u/AceNSF

Good morning everyone, I (21M) live in San Diego and was just rejected by UCLA and UCSD for undergraduate psychology and need some advice on how to pivot so that I may find the success I’m looking for. First I’ll start by saying that rejection is part of the process and though it sucks and I do feel bad, I can’t just give up and need to find out what my best option is now and move forward with that. That being said, here is my situation:

I Just got rejected from UCLA and UCSD for undergraduate psychology, but have been accepted to CSUSM. Currently CSUSM is my only option if I want to transfer right now but I have been considering delaying transfer for another year so that I may apply to SDSU since I believe they have a significantly better program with more opportunities. Down the road I want to achieve my PhD and I know to do that I must have a strong background in research prior to applying. I know that CSUSM has research opportunities, but from my understanding they have a lot less in comparison to SDSU since SDSU is an R1 school. Lots of people tell me that “where you go to school doesn’t matter” or “you’ll just have to work harder to catch up to the people at UCSD” and while I understand that sentiment, I also think that to a degree where I go to school does matter since those are the opportunities at my disposal. I don’t want to make the mistake of rushing to transfer because I feel like I’m behind or taking too long at community college just to transfer into a college that doesn’t really align with/support my future goals. This cycle I wasn’t able to apply to SDSU but next cycle I would be, and based off what I’ve read and my current/projected academic standing I would be admitted into SDSU 100%. Additionally, my community college has some joint research opportunities between it and SDSU that I can apply to so that I may get some research experience prior to transfer and have a greater chance of joining a lab post-transfer, though it is important to note that I am describing this research opportunity off my memory and I heard about this at a time when I wasn’t considering SDSU (basically just saying I need to ask some faculty about this to clarify what the opportunity even actually is).

I don’t hate CSUSM nor am I trying to bash on it, but I do wonder if going to CSUSM would hold me back and if it really is just worth it for me to be patient, wait just one year, and go into a far better program for my situation.

Sorry if at any point this post left out information or was hard to follow. I am writing this at 4am after on and off sleeping. If there is any clarification or additional info you guys would like, please ask! I’m honestly just looking for advice!

TL:DR —> Should I accept my offer to CSUSM now or wait another year and transfer to SDSU for undergraduate psychology when my long term goal is to achieve my PhD?