UC and CSUs Limit Transfer Admits

It's no secret that with the U.S.'s economy spiraling down the tubes, California has fallen on hard financial times.

In recent months, Californians have seen a lot of state budget cuts. They've read that the state has forced government workers to
take weekday furloughs.

What's most concerning for SMC students, is hearing that UC and the CSU systems have lowered the number of transfer admits.

Surprisingly, SMC students and those from other California community colleges are in a
relatively better position than other prospective applicants.

While many California public colleges are cutting their freshman enrollment, some are raising their number of transfer acceptances.
UC San Diego and UC Davis are among these schools. Both these universities have increased their transfer admittance by 500 students, Dan Nannini, SMC's Transfer Center Coordinator, said.

However, this doesn't mean that community college students have it easy. While students won't face a decrease in transfer admission slots, they will still encounter
increasing challenges en route to a four-year school , mainly because California's community colleges are being flooded with
new students.

"Across the state, enrollments at California Community Colleges are surging, in large part due to the state's economic downturn,"
a letter from the California Community Colleges' Chancellors' Office said.

SMC now has 33,000 students enrolled in classes this spring. This is a 2,000-student increase from last spring. This swelling enrollment means fewer parking spots, more
prospective transfer applicants and
ultimately more competition.

As a result, some schools could take steps that would make admittance much more difficult. "We could see a rise in necessary
GPA for UCLA and UC Berkeley," said Nannini.
With UC Berkeley reporting an average admittance GPA between 3.69 and 3.70, and UCLA reporting 3.50, this seems hard to imagine.

Considering the UC President's website states that a record-setting 126,701 students applied to a UC for fall 2009 (which includes an 11.9 percent increase of transfer applicants from last year), it seems
like a possibility.

But students shouldn't worry, Nannini said. They should just "prioritize correctly."
"Don't buy the latest edition of Guitar Hero, and take an Econ class instead," Nannini, said. He also suggests students get
their major preparation, English and math requirements, completed as soon as possible.

Most students that applied for Fall 2009 are simply relieved to have the whole process in the past. While they wait to see if they've
been accepted, some are just happy to be in school. "I am...relieved," said Jennifer
Fondo-Cohen, an SMC student and current UC transfer applicant.

Fondo- Cohen said she's happy to compete for a spot at a four-year school instead of for work out in the currently dismal job market.
"I have seen many friends... have much difficulty in finding or keeping jobs. I feel fortunate," she said.