<p>@lipper If we’re all helping each other’s grammar and English skills improve, then the semicolon belongs within the quotation marks 
I know…it’s absurd.</p>
<p>Sent from my iPod touch using CC</p>
<p>Something else to think about… a ton of my friends graduated from schools like University, Troy, etc and even with competitive applications, a lot weren’t accepted really anywhere let alone schools like Cal and UCLA. Freshman admissions is MUCH more competitive than Transfer admissions as a whole, especially if you’re graduating from a school that is saturated with high-performing students. My roommate had an UW 3.8X W 4.2X (among other qualifications) from University High and didn’t get into Cal and was waitlisted at UCI (not counting Riverside’s automatic acceptance). Instead of choosing one of those and despite her performance in HS, she decided to go to CC and try again for Cal. She maintained a 4.0 as a bio major at our CC and applied to MCB. We’re both starting there this Fall.</p>
<p>@anothergalaxy I’m fairly certain that semicolons (and colons) always belong outside of quotation marks. </p>
<p>Regardless of who is correct (I am :P), the point was that far too many people use “loose” and it’s just frustrating.</p>
<p>Edit: I may as well answer the question that you had so I don’t come off as a complete ******. As others have mentioned, a lot of CCC classes are difficult with probably 1/3 (some English courses or introductory Social Science courses) being complete jokes. You won’t see any better at most 4-year universities and the professors at community colleges are generally very good. I’ve only had one awful professor (Poly Sci) and it was pretty much just him being completely uninterested in the students, which is something more commonly attributed to professors at 4-year universities. </p>
<p>I also think that you have a good chance of getting into Berkeley out of high school. I, however, had very similar stats in high school and was rejected from Berkeley and UCLA, but accepted to every other UC. I chose to go to a CCC and will be transferring to Berkeley in the Fall with a lot of money saved. If you don’t get into Berkeley out of High School, I’d suggest going to a CCC if you really want to get into Berkeley and don’t mind waiting (in your same boring town) for 2 years.</p>
<p>Entourage that makes sense; Just like the first 2 years at UCB tend to weed a lot of people out, so do community colleges. By the time you get through all of the prereqs, you’re competing with a smaller pool of people and usually tougher material.</p>
<p>In that sense, you may be right that a community college student with completely fulfilled prereqs for their major and a really good essay may have an easier time getting into UCB than a high school grad with a really good essay.</p>
<p>However, community college can be tough. Yes, the class sizes are smaller - I remember finishing up Multivariable Calc with about 15 people left in my class, a far cry from the ~80 that showed up on day one and the ~40 that stole all the seats that weren’t even on the waitlist. (I HATE it when they do that!)</p>
<p>Or… the counselors that are harder to reach than the President of the United States! At my college you needed to make appointments weeks in advance - if you weren’t one of the first ~10 people in line at 8am you wouldn’t get an appointment for the day 2 weeks ahead. </p>
<p>Don’t even get me started on financial aid - they once sent my verification forms out in September and then told me I wouldn’t get any finaid until February or March :</p>
<p>CCC students are given priority to UC, because CSU, UC and CCC are all subsidized by the government. The government’s main goal is to churn out as many 4 yr degrees as possible, in the least amount of time for the least amount of money. CCC students are at 2 yr institutions, working with the explicit goal of transferring to a 4 yr institution. CSU students are by definition, already working towards a 4 yr degree and belong to a 4 yr institution. By going from a CSU to a UC, not only are you costing the government more money, but you’re taking a highly inefficient route as far as resources go. If all you needed to do was go to a CSU to go to a UC, why have CCCs in the first place? This simple fact alone is the reasoning they have to penalize you when applying to UCs.</p>
<p>This is not to say that there is absolutely no chance of getting into a UC from a CSU, I have many friends who have. This is just saying that your chances are much lower.</p>