Oceanside CA— MiraCosta College and UCLA are teaming up for a first-of-its kind information session aimed at veterans and active duty military members enrolled in a community college who are interested in transferring to the University of California campus.
The event sponsored by the UCLA Undergraduate Admissions Office is set for Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. at MiraCosta College’s Concert Hall, 1 Barnard Drive, in Oceanside. The program is open to active duty and veterans at any community college in San Diego and Imperial counties.
“We strive to provide all the support we can to our active duty and military veterans in the region, and we’re hoping this session will help provide a smooth and seamless transition for anyone who is interested in transferring to UCLA,” said Dr. Lise Flocken, faculty director of the MiraCosta College Transfer Center.
Those attending the session will hear from UCLA admissions representatives and will leave with an abundance of information on applying to the Westwood campus. Anyone interested in attending should register online at www.admission.ucla.edu/events/transfer.
Nearly 21,000 active-duty military, military dependents and military veterans are enrolled at community colleges in San Diego and Imperial counties. UCLA sought to work with MiraCosta College because of its extensive outreach to veterans and its large population of students who have served or are serving in the armed forces. More than 1,700 active duty and military veterans are enrolled at MiraCosta College, which sits just a few miles south of the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base.
“I am a big advocate of outreach to service members and veterans,” said Brendan Duffy, a retired Marine Corps sergeant who transferred from MiraCosta College to UCLA in 2006 and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics two years later. “I think that the community college-to-UC/CSU track is one of the few remaining paths to upward mobility, and I think that members of the military community should do everything they can to take advantage of California’s high quality – and highly subsidized – opportunities. Nowhere else in the country can you take classes for under $50 per unit that will provide you with a clear and direct path to a top-30 research university.”
This is the first time UCLA’s Admissions Office has held a veterans outreach event such as this, said Jessica Romero, a senior assistant director for the office. Check in for the Oct. 21 session begins at 12:30 p.m., and a light lunch will be served.