<p>USC has a lower average GPA than UCLA/UCB, but in terms of competitiveness to get in, it’s something along the lines of UCSD. If you think you’ll have trouble with UCSD, USC might even be a slight reach. </p>
<p>If you could come to a community college in California, that would be your best bet to get into either Berkeley or UCLA, although with hard work an intra-UC transfer isn’t all that impossible.</p>