Are Eight Semesters at Community College Too Many for UCSD Transfer?

[ActionPotential]

I have an academic planning issue. Since I never had any interest in mathematics or mathematical sciences in high school, I never took a course past Algebra/Trigonometry, and didn’t pay attention to any of my physics or chemistry courses. After I graduated high school, and started to read a lot of philosophy, I started to realize how enthralled I was by the nature of logic, and that my subjective, empirical model of reality, deconstructed into one which correlated exactly to the thought paradigm which emerges out of mathematics and mathematical sciences. I decided I wanted to do physics and maths, but I had absolutely no mathematics or science background.

Currently, I am attending community college, and I have a TAG (transfer agreement), which states that I will transfer into UC-San Diego (UCSD), after I complete the necessary pre-requisites. I have finished all of the General Education requirements, necessary for transfer, and I could easily transfer into UCSD after completing the semester following this next one, however, my dilemma is that the I want to transfer into the physics and/or mathematics department, and both of these departments ‘strongly recommend’ completing the maths up to Differential Equations, and physics up to 196C.

http://www.assist.org/web-assist/re...&oia=UCSD&aay=05-06&ay=05-06&dora=PHYSICS-BIO

Am I going to experience problems with the fact that I will have spent 8 semesters at a community college, and will I be accumulating to many credits from taking all of these courses? I am worried I will transfer into UCSD and have too many credits and have a hard time taking the necessary upper-division physics and math courses. Am I going to have a hard time getting into graduate school, considering I had to take this many courses?

------------ Previous Semesters, I have already completed ---------------

Semester I:

Psychology 101
Philosophy 102A
Algebra

Semester II:

French 101
English 101
Trigonometry
Philosophy 102B

Semester III:

Biology 107
English 205
Psychology 260
Precalculus

This is my proposed course schedule after this semester is complete. If you think I should modify it slightly, or have any suggestions, I am down to hear them. Some of the courses are filler courses, so that I am full-time. I work 30 hours per week at a law firm in downtown San Diego, in addition to school, as well, so would this help me when I have to explain why I took so many semesters at a community college? The reasons I do not want to transfer, are because, 1), I have a board of governors fee waiver, which waives the tuition fee each semester, making school essentially free, aside from the books that I have to purchase. 2), It has been recommended that I complete all of these courses prior to transfer, so I want to do that.

Semester IV:

Calculus I
Biology 235
Chemistry 152
French 102

Semester V:

Calculus II
Chemistry 200
Physics 196A
C++ Programming

Semester VI:

Calculus III
Physics 196B
Chemistry 201

Semester VII:

Linear Algebra
Physics 196C
Organic Chemistry

Semester VIII:

Differential Equations
Discrete Mathematics
Statistics

 

[proton]

I don't think UCSD will care that it will take you 8 semesters to transfer. I don't think grad school will care you've taken so many classes either. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but I think you can not have some of the courses youve already taken at the communiy college not transfer their units to ucsd.

If I were you, unless money is a real issue for you, I would try to get out of the community colelge and trasfer as soon as possible. I've been there and it really is a waste of time, considering its hard to have a good social life there and the students and professors are not as bright as ucsd's.

youre doign math and physics right? then why are you taking french, biology, chemisty, o-chem, discrete math and stats?
you should only need 1 semester of chem and math up to calc 3, lin alg and DEs

 

[ActionPotential]

I don't think UCSD will care that it will take you 8 semesters to transfer. I don't think grad school will care you've taken so many classes either. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but I think you can not have some of the courses youve already taken at the communiy college not transfer their units to ucsd.

If I were you, unless money is a real issue for you, I would try to get out of the community colelge and trasfer as soon as possible. I've been there and it really is a waste of time, considering its hard to have a good social life there and the students and professors are not as bright as ucsd's.

My social life is fine, I live with my girlfriend and we go to school together. If you mean an 'academic social life,' then I guess that is something different. I don't want to transfer there immediately, because I have to transfer into their major program (I think, right?), and they really want you to have the maths and physics done before you come, so you can start taking the upper-division courses there (unless I misunderstand)?

youre doign math and physics right? then why are you taking french, biology, chemisty, o-chem, discrete math and stats?
you should only need 1 semester of chem and math up to calc 3, lin alg and DEs

I am doing Biophysics. That involves the physics of biology. I provided a link with the pre-requisites required to transfer into the biophysics program. It involves all of those chemistry and biology courses (except organic chemistry). The reason I have french, is because you have to take two semesters of a foreign language, to transfer into UCSD. It is not that I want to take it, I have to take it. I have a few filler courses in there, such as discrete math and stats, because I want to be considered full-time and I ran out of courses to take.

Is there a better option for transfer? I assumed the TAG (Transfer Agreement), which is a contract that guarantees my transfer, was the best method for transfer, however, I have to follow the necessary stipulations for transfer, outlined here: http://www.sdcity.edu/transfer/programs/tag/TAG%20GE.pdf

I had planned on transferring to Revelle but I think I am going to transfer into Marshell, instead. Each school has specific stipulations.

Any insight, or suggestions you have are great, esepcially since you have gone through this process already.