A college counselor friend of mine likes to tell the story of Matthew, a student with a dream to go to UC Berkeley. Upon meeting with Mathew, my friend reviewed his clients test scores and grades. Since his scores and grades were good but not great, my friend recommended that Matthew consider other UC schools. UC Berkeley, my friend told Matthew, was a long shot.  Somewhat disheartened, the student agreed to apply to UC Merced as well UC Berkeley. While not his top choice, U

Getting into one of the University of California schools is a competitive process; one that requires strong grades and a good test score. And even if you have good grades and a good test score, admission is not guaranteed.  Or is it? Good news because if your dream is to attend a UC, there is a way to guarantee admission.  As of August 2017, six of the nine UCs (Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz) offer a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) for Ca