What community college classes should I take for general ed transfer to a Cal State?

I'm at a community college planning my transfer to Cal State and want to knock out general education requirements first. What classes should I prioritize to make the transfer smoother?

It's great that you're taking proactive steps to plan your course schedule most effectively. To make the most of your time at a community college, it's important to ensure the classes you take will satisfy the lower-division general education requirements at the Cal State you plan to transfer to.

Firstly, based on the general education breadth requirements for all the Cal State (CSU) campuses, you should be looking at courses that fall into the following areas:

1) Oral and Written Communication

2) Critical Thinking

3) Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning

4) Arts and Humanities

5) Social and Behavioral Sciences

6) Physical and Biological Sciences.

However, each Cal State may have slightly different requirements or classifications for general education courses. The most reliable source to check which community college courses articulate Cal State's general education requirements is the online tool called "ASSIST." ASSIST stands for Articulation System Stimulating Interinstitutional Student Transfer. It is the official database listing every community college course approved to satisfy a CSU lower-division general education and major-specific requirement.

In case you're not familiar: you enter your community college and the Cal State you're interested in, and it shows exactly how each course will transfer and count towards your general education requirements at this specific Cal State.

Stay on top of advising, as advisors at your community college should be very familiar with transfer requirements and will likely be a valuable resource as you navigate this process. They can give you insights specific to your situation and the detailed requirements of your intended major at your Cal State of choice. It's always a good idea to meet with them regularly.