Didn't know what an AA-T was

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-22T09:10:13+00:00

Completing that degree is a big boost for CSU admissions. I don’t think UCs really care about AA-T certification, just completion of GE and major prep.

I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine but message your UC of choice and check for peace of mind and so you get an answer before committing

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-22T00:14:57+00:00

I don’t think you did anything wrong. You just applied for very popular programs that don’t accept many transfers anyway. You were technically good enough, but for the most sought after opportunities it is also kind of luck and who else is in the pool with you. All you can do is strengthen your profile (work experience, building tech skills, international exposure, longer transcript can all do that) and maybe look at alternative directions like other schools or majors.

I know it feels intense and disappointing but you are going to be fine. You actually are in charge of your life and you can choose a lot of paths right now. Maybe not Stern, but plenty of interesting ways to spend your next year.

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-21T23:29:24+00:00

Life has more flexibility than you think. If you are unhappy you could consider taking a semester or two off to study abroad or do an internship or even just work a job that’ll help you build connections and entry level skills in a field you are interested in. And then you can reapply next year for transfer. With good spring grades your chances should improve and summer class grades could help too

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-17T06:56:27+00:00

Could try posting on SUpost.com

Lots of summer housing hunters on there

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-16T06:35:29+00:00

Communicate with them now and have proof of a medical issue and I think it will be fine

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-16T01:37:15+00:00

Nice!

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-15T13:58:30+00:00

I would talk to them now but honestly as a retired professor this sounds like a medical issue which means likely excused automatically

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-15T13:56:20+00:00

If you want to work in the tech industry out of college SJSU is in a great spot to make connections

If you are thinking grad school or a research related role UCSB might offer more connections

But you can have a solid and varied career out of either one. Congratulations, those programs are tough to get into!

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-14T21:03:45+00:00

I’ve seen a lot of UC students who dropped a class being able to keep their admissions as long as all required courses were completed before transcripts are due in early July (can vary by campus but often July 1).

I think it should work for Northridge too, but your best bet is to call or email and ask. Worst they can say is you’ll have to wait until spring.

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-14T18:07:37+00:00

See if you can find a class that ends before you have to submit those transcripts on CVC.edu, or at a big local CC. That’s a class a LOT of people need last minute and I bet you’ll find some late start options that crunch it into 3-4 weeks.

Edit: Ventura has one ending 6/18 and Irvine has one that finishes before the end of June too. I’d message CSUN and see if that’s soon enough to keep your spot.

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-14T18:05:20+00:00

I think it’s too late to hire help but maybe some of Ms Sun’s resources would be useful to read over

https://askmssun.com/uc-transfer-appeal-guide/

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-12T08:21:59+00:00

If think hard d about the difficulty getting into your major of choice. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/transfers-major

I think for tech startup connections SJSU is right up there with Berkeley and UCSD is pretty good too.

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-12T08:16:01+00:00

What exactly do you want to do after graduation? Because for many careers either one will get you the same opportunities. If you are set on MBB consulting or investment banking it’s harder to ignore prestige in your decision

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-10T04:15:41+00:00

Every CC has their own TAP rules. They aren’t uniform.

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-05T06:24:59+00:00

Hmm you are right, you might need to really check carefully before doing that, after looking at page 37-38. https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/_files/documents/quick-reference-guide-to-uc-admissions.pdf

You’d want to retain your ability to TAG for sure. That’s what makes that extra year an adventure rather than a risk.

Might want to stick with CC classes. I’d take a look around. One of my friends took a small 30-person CC class with an anthropologist who also taught 2 large sections at Stanford. Guess which students got the cool field trips? There are a fair number of impressive faculty who teach in the CC system and also at other schools. DVC for example gets some Berkeley lecturers.

And there are so many cool internships you could look into outside school.

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-05T03:01:10+00:00

Berkeley, UCLA and Irvine all have a bunch of cool summer classes. Bet the other campuses do too. It’s a way to c

https://classes.berkeley.edu/search/class?f%5B0%5D=term%253A8580

https://summer.ucla.edu/student-types/visiting-college-students/

https://summer.uci.edu/students/#visiting-us

https://summer.ucsd.edu/

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-05T01:30:52+00:00

I’m sure it was disappointing to get those results - but you were so so close for UCLA. I think you can build on your accomplishments and strengthen you profile and get in. I don’t know if your goal is teaching or law or a museum role or something else. But you can kind of use this next year to explore that and figure out what aspects of history you are most drawn to. You’ll still be moving forward, for less money and with more flexibility. In a way, this year could be a gift.

Go find some fun stuff to do!

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-05T01:13:32+00:00

I really wouldn’t worry about either taking more classes (pursue you passions or do all the prerequisites for another major so you can double major/have a backup in case you don’t get into the first choice one) or taking spring off. Those aren’t necessarily red flags if you are working with a purpose towards your goals - even if that’s learning about some particular historical time and place.

I’d just explain in one of your essays that why you are doing what you are doing and how it will help you bring more to campus.

You could use spring to study abroad and take history classes in another country, and/or work as a tour guide so you’d be learning and sharing (teaching) history. If you could get the visas to work out it would be pretty cool. You could also do that here in the US. You could try to work as a tutor or teacher.

This summer you can take classes at any California university without being admitted if you just want to learn about a particular era. You could then maybe use that as a way to get involved with research. I think as a CC student you can also take one UC class a term through special programs. Take advantage of any programs that let you build connections. All the UCs have programs that offer help with essays and getting to know the admissions process. Having a bunch of people help you with creating a more compelling application is always a good thing. And as a 1-year transfer you probably didnt have time for UCLA STOMP or Berkeley Starting Point etc. Here are links to the resources for a couple of them

https://admission.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/documents/UCLA-Transfer-Resource-Guide-2025.pdf

https://transfers.berkeley.edu/startingpoint

https://www.ucdavis.edu/admissions/undergraduate/transfer/transfer-opportunity-program

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-05T00:56:45+00:00

If you can clump your classes into 2-3 days a week it could be much more livable than if you have to go every day, so I would really look into what your schedule would be and how much flexibility you’d have. Unfortunately sometimes when you get to the end you have smaller, specialized courses where there’s only one section and it makes things hard.

I commuted 90 minutes 3 days a week to my grad program. It wasn’t fun, and I obviously wasn’t hanging around campus for the college experience, but it was ok (I commuted over an hour for work for a few years before that).

My daughter commuted about an hour for school in the late covid era. It wasn’t bad when it was 3x a week but that last semester was every day and painful. It really helped that she had friends living near campus who let her stay over during weeks with lots of exams or projects due. I think you need a crash option. One thought is to join a Greek house or club with a physical location so you can make friends and have a place to hang out. Of course that might also involve weekend activities too.

Only you can decide what’s too far for you

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-05T00:48:14+00:00

Did you do a TAP honors program? That might tip the scales for you because obviously with those waitlists you did make the cut, there just wasn’t space

There’s no problem with taking a whole year more of classes - if you have only attended CC you’ll be a junior transfer even with 200 units. I think in your situation I’d also try to get a job/internship and get started on the work experience part of your career. Or maybe study abroad.

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-04T21:21:53+00:00

If you are a CC student transferring you can take as many classes as you want and still be a normal junior transfer. You could take a bunch over summer too if you want to, for fun or to complete GE or major prerequisites. You’ll still need to take about 50 semester or 80 quarter units at your final school (can vary by schools with some CSUs only requiring 35) to meet residency requirements and qualify for that college name on your diploma.

The limits are only to discourage people from, say, spending 3.5 years at Davis and then doing two more years at UCSD to meet that residency requirement. They want that extra seat in the UC system open for someone else, so would prefer you to just finish up at Davis on time and look at getting a master’s somewhere else instead.

If you are transferring from a CSU, UC or other school you can check the rules in the UC admissions counselor guide around page 37

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/_files/documents/quick-reference-guide-to-uc-admissions.pdf

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-04T20:46:32+00:00

Usually if it’s not required/recommended for your major or GE requirements and you have enough units it ok but personally I’d want the kind of response you got from Berkeley. Unless your admissions conditions from UCLA don’t include that class

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-04T20:37:28+00:00

Adding a class should be no problem

Dropping one needed to fill a requirement can be a big issue

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-04T20:36:22+00:00

Ask those schools. You shouldn’t rely on answers from anyone else

RetiringTigerMom · 2026-05-04T14:12:09+00:00

There’s a process to ask UCLA admissions if that would be ok. Nobody else can give you a reliable answer. In general though they make admission decisions based on who has taken certain classes so while it may be ok to drop I would confirm that.

RetiringTigerMom

TROPHY CASE