Transfering from UC to UC?

I haven’t transfered from UC to UC. However I am an academic advisor at a UC school. What I recommend for students who want to transfer from UC to UC is to work on completing your general education requirements. If you do that you can obtain a letter of reciprocity from UCSD and take it to the other UC that you are admitted to, which will clear most of your general education requirements for that UC.

Since UCSD doesn’t have a Business Major I would really focus on getting a high GPA in your General Education classes and contact UCLA and Cal’s Haas school to see what type of lower division courses you should take at UCSD to prepare you for a Business degree (like what level of calculus or any economics classes). The UC you are transfering to will want to see that you can perform well academically in a UC setting since not all students do well their first quarter, especially due to pace of the quarter system and the self-directed study that the professors expect from you.

As far as admissions goes you will be competing in the transfer pool which can be more selective, especially since priority is sometimes given to students with a community college transfer student admission guarentee. So keep transfering as an option, but also give UCSD a chance and work to build relationships with students there. Don’t isolate yourself thinking that you’ll be transfering to another school so there’s no point to build relationships with other students. Also know that you can be any major and still get your MBA. MBA programs look for students with business work experience and rarely admit students after completing their undergraduate degree. Internships and work experience at UCSD might help fill some gaps that you were looking for in a buisness program at another UC and will look great at any business firm or MBA program you apply to.

According to the University of California:

Intercampus Transfers

After you enroll at a UC campus, it may be possible for you to transfer to another UC campus. Applications for intercampus transfer are considered in light of the applicant’s personal circumstances and the availability of space in the prospective major. Students who want to transfer from one UC campus to another must submit an application for undergraduate admission during the appropriate filing period. Some campuses do not accept intercampus transfers who have completed more than 120 quarter (80 semester) units. Students who satisfy the lower division general education/breadth requirements at a UC campus prior to transferring to another UC campus are considered to have satisfied the lower division general education breadth requirements at the UC campus to which they transfer. At UCR, this option is not available to students transferring to The Bourns College of Engineering. At UCSD, transfer reciprocity is available to students transferring to Warren, Marshall, Muir and Sixth colleges. Students who select Revelle or Eleanor Roosevelt college must satisfy the general education requirements of that college.

Source: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/transfer/tr_inter_camp.html

In general, you would apply for admission to the campus you want just as other transfer students (from community colleges) in your sophomore year (to transfer when you are a junior). Policies may vary a bit from campus to campus, so you want to check with the campus to which you intend to transfer (you can search “intercampus transfer” on the campus web site).

My advice is to do your first year at the school you were accepted to and then do the transfer. They’ll look at your UC GPA and not worry about high school record. First year is all general ed curriculum anyway and it doesn’t matter what school you’re in.