From JC to UC to MS Degree
I'm going to tell you right now to go to a JC because it's a second chance to be admitted to your dream school.
So you didn't get into the university that you wanted and now you don't know if you should go to a JC or to a second choice university. I'm going to tell you right now to go to the JC because it's a second chance to be admitted to your dream school.
My philosophy during high school was to do the bare minimum needed to graduate. You can probably imagine the shock when I found out that I couldn't apply to a university because I didn't complete the required prerequisites. Yup, I couldn't even apply to a university. But after 3 months of anger and sadness, I started college at my local JC.
Now, looking back on my college journey, I realized that going to a JC allowed me to reinvent my whole academic career. By going to a JC I was able to leave everything from high school behind including my grades. Armed with this new information I worked hard and aimed high. I had goals and my first was to get out of community college and into the University of California system as soon as possible. What I didn't realize was that college isn't about the end goal(s) it's about the journey.Fast forward to today, we all graduated from prestigious universities.
![]() |
Graduation from JC College of the Sequoias |
After 2 years I graduated with my AA in Mathematics & Science Honors with a 3.98 GPA. Shortly after I transferred to my dream school, UC Santa Cruz, and got my first choice major.
I was given the attention I needed in order to be successful.
![]() |
Graduation from UC Santa Cruz |
Currently, I'm at California State University, Fresno and have 1 more year until I complete my MSc in Chemistry. After graduation, I wanted to give back to the community that helped me succeed so I returned to the Central Valley to teach chemistry at CSUF and at statewide non-profit organizations.
I didn't have to sacrifice nor did I settle on my universities.
Now that I'm about to finish my graduate degree and am currently a teaching associate at the university level, below are the following reasons I advocate for JCs:
![]() |
Presentation at First Graduate Research Conference with PI and Undergraduate Research Assistants |
- My high school GPA and history were essentially erased and all academic decisions were based on my JC record.
- I was able to learn and maintain good study habits while my parents helped me with laundry, cooking, etc.
- I paid $2,000 a semester for one-on-one attention from an instructor. Mind you at the university level, especially at research-focused institutions, the low-level courses often have 200-300 students per professor.
- JCs have cohorts for science majors to help them associate with like-minded people and create support groups.
- JCs have transfer guarantee agreements with the UC system. All you need is a >3.0 GPA and the required classes to guarantee your admission.
- There is a higher chance of transfer from a JC than from another 4-year university.
- You are able to secure letters of recommendations from instructors that know you on a personal level.
If you have any questions about my journey from JC to MSc Degree or want to know how I made my three transfers feel free to leave a comment or contact me. I have also previously written a post that contains all of the information you need to successfully transfer from a California JC to the UC and CSU systems that can be found here.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Comments
Post a Comment