You may be asking yourself why I think I'm at all qualified to run a blog all about college, transferring, etc. My credentials are as follows: I was obsessed with college admissions for the longest time. There isn't a subreddit I haven't read through, a college prep YouTube account I haven't binged, or a corner of the UC application I don't know. Senior year, I prepared for every part of every application as hard as I could and was still shocked when admissions season didn't go anywhere near the way I expected it to. 4 waitlists, not enough financial aid, spring admit deals, you name it, I dealt with it. Since then, I've been to an out of state 4-year university, community college, and soon will commit to yet another 4-year university. However, this blog functions not as an overload of data but rather a space for relatability and comfort for those, like me, on a non-conventional college journey. 

  

 

        I'll be honest, I was a community college sceptic coming out of high school—that was the reason I chose a 4-year university in the first place. During that semester I spent out of state, I joined Greek life and clubs, lived in the dorms, made wonderful friends, and basically adhered to the standard "college experience" checklist. But, no matter how many things I flooded my schedule with, I couldn't shake the imagery of sitting at my college graduation and wishing it was a different university. I wanted my ideal college experience and I simply didn't feel like I could find that at my first university. After weeks went by of wanting out of a school that felt so far from who I am, I looked into community college. 

 

 

 

        Growing up in California, I've had the privilege of knowing that community college was always an accessible option for me. After looking into it further, I realized just how many benefits community college could offer that I would have never have known to take advantage of. For example, California community college students gain access to programs like TAP and TAG which can increase admit rates or literally guarantee admission to UC schools. Beyond that, community college is 100% free...so I was sold. 

 

 

        I left my university 1 semester later alongside my 17.5 credits (none of which transferred) and enrolled in community college. I completed my freshman year there and will spend my entire sophomore year finishing up my lower-division courses there as well. As I go through this journey of (hopefully) transferring to one of my dream schools, I want to become the guide that I wish I had when I made the leap to start this whole process. My TikTok account has had such great responses from community college and transfer students—lots of DMs full of similar stories and wonderful questions—and I want a bit more space to open up honestly about this process without the constraints of social media marketing tactics. So, if you're in community college, thinking about transferring, or are almost there, welcome! It can be a long and lonely process but hey, community is in the name, so lets make one :)