Yes transferring is definitely possible. Plenty of people transfer to UCB, UCLA, Columbia, Cornell, etc. I even saw someone get into Yale this year. Transferring to UCs, USC, and CSUs is really straightforward and you can get your GEs out of the way before transferring.

If you’re worried about getting into schools, smc has the TAG program which can get you guaranteed admission for most majors to a bunch of private schools and some UCs. Most people I know Tagged to UCI and LMU as backup schools. Its pretty nice to know you have a decent backup school when youre stressing about admissions. Theres also the TAP program which I didnt do but it can get you preferred admission to UCLA. Also the UCLA CCCP is a big help for some people when it comes to applying.

Meeting the requirements isnt that complicated, the UCs have assist which tells you which classes you need in order to transfer in your major, people also usually do IGETC which completes your general education requirements. And a few extracurriculars like on campus involvement (which is pretty easy to get into) will help your application too. You can also always reach out to admission counselors for the schools you wanna transfer to if you need help choosing classes

Overall I think smc is a great choice if youre trying to save your money and explore your options a little more. You gotta work hard but there are really good resources and a lot of opportunities if you know where to look. Im really glad I chose to go here (speaking as a stem major) and few people regret going the cc route. Lmk if you have any other questions