There is an excellent site for planning transferring to the UC and CSU systems. The deadlines for Fall 2019 are mostly past for both UC and CSU for transfers, however.

www.assist.org Shows transferable coursework from CA CC students to the CSU or UC campuses. Also shows recommended and/or required coursework for transferring to specific majors.

For transfering to private schools or out-of-state (non-CA) public schools, there is not a similar go-to recommendation for sites, so the best place to look is always the college's transfer admissions website.

Transfer students sometimes need to submit test scores, sometimes not. The UC and CSUs do not consider test scores for transfer admission.

Dewey

Hello, I do. Thanks for asking!

Hi John, All UC applicants are required to complete one full year of art in the same subject area. This could be, for example, Photo 1 (one semester) and Photo 2 (another semester - not necessarily the next semester.) Or it could be one full-year of Photo 1. Any visual or performing art (including dance, music, theatre) counts for the requirement. Many out-of-state students have only one semester of two different arts. In this case, the application may show a definciency prior to submitting, BUT the app can still be submitted and then the flagged application will usually be approved for admissions review by an admissions counselor - who knows that out-of-state students often cannot meet this requirement. A similar scenario exists for out-of-state students who do not have even one-year of art. Either way, the additional information section in the UC application can be used to explain the student's situation. Bottomline: A deficiency in the art requirement for an out-of-state student will generally not impact their eligibility for admissions.

Great question. PG years are typically offered at private high schools in the US, especially prep schools on the East coast. For example, I attended Deerfield Academy in MA and we had PG students on campus every year. The pros of a PG year is that it affords the student an additional opportunity to prepare for college - academically, socially and athletically. Often, PGs (as they're called) are athletes looking to develop and grow to enhance their recruitment potential. Some PGs, including athletes, benefit from the extra coursework to show colleges they are academically ready for the next step. Students are able to study higher level math, for example, and take more AP/Honors courses. Students also gain an extra year to mature socially and emotionally, which can be beneficial for young students who aren't quite ready to transition to college. And since PGs usually are boarding students, they gain that transitional experience of living away from home in the more structured environment of a private high school. This experience is invaluable for the upcoming transition to college. Finally, the PG year allows for more in depth commitment to your activities: another year playing in an orchestra, another year doing debate, etc. This extra time also allows for continued development as a leader - all things that colleges love to see in their applicants!

The only significant con with doing a PG year is that you are doing an extra year of high school. Most students are ready to be done with high school and be moving on to the college experience, so the thought of a 5th year of high school can be utterly unappealing. If this is the case, and the above pros don't make sense, then the PG year is not for you!

Here is a link to information about Deerfield's PG Year.

Great question! This really depends on you. I recommend taking a full length practice ACT and SAT in a proctored/test-like environment - preferrably early on a Saturday morning! Then, based on your results and how you felt while taking each practice test, you decide which test to prepare for and take first! If aftering taking your first test you decide to try the other test, then you can. Preparing for either test first will teach you strategies that apply to the other test, but I do recommend doing structured preparation (online or in-person) for the other test if you decide to take it!