB has a guaranteed transfer program with the community colleges, so you will KNOW you’re getting in. At SBCC it is run thru the Transfer Academy (see SBCC Transfer Academy) with counselors who know what you need to do. They offer honors course, as well as counseling and contact with UCSB. After you’ve completed a semester at SBCC you can take a UCSB class for credit each quarter (paying a LOT less than the UCSB students, BTW!). You can get the guarantee program at any CC, including the one in your community. But you’ll miss out on the setting and social environment those 1st 2 years that probably is part of why you wanted to go to UCSB in the first place. It turns out SBCC sends more than any other CC to UCSB, because it attracts students who enrolled to do exactly what I’m suggesting.</p>
<p>The news may be even better if you have a lot of AP credit. You may be able to get in after just 1 year and spend 3 more at UCSB! Here’s how. In order to enter UCSB as a transfer, you have to be a junior. Being a junior just means you have a certain number of units, but those units can be AP credit and CC classes. Keep in mind, too, that nothing says you have to take an AP class to take the AP test. Even if you’re not in that many AP classes right now, if you are really motivated you could learn the material between now and May for a few of the easier subjects. All you’re risking is your time and the test fees. Lets suppose you have 45 units of AP credit (the UCSB Catalog for this is at <a href=“http://■■■■■■■.com/2fnxxw”>http://■■■■■■■.com/2fnxxw</a>) plus enough CC to make you a junior. You enter UCSB after one year. Now it might seem like you have only 2 years left at UCSB since you started as a junior, but it looks like you can ignore the AP credit once you’re at UCSB (except for duplicating classes). Right on the official UC systemwide website at University of California - Counselors it says
The units granted for AP tests are not counted toward the maximum number of credits required for formal declaration of an undergraduate major or the maximum number of units a student may accumulate prior to graduation from the University. Students who enter the University with AP credit do not have to declare a major earlier than other students, nor are they required to graduate earlier.
I’m not an adcom so I can’t promise you this will work, but if this might apply to you then by all means contact UCSB admissions and find out!</p>
<p>In summary, even if you aren’t fortunate enough to be accepted to UCSB as a frosh there are ways to enjoy most of the same things those enrolled for all 4 years do, including ending up with that UCSB diploma.</p>
<p>All true but, it is also important to acknowledge the risk that UCSB might reject your transfer application. The GPA threshold varies by major and year but, 3.4 seems is typical. That’s difficult at the college level, particularly when you are away from home as a young adult and presented with the distractions of the Santa Barbara lifestyle.</p>
<p>Public records show of the nearly 1000 students who transferred out of SBCC in 2010, about 430 students transferred to UCSB - so it does work. That sounds great until you consider there are about 18k students at SBCC, 8k of them full time. Now, clearly we don’t know the qualification and intent of all those SBCC students. when they enter - We do know that only a tiny fraction make the jump to UCSB. </p>
<p>I am not bad-mouthing SBCC in any way - according to it’s web site, it is the #1 CC in the country and I have no reason to doubt that claim. By all accounts it is a very good CC and serves an important purpose in the community. It isn’t however, a guaranteed back door into UCSB for the student who didn’t make it as a freshman. </p>
<p>I’m just going to add that Mesa’s campus is absolutely hideous (having visited it several times).</p>
<p>There’s other CCs in the San Diego area with significantly nicer atmospheres than Mesa’s.</p>