Irvine Valley College - The Blue Ocean Strategy to UCLA or UC Berkeley

Just curious.. With UC admissions removing the SAT requirements since 2020, are they admitting student solely based on GPA, class rank, and extra curricular? Would love hear from Parents who have kids attending college next year.
Hand written and in person is best. In business and schooling. You can show them what you can offer as parents.
 
But do they advertise an "unlimited" number of admissions? I doubt it.
I believe Georgia Tech admits all those that they think will be able to complete the program. This has increased the number of CS Master's degrees awarded tremendously (they graduated 10,000 alumni in their first 10 years).

Instead of capping majors, I wish the UCs would find solutions to increase the supply. Access to education should have low barriers.
 
I believe Georgia Tech admits all those that they think will be able to complete the program. This has increased the number of CS Master's degrees awarded tremendously (they graduated 10,000 alumni in their first 10 years).

Instead of capping majors, I wish the UCs would find solutions to increase the supply. Access to education should have low barriers.
Top UCs capping CS/Engineering majors has nothing to do with "access to education". This doesn't prevent students from getting access to lower tier UC or CSU schools. The programs at Berkeley and UCLA are a lot tougher than the lower tiers. That's why can't just let anyone having access to them. You even said it yourself, Georgia Tech admits those that they think will be able to complete the program. So they're not admitting everyone.

Also, obtaining a Master's degree is easier than obtaining a Bachelor's degree because the students admitted into the graduate program has already completed the undergraduate program. You can't say the same for high school graduates going into college.
 
I am not sure if you are looking at CS Master's degrees at Tech for yourself or for your kids in the future. I don't believe there is any online bachelor degrees at Georgia Tech. As recently as 2011 Georgia Tech's admission was fairly easy to get in with a 51% acceptance rate. Today Georgia Tech's admission is the third most difficult Public University to get into after UCLA and UC Berkeley. For Georgia residents, the State pays for your child's tuition and fees if he or she maintains a 3.0 GPA, which makes the 4 year cost to attend Tech right around $75k. That is Max ROI.

I remember when I first posted about how Georgia Tech will become an elite public university around 15 years ago, and got laughed at by some FCB in Woodbury telling me, "Panda, Georgia Tech is no where on the radar among Asian Tiger Moms in Irvine." I am here to tell this FCB in Woodbury that Georgia Tech now on the RADAR!

tech.jpg
I believe Georgia Tech admits all those that they think will be able to complete the program. This has increased the number of CS Master's degrees awarded tremendously (they graduated 10,000 alumni in their first 10 years).

Instead of capping majors, I wish the UCs would find solutions to increase the supply. Access to education should have low barriers.
 
Last edited:
I am not sure if you are looking at CS Master's degrees at Tech for yourself or for your kids in the future. I don't believe there is any online bachelor degrees at Georgia Tech. As recently as 2011 Georgia Tech's admission was fairly easy to get in with a 51% acceptance rate. Today Georgia Tech's admission is the third most difficult Public University to get into after UCLA and UC Berkeley. For Georgia residents, the State pays for your child's tuition and fees if he or she maintains a 3.0 GPA, which makes the 4 year cost to attend Tech right around $75k. That is Max ROI.

I remember when I first posted about how Georgia Tech will become an elite public university around 15 years ago, and got laughed at by some FCB in Woodbury telling me, "Panda, Georgia Tech is no where on the radar among Asian Tiger Moms in Irvine." I am here to tell this FCB in Woodbury that Georgia Tech now on the RADAR!

You were 100% right about how Georgia Tech trended! After years of thinking about Columbia/Stanford/USC's Distance Learning/Online Masters in CS and not doing it because of the cost (~$65k is what I recall), I was elated to hear about Georgia Tech offering OMSCS (~$7k). I finished the program in 2016. I really do wish they or someone else like them expanded into offering a Bachelors in CS in the same manner.
 
Top UCs capping CS/Engineering majors has nothing to do with "access to education". This doesn't prevent students from getting access to lower tier UC or CSU schools. The programs at Berkeley and UCLA are a lot tougher than the lower tiers. That's why can't just let anyone having access to them. You even said it yourself, Georgia Tech admits those that they think will be able to complete the program. So they're not admitting everyone.
I'm saying.. find ways to increase or get rid of the cap. Yeah, not everyone is going to be able to do certain programs but there are way more that are capable of it than are admitted.
 
I believe that you mentioned before that IVC / UCLA transfer is fairly easy to do for a non-capped major. I recently noticed that Business Econ / Economics in the School of Letters and Sciences is a capped major at UCLA. Is it literally impossible for an IVC student to transfer to UCLA as a Business / Econ major?
Top UCs capping CS/Engineering majors has nothing to do with "access to education". This doesn't prevent students from getting access to lower tier UC or CSU schools. The programs at Berkeley and UCLA are a lot tougher than the lower tiers. That's why can't just let anyone having access to them. You even said it yourself, Georgia Tech admits those that they think will be able to complete the program. So they're not admitting everyone.

Also, obtaining a Master's degree is easier than obtaining a Bachelor's degree because the students admitted into the graduate program has already completed the undergraduate program. You can't say the same for high school graduates going into college.
 
Pre-internet, you just could not get a higher education without physically being at one of these institutions. Now, it has been possible for many years yet the institutions don’t want to give up their brand. If everyone could get a degree from Harvard, how special would it be?

Not all majors but many could be done completely remotely. Georgia Tech offers a Masters in Computer Science that can be done completely online. But it hasn’t been adopted much beyond that.

Honestly you could just do the same concept online by having your kids attend something like Western Governors University. But I suppose you don't want to give up the brand either ;)
 
Honestly you could just do the same concept online by having your kids attend something like Western Governors University. But I suppose you don't want to give up the brand either ;)
Sad, but true. The brand is definitely a signal to employers. The brand universities would be risking their reputations by offering their credentials to 10x more students. I'm pleasantly surprised that the CS Masters program at Georgia Tech is still ranked well.
 
I believe that you mentioned before that IVC / UCLA transfer is fairly easy to do for a non-capped major. I recently noticed that Business Econ / Economics in the School of Letters and Sciences is a capped major at UCLA. Is it literally impossible for an IVC student to transfer to UCLA as a Business / Econ major?
I am a parent of high school senior who forfeited their acceptances to a few CSU and UCs and decided to go to IVC for 2 years and transfer to UCLA. Anecdotally, there are substantially more students going this route than have been historically. Transfer admissions are getting more and more competitive. UCLA business/econ is very competitive and the chance to get in even with 4.0 CC GPA and ECs is not high. It's still worth it, I think. There are other somewhat related majors that are not as popular as business - financial math, statistics. Their acceptance rate is 2-3 times higher than business.
 
@IrvineRes,

Congratulations on guiding your high school senior to the IVC/UCLA pathway. I definitely think it is worth it and it is much easier get in thru IVC vs your child to rank in the top 10% at the top high schools in IUSD.

From what I have observed, one IVC student got waited listed with a 3.9 CC GPA which is one B and straight As. Another IVC student got into UCLA as a business/econ major with a 3.9 CC GPA (Straight As with one B in Calc II) I think for any capped majors for UCLA, and IVC students needs a 3.9 GPA or higher and a 3.7 or higher GPA for a non capped major : financial math, stats, etc. I consider the UCLA brand at the same level as the second tier IVY colleges (i.e. beating Dartmouth in US News ranking) for fraction of the cost.
I am a parent of high school senior who forfeited their acceptances to a few CSU and UCs and decided to go to IVC for 2 years and transfer to UCLA. Anecdotally, there are substantially more students going this route than have been historically. Transfer admissions are getting more and more competitive. UCLA business/econ is very competitive and the chance to get in even with 4.0 CC GPA and ECs is not high. It's still worth it, I think. There are other somewhat related majors that are not as popular as business - financial math, statistics. Their acceptance rate is 2-3 times higher than business.
 
I am a parent of high school senior who forfeited their acceptances to a few CSU and UCs and decided to go to IVC for 2 years and transfer to UCLA. Anecdotally, there are substantially more students going this route than have been historically. Transfer admissions are getting more and more competitive. UCLA business/econ is very competitive and the chance to get in even with 4.0 CC GPA and ECs is not high. It's still worth it, I think. There are other somewhat related majors that are not as popular as business - financial math, statistics. Their acceptance rate is 2-3 times higher than business.
I'm assuming UCLA is their college of choice?

I think this is a good move, free IVC tuition for 2 years and no housing cost (if you're not kicking them out :) ).

A fellow irvinehomeowner has done this with 2 of their kids, one to UCLA and the other to UCI... seems to be working out for them. The UCI one they are going to save on all housing costs!

By the way... just found out that several OC private high schools cost MORE than UC tuition. Crazy!
 
Here are the Capped Majors at UCLA. If it is much easier for your child to get into UCLA (2-3 better chance i.e. financial math, stats, etc) than thru a capped major like business econ.. GO FOR IT!!!.

Your son can get all the business education he needs from reading good business books and experience after college. The UCLA brand is definitely worth it in my opinion. The Business / Econ at UCLA isn't even a real undergraduate business degree, but a theoritical econ degree with sprinkles of accounting classes offered from their Liberal Arts College, not from Anderson School of Management. I would not let the (Business / Econ capped major) be a hindrance for your child to be accepted to UCLA thru IVC.

UCLA non capped major > UC RIverside capped major
capped.jpguc.jpg
 
Last edited:
Here are the Capped Majors at UCLA. If it is much easier for your child to get into UCLA (2-3 better chance i.e. financial math, stats, etc) than thru a capped major like business econ.. GO FOR IT!!!.

Your son can get all the business education he needs from good books and experience after college. The UCLA brand is definitely worth it in my opinion. The Business / Econ at UCLA isn't even a real undergraduate business degree, but a theoritical econ degree with sprinkles of accounting classes offered from their Liberal Arts College, not from Anderson School of Management. I would not let (the Business / Econ degree) be a hindrance for your child to be accepted to UCLA thru IVC.

UCLA non capped major > UC RIverside capped major
View attachment 9754View attachment 9755
UCLA is the college of choice, even though my student did not even apply there out of high school. Situation with the protests, encampments and administration hands off approach to these are very concerning though, so who knows what college of choice will be in 2 years!
 
In my opinion, for your high school senior to rank in the top 34% at Irvine Valley College is 10 times easier than to rank in the top 10% at an ultra competitive IUSD high school i.e. Northwood / University High Irvine.

I am a parent of high school senior who forfeited their acceptances to a few CSU and UCs and decided to go to IVC for 2 years and transfer to UCLA. Anecdotally, there are substantially more students going this route than have been historically. Transfer admissions are getting more and more competitive. UCLA business/econ is very competitive and the chance to get in even with 4.0 CC GPA and ECs is not high. It's still worth it, I think. There are other somewhat related majors that are not as popular as business - financial math, statistics. Their acceptance rate is 2-3 times higher than business.
ivc.jpg
 
Here are the Capped Majors at UCLA. If it is much easier for your child to get into UCLA (2-3 better chance i.e. financial math, stats, etc) than thru a capped major like business econ.. GO FOR IT!!!.

Your son can get all the business education he needs from reading good business books and experience after college. The UCLA brand is definitely worth it in my opinion. The Business / Econ at UCLA isn't even a real undergraduate business degree, but a theoritical econ degree with sprinkles of accounting classes offered from their Liberal Arts College, not from Anderson School of Management. I would not let the (Business / Econ capped major) be a hindrance for your child to be accepted to UCLA thru IVC.

UCLA non capped major > UC RIverside capped major
View attachment 9754

The business economics degree sounds heavier on economics than on business, and looks like it leans more theoretical than practical. I would rather have my kids receive a traditional business education somewhere else. With this major, you also need to factor in the additional cost of a graduate education, since that is what it's preparing you for based on the description below.

Business Economics Major

The Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics offers a major for students seeking a business orientation in their study of economics. It does not replicate the traditional undergraduate business school curriculum. Instead, it offers a more tightly focused curriculum that is guided by the rigorous logic and integrative perspective of economics. It is designed to prepare students for graduate education in business, economics, and law. The program requires students to include specific courses offered by the department and the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management

Learning Objectives​

Upon completion of the Business Economics major, students will have achieved the following learning objectives:
  • Understanding, through application of microeconomics, of the interaction of individuals and organizations in markets; and of the role of public policy in shaping those interactions
  • Understanding, through application of macroeconomics, of the functioning of market economies at regional, national, and global levels; and of the role of public policy in shaping those interactions
  • Understanding and application of accounting principles to analysis of business problems
  • Acquisition and use of data to evaluate hypotheses with tables, charts, and statistical analyses
  • Use of appropriate analytical perspectives and approaches to frame problems involving the interaction of people, organizations, markets, and society; identify effective strategic approaches to problem solving; and gather and organize key information to facilitate problem solving
 
Back
Top