Which college to choose?

Question

Iv'e really tried to find the perfect college for me and I really am confused and stressed. I currently live in Cali and I'm thinking about going to a community college (since I live 2 miles away from one) and then transferring into a UC School but I have no idea what school. Here's what I want:

-I have a 3.7 or higher probably

-haven't taken SAT

-no religious school

-small, quite enivoronment but near a big city

-not a big diversity of ethnicity

- public not private

Any ideas would be so helpful!!!

Answer 1

You sounds like a real smart girl...  congrats on your achievements so far.

You're definitely on the right track considering a community college for your first 2 years before transferring.  

I would advise you to talk with your comm.college's counselors, ask them what uni is a closer fit to your need.

You need SAT to get into a 4 year uni, but if you're in a comm. college and transfer, most (if not all) unis no longer look at your SAT scores since you'll have college units already.  They focus on that instead.

The good thing is that most general educations for most public colleges/universities requires similar general eds (ie.  English 1A, Math, Speech, etc...)   so you'll be ready to transfer to other unis after your cc.

Talk with the advisers in the cc you want to attend.  Make an appointment to talk to a counselor and ask him/her (phone, email, in person) the ff:

>  What TRANSFERABLE courses do you have that I need to take for my major (tell them what you want to major in, and if you don't have one yet, tell them you're undecided and they'll advise you to take mostly general courses)

>  Make sure what the maximum transferable units/credits are for your 4 year university.

>  Do you want your AA, AS degree before transfer? or just straight for your BA,BS degree?

>  Tell him/her that you plan to transfer in 2 years, and plan your classes around that schedule.

Good luck!

Answer 2

UC Davis sounds perfect for you. It is in an agricultural town just a small drive from San Francisco. Your GPA is pretty high...now all you have to do is take your SATs... if your planning to transfer than no worries there.

Answer 3

I've attended 3 schools so far, and I can tell you a few things:

1)  What you get out is what you put in.  College is all about self-motivation.  The professors get paid whether you pass or fail, and it's up to you to succeed.

2)  You don't always get what you pay for.  Most community colleges cost 1/2 to 1/3 of what a 4-year school does, but they all grant the same associates degree after two years of study.  Start at the community college and save yourself some serious bank, as well as solidifying your G.P.A.

3)  Small, quiet, non-religious, non-diverse, near a big city... sorry, you're going to have to make some concessions, as well as examine your core beliefs.  College is about getting you out of your comfort zone, and if you insist on having it all your way, you won't get nearly as much out of it as you could.

Good luck!

Answer 4

depending on what ur major would be...try east coast colleges. Univ of Mass at Amherst. there's 4 other excellent colleges in that area too.  

Answer 5

try taking the college match test at princetonreview.com they'll match you up with the school you're likely to get into and the kind of environment you would want including how big and how diverse, etc

Answer 6

The "not a big diversity of ethnicity" kinda raises an eyebrow. What is the ethnicity you would like to see the most of? UC Berkeley, LA, Davis, and Irvine have populations of Asians equal to or greater than the white population. All UC's are public so that problem is solved, and that also implies that none are religious. Davis is the first that comes to mind with a small community, and it's about 1.5 - 2 hours from S.F. Santa Barbara is a relatively small community, and near L.A. The others are all kinda in the middle of urban areas. How close do you want to be to a big city? I say Santa Barbara or Davis sound the closest to your specifications.

Santa Barbara is 53% white students if that floats your boat. Asians are the 2nd highest with 17%. So that sounds like what you want, but it is one of the bigger party schools so your quiet environment might be jeopardized, even though the city itself only has 90k people.

* I didn't include Santa Cruz, Riverside, or Merced. They don't rank very high, but Riverside and Santa Cruz might be right up your alley.

Answer 7

Your best bet is to go visit the college and see for yourself the environment, educators and all that ...sit around the library, cafe and see if you like it...if it feels like you...then if it is talk to the staff and student...call the school...most will find you a guide...good luck.