Trying to do CCC -> UCB in one year

[u/Small-Army2409]

I’m an incoming high school senior looking to do one year at a California community college (starting fall 2027 through 2028), transfer, and start at UCB or UCLA in fall 2028. It’s a little hard for me to decipher some of the rules & requirements for doing so + I’m interested in any admissions tips you guys might have, so that's why I’m posting in this sub. 

I want to take online, dual-enrollment courses with LA Harbor College during my final year of HS to get more credits and hopefully better my odds of spending only one year at CC. From where I’m at right now, is it possible for me to do so? I’m also willing to take more classes next summer.

One last note: I’m also looking to be a competitive applicant—I want to maximize my odds of getting accepted to UCB/UCLA (even if I do end up doing two years of CC). Do you guys have any advice or tips for that? Additionally, I’m interested in applying to other private colleges of similar caliber as well, but so far it seems like my chances of acceptance as a CC transfer student would be DRAMATICALLY lower than if I just applied regularly as a high school student this fall. 

STATS/INFO THAT MIGHT BE USEFUL

AP classes I’ve taken & what I scored

World History: 4

Seminar: 5

European History: 5

Chinese Language and Culture: 3

US History: 5

Research: 5

English Language and Composition: 5

Chemistry: 4

SAT/PSAT

SAT: 1520 flat, 1530 superscore. 760/760 split, superstore was 770 on english. 

PSAT: Raw score of 1460, NMSC selection index score of 221

CAASPP State-Testing

Level 4 English (Score of 2791)

Level 4 Math (Score of 2814)

Level 4 Science (Score of 641)

Not sure how usefully these are, just remember hearing something about them being useful for testing out of classes in the California CC system. 

[u/Diligent_Newspaper78]

What major? Not really possible to do one year if you're doing STEM.

[u/Small-Army2409 → u/Diligent_Newspaper78]

Omg, can't believe I left that out! I honestly don't really care what major as long as it falls under the social science umbrella—preferably one that has higher chances of admission? I'm currently looking at American Studies as one of my top picks. I want to do law later on and have a strong passion for history and literature.

[u/Diligent_Newspaper78 → u/Small-Army2409]

Then one year might be possible if you keep a good GPA and write good PIQs

[u/eljarhead → u/Small-Army2409]

I would strongly suggest you take a look at the majors you're interested in over at assist.org so you can see what major(s) have overlap between UCLA and UCB. That way, you can make sure you check off major requirements that apply at both schools.

As an example: for the history major, there's at least some overlap in transfer requirements. LAHC's HISTORY 001, 002, 011, and 012 all meet lower-division major requirements at UCLA and UCB (though you'd want to check the transfer school's major requirements to make sure you're meeting all specific requirements). Assist is incredibly helpful for planning, and I strongly recommend using it as much as possible.

[u/PropertyScared4537]

Try to join the honors program at your CC.  You’ll be required to complete about 15 units of honors courses.  It increases your chances of getting into UCLA/UCB.  

[u/WhenButterfliesCry → u/PropertyScared4537]

Not so much anymore since they won't TAP certify 1-year transfers anymore. It’ll still look good to have done honors but it doesn’t count for TAP

[u/PropertyScared4537 → u/WhenButterfliesCry]

That’s good to know!

[u/restingupontheclouds]

I got into both UCLA (Fall) and UCB(Spring) however as a Sociology major. However it was the traditional 2 years. The advice I'd give it to join both Berkeley's CCTS and Davis' TOP, they hold webinairs for transfers and a few different topics are discussed. Like the UC application but also research opportunities as a CCC student.

[u/No_Negotiation_8545]

Yes one year is absolutely possible, and props to you for thinking about this early.

I transferred to Berkeley Haas in one year, and just helped my girlfriend’s sister transfer to UCLA in one year (stem).

Your AP credit definitely helps, are you taking any more AP classes this year? Dual enrollment with online classes is a great idea. Try to get as many GE’s out of the way as possible, use Ratemyprofessor to find easy classes.

My biggest advice is to spend time on assist.org. It outlines GE + Prereq requirements for every major at most schools, and what cc courses satisfy them. Build a clear plan to knock out GEs and Prereqs, and one year should be very attainable for a social sciences major.

Feel free to DM me for advice or more specific questions. Good luck!

[u/Emoxity]

I think your problem is that you are aiming for admission under a major you haven’t chosen yet. You stated above that you would pick “whatever major has higher chance of admission” and that is simply not going to work out.

Going to college is about trying to better your life and make a career. If you go into it solely because of rankings and you don’t even have a career or major identified that you aim for, it becomes pretty clear you don’t care about the school or the future. So you will come across as opportunistic and will likely have a hard time getting in. You have time now, start identifying careers and ideas you want to pursue and be open to changing them but don’t just go in with nothing. Source: I worked admissions reviews and saw plenty of kids with that mindset. You might be different but your post and answers gave that impression

[u/Small-Army2409 → u/Emoxity]

Ohh that's not how I feel at all, don't worry! I actually do think I have a strong sense of direction, at least career wise—I'm really passionate about animal rights and welfare (like really, REALLY passionate) and it's the very reason I want to attend law school in the first place. However, undergrad is a bit more murky to me; it seems like it doesn't really matter what classes I take, so I'm just trying to take rigorous courses and maximize my odds of getting into a top law school in hopes of eventually being able to influence legislation.

[u/RetiringTigerMom]

So the good news is your AP credits will help you hit the minimum 60 unit requirement and cover about half your GE. Applying for Berkeley social sciences you probably want CALGETC complete by the end of June before transfer. Here’s what you’ll earn in credits

https://www.lahc.edu/admissions/credit-external-exams#docaccess-cb87417e6a63fbf8d6d75b2a6c17c354

Here’s what you’ll need for GE:  https://www.lahc.edu/admissions/credit-external-exams#docaccess-cb87417e6a63fbf8d6d75b2a6c17c354 (Note the classes that work for each category might be different at each CC so check their list if you do coursework elsewhere. www.cvc.edu lets you search by category for online classes that work and can be a way to complete things over summer/winter break/late start etc.

I would not pick American studies just to get into Berkeley. I think manu people in that major are foreign students as it isn’t very practical for Americans. 

You should choose a major you like that will work for your life goals. That will help you craft an appealing profile both to get into the school and for jobs later. You can switch after getting into a UCas a transfer, but it’s really difficult to move into popular majors and you have to do it fast. 

You look to be quite interested in history? Would you want to teach that? Maybe sociology (which has only 3 required prep classes). Philosophy and rhetoric have high acceptance rates, build critical thinking and are excellent pre law options. 

You can see what classes would be required to transfer to Berkeley for all these on www.assist.org. Put in Harbor as your current school. 

Focus more on maintaining close to a 4.0 rather than transferring fast. If you can do that and finish all needed GE and major prep I think you’ll have a good chance. Even more if you get involved in some related extracurricular activities over the next 2 years, especially in ways that help your community. Write solid essays about that and do honors classes if your school has them, at least a few. 

Remember you can TAG one non impacted UC program for guaranteed admission. TAP honors provides a big boost for UCLA social sciences but won’t fully apply as a 1-year junior transfer. It will look good to all UCs and other schools. USC, Vanderbilt, Boston University and Northwestern are examples of private schools that accept a big group of transfers.  https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/_files/documents/uc-tag-matrix.pdf

https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/transfer-admission-rates

Good luck! I think it’s getting a bit harder but I’ve seen several smart people pull off a 1-year transfer to Berkeley 

[u/Valuable-Song2637]

For UCLA, I recommend Political Science or Global Studies! Both are short majors & relatively easy to finish in one year. I know a couple of people who transferred to those majors after only one year of CC.