Question about transferring from a JC

[Exoduso]

I already posted a question about this elsewhere, but figured it was worth asking here as well since I know there are a lot of people here who attend college...

Okay so I had back surgery which caused me to take on homeschooling for my entire senior year, which pretty much blew my chances at going straight to a UC.

So I plan on going to a community college, but according to the counselors at said school, they claim that I need to take courses that will be transferrable and be specifically chosen according to the school I would like to go to and the major I would like to take there.

I want to take business management, but how can I just decide on the college I would transfer to right now, when i'm not even sure I would be able to get in? Also, how do I know what classes each school wants you to take in order to get into its business school, and if they have other requirements besides grades and the correct classes?

I forgot to mention, the back problem I had ruined most of my junior year as well, to the point where I was unable to go to school 2-3 times a week... I worked extremely hard after surgery via the homeschooling to make up both junior and senior year classes (about 80 credits total to do from January-March, which was when I graduated..)

I also never took the SATs for this same reason... would've done the surgery earlier, but the only open schedule with the specific doctor we chose (and i'm glad I picked him..) was during the summer between my junior and senior years..

JC seemed like the best choice since I don't really feel like going back and taking SAT classes and then the SATs, plus my GPA was extremely hurt during my Junior year (2nd semester especially..) because I wasn't able to go to school from the intense pain I was in leading up to the surgery.

Oh, and I already took a year off to recover from surgery completely after I was done with the homeschooling, so I really want to just start this next semester instead of holding it off for another semester/year.

My plan is to eventually transfer to a business management school, preferably in southern california..

Thanks for the help.

[Creeps]

As a product of the California school system, I can safely say that it sucks when it comes to transferring credits and such. I don't have any real advice to give you, except move to a different state, establish residency for a year and then go to college, if the opportunity presents itself. That's what I did and although it put me a little behind the curve, it's much less stressful than staying in California, taking all these classes and then having 50% of them not transfer to a 4 year school.

[evilbau]

I'm not sure where your question is... you definitely have a good plan. Pick a college and talk to your counselor about it and they'll tell you if its realistic. Transferring from a JC is much easier because you can show your dedication through your course load and grades in (sorta equivalent) university classes. Its less of a crap shoot than when applying in high school, there is more of a 'working towards admission' than simply applying.

The only other thing I would recommend is have several colleges in mind and take classes that will satisfy requirements for all of them, if possible.

[evilbau]

As a product of the California school system, I can safely say that it sucks when it comes to transferring credits and such. I don't have any real advice to give you, except move to a different state, establish residency for a year and then go to college, if the opportunity presents itself. That's what I did and although it put me a little behind the curve, it's much less stressful than staying in California, taking all these classes and then having 50% of them not transfer to a 4 year school.

well, that sucks haha. I don't have first hand experience with transferring JC credits except for summer classes (when I was already in school) so I guess just do the research? good luck exo

[Exoduso]

What the counselor told me though, is that each school that I would like to get transferred to has different class requirements...(and leave the GPA out of it because that's not an issue for me, I just need to make sure I take the right stuff..) in that case, one might want English 101 and another 100, so if I have a few schools in mind how do I know which classes to choose right now, so I won't have to go through what Creeps is talking about and have 50% of them not even qualify for that specific school?

[Creeps]

Just take general shit like English and basic math. Can't really go wrong with biology either, since Cali requires life science for general ed.

[evilbau]

What the counselor told me though, is that each school that I would like to get transferred to has different class requirements...(and leave the GPA out of it because that's not an issue for me, I just need to make sure I take the right stuff..) in that case, one might want English 101 and another 100, so if I have a few schools in mind how do I know which classes to choose right now, so I won't have to go through what Creeps is talking about and have 50% of them not even qualify for that specific school?

yup, thats definitely a bind. if it were me, I would do the ones which satisfy my first choice, and try (which as you indicate, may not be possible) to see where else it qualifies. It may not be a school on your radar, but that way you know you have more options, even if its not in your Top 3 (for example). Or hedge your bets and take extra classes (i know thats a pretty shitty option). Figure out all your options (no matter how shitty) and I'm sure one of them will seem best to you.

[Stee]

you should try http://www.assist.org the site helps a lot to tell you what to expect. Basically you need to finish the GEs which can be shown in the IGETC page, if you go to your JCs website there should be somewhere in there that translates all that to the actual course names within your JC.

More or less you need to have 60 semesters units or 90 quarter units when transfer time comes. I know there are also certain programs that guarantees you a UC spot once you complete the requirements with a decent gpa and such, so you should definitely look into that.

But you should definitely talk to your counselor as they can help tremendously.

[CMMeast]

1) Talk to your counselor about transferring credits. You might want to give him/her a list of colleges you'd prefer to transfer to. (For Business Admin. the worthwhile schools in southern California are probably USC, LMU, and probably UCI)

2) Contact the academic advising department of the schools you'd prefer to transfer and get a list of GE requirements.

3) Use assist.org to figure out which classes transfer to which school from the JC you're going to attend.

I'd also reccomend maybe trying the Management Science program at UCSD.

[Exoduso]

Yeah but won't some schools want a specific english class while a different school might want another ? if so, which one is higher? Because if this is the case, won't picking the highest out of all of them be the better choice regardless of where I choose to go, or are all the schools more or less the same in regards to the regular classes (ie english and math) that you need to take for a specific major?

I just don't want to get to the point where the classes won't do me any good when I try to transfer..

And thanks for all the replies... I will probably go and have another chat with a counselor, already had one conversation but they only let you talk to them for 15 minutes during the summer, and I don't want to waste another semester just so I can sit down with one for as much time as I need..

[Stee]

Nah all of them require the same English classes, I'm pretty sure the english classes are the same names in all JCs but maybe not. Basically you need English 1A which focuses composition and English 1B which focuses on critical thinking, if you end up transfering to a CSU you need a oral communications class too.

[Daemien]

You may also want to find out if your GPA from your junior college will transfer. I know that here in Texas most Universities will not accept grades from other schools, but will accept the credit. So if you're only going for your bachelor's your grades in junior college wont make any difference. So I would suggest taking the general education classes that have nothing to do with your major so you won't have to worry about your grades so much. A small caveat here, if you plan on applying to a Master's or higher education program, they will look at all of your grades, even the ones from junior colleges. Just something to keep in mind. I can only be sure of the schools in Texas though, so you may want to find out if it's the same in California.

[evilbau]

And thanks for all the replies... I will probably go and have another chat with a counselor, already had one conversation but they only let you talk to them for 15 minutes during the summer, and I don't want to waste another semester just so I can sit down with one for as much time as I need..

thats a retarded rule. Just ignore it, you need answers.

[Exoduso]

Yeah I know it is, but they'll probably kick me out after those 15 minutes heh..

[Keno]

You'll need to take the SATs anyways, even if you plan on transferring. Which JCs are you looking into right now? If you're looking to transfer into a business management school in southern california (like USC or UCLA) your best bet is to go to Santa Monica CC as they have a relationship with both schools that makes for much easier transferring. I think the transfer rate from SMCC to USC/UCLA is like 80% after two years, which is pretty impressive. Worst case scenario is you'll go to some other UC school, which really isn't that bad at all; they're all pretty good. Let me know if you have some more specific questions, I'll try and help out as best I can.

[evilbau]

You'll need to take the SATs anyways, even if you plan on transferring. Which JCs are you looking into right now? If you're looking to transfer into a business management school in southern california (like USC or UCLA) your best bet is to go to Santa Monica CC as they have a relationship with both schools that makes for much easier transferring. I think the transfer rate from SMCC to USC/UCLA is like 80% after two years, which is pretty impressive. Worst case scenario is you'll go to some other UC school, which really isn't that bad at all; they're all pretty good. Let me know if you have some more specific questions, I'll try and help out as best I can.

plus all the asian ladies that attend smcc lol :D

[Exoduso]

I was looking into Pierce because it's practically 3 miles from my work, but i'll look into Santa Monica..

And as for the SATs, are they a big influence when transferring from a JC or do they look at other stuff more ?

[Jefe]

Easy shit, I work for a JC (Writing Centre), so I know my shit. ANYWAYS, you have to decide which system you want to join once you graduate, is it a Cal state or a UC?

Assuming that you want to attend X JC from LACCD (Los Angeles Community College District), they have plans for people who wish to transfer to a CSU or UC. The only difference is about three or four courses.

Here are links to the LACCD colleges: http://www.laccd.edu/our_colleges/

In conclusion, the first step is to decide which JC you want to attend. Then see a counselor so you can set up the plan (either CSU or UC), as simple as that.

Edit: SAT's are not needed for transfer students... However, if you plan to attend SC you need to have at least a 3.5 GPA to have a chance, unless you are a minority or UCLA you just have to be white and a decent GPA

[Keno]

I was looking into Pierce because it's practically 3 miles from my work, but i'll look into Santa Monica..

And as for the SATs, are they a big influence when transferring from a JC or do they look at other stuff more ?

Well it really won't matter so long as your score doesn't show some sort of horrible mental deficiency. Generally your SATs score don't matter a whole ton if you're a two year transfer student. What they will look at most is obviously your two years worth of grades. Also, when it comes time to apply for the transfer, it would help immensely if you did the optional interviews. I know they won't ask for it or even mention it, but if you call the admissions office of the schools you are applying to and ask for an interview, they will generally give you one. This helps a lot because you can convey a whole bunch of stuff that is really hard to get across in an application. Also it will help because it separates you from the rest of the group of transferees. But yeah, as I said, grades matter the most for transfers. It would help if you could get some nice job experience and/or a couple recommendations from professors at your JC, because generally they take the word of a colleague rather seriously. I knew a kid who had a 2.6 GPA, only 80th percentile GMATs, decent work experience, but he got into the Marshall school at USC (for his MBA) because one of his undergrad professors wrote a raving recommendation for him (and happened to be good friends with another professor at USC).

I really wouldn't worry about it much though, it's pretty easy to transfer into a good school from a good JC. Pierce is a good option, but they don't have any strong ties with USC, so if you're fine going to UCLA for a business degree (not the most highly regarded) then that's probably a really good choice for you.

[Exoduso]

Well Santa Monica is only like a 30 minute drive from where I live, so it might not be so bad, but i'll look into it more..

I was thinking of going to USC, but it all depends on my chances of transferring from Pierce, which would be my optimal choice for a JC simply because it's so close to home and would save me some money.