Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the kind words. Keep your questions coming - I'm happy to answer anything that's on your mind and let me know if there is anything you want me to discuss in a future video.

People who downplay community colleges are in debt so... 💅🏻

You guys pray for me. I’m in community college and currently applying to UCLA. Will give an update if I got in! update: I didn't get in😕BUT I got into UCI, UCSD and CSUN 😊so I'm currently deciding where I should go!😬

Loved your video! Planning to transfer to UCLA as well from a community college. You’re right it’s tough when people find out I’m in a CC and they jump straight to the negative side of attending a CC. Luckily found people to support my decision and actually think attending a CC was the best thing ever. Continue making more college videos! :)

“I was in this alone.” That is how I feel. I told my counselor about my dream school and she also said, “maybe you should try just going to UNLV because your chances are slim to non.” I am 25 and feel this determination I never felt before. I feel like this fight is all up to me. I want to get a major in Chemical Engineering. Your story is almost exactly like mine! Thank you for posting as it is hard to find others who start at cc then transferring to a good university!

i just started community college and this was so cool to watch and see how your journey went!

This video really helped me on learning more about community college I’ve always been pressured to go to a 4 year from my parents especially my dad and that community college isn’t “good enough” but with your situation maybe it can change their minds and their perspective about community college

Just wanted you to know that even 5yrs later, this is a great video. I graduated high school in 2018 (you posted this only a few weeks later!) and am transferring to a UC for Fall 2024. My journey had a ton of ups and downs and dropping out and coming back, and I'm over here tapping my foot just waiting for the decision season to come around. Applying to Berkeley, LA, and SD, with a TAG at Irvine. I am also appalled at what your counselor said to you. Mine were all very supportive (I lived in Pacifica and later Redwood City, so Skyline, CSM, Canada trio), and am also an Anthropology major, and was thinking of getting a minor in Linguistics! Still adore my major after all these years. I am definitely on the same boat, where me leaving would've been far too hard on me and my loved ones. So I'm actually not mad at my timeline, as we're all in a good spot now. :)

I paid cash for community college. Transferring to university this fall also will be paying with cash. Im Excited

so crazy that your counselor told you to not even bother aiming at UCLA + UC Berkeley ??? wtf

this was super inspiring! i went to university in my state straight after high school which was a mistake... my grades were not great but this year i'm going to community college to up my gpa and get my head back in the game. i'd loveee to go to ucla and i'm hoping maybe if i work hard enough i can do it.

You remind me of myself a lot especially with social skills and how you were feeling at the time. I don’t know what you went through but from the way you speak and the sound of your voice I can see you went through some deep times. You’re an inspiration keep doing what you’re doing I’m so proud and will definitely keep supporting you ❤️

this really gives me hope because i’m a freshman in high school and i’m currently going through the same thing you did in high school

I am so thankful I found your channel. This video really encouraged me to press forward for the school of my dreams. Thank you Hailey!🙏

I’m from the exact same area as you & im a senior going through the exact same thing!! This video actually helped me more than you’d ever imagine 💕 thank you so much

Your story resonates with me so much. I relate to the social anxiety growing up and it wasn't until I joined the Army that I not only started to enjoy face to face communication but somehow something clicked and I figured out how to articulate clearly and confidently. My first semester in community college after getting out was average at best. I gave up on my math class and took an F with the intention of retaking it. I got a C and two As. Now in my second semester I'm just now finding my motivation. I'm studying more than I ever have but I was worried that it was too late anyway until I heard this story and many other community college stories on KZfaq. I'm also just joining the debate team and plan to join the student government next semester. I really hope there's still a chance for me to get into a UC. Sorry for the essay lol

It is sooo so easy to lose focus in high school, but you’ve overcome and proved everyone wrong! You should feel so proud :)

I am about to start college in the fall, and I really related with this video. Thank you so much! I loved this, and congratulations!!!

So inspiring! You gave me some wings to think about applying to UC’s even going through a similar situations as yours and coming out of a community college. Congratulations! 💘

Hey! I'm loving your channel. I'm from Milpitas and I went to a CC and transferred to UC Berkeley. I'll be graduating this Spring! Super excited and I never regretted starting from a community college. Best decision ever. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

You encouraged me so much thank you! I planned on going to community college but I felt in my heart that I wanted to do more but wasn’t sure if I would be able to. And your proof that I can do what ever I set my mind to! God bless you 🤍

hearing your story gave me so much hope!! i was a decent student in high school but I just HAD to pick CS as a major, and I got rejected everywhere except for Santa Clara University, which is INSANELY EXPENSIVE. I realized I didn't even want to do CS, so I decided to go to community college too (I'm also in the Bay Area, I think it's pretty universal here that community colleges are frowned upon..) I'm currently at West Valley's sister school Mission studying psychology, and I'm doing really well so far! I hope that I get accepted more places the second time around, I'm working on my apps right now whew

Hi! I have been watching your videos recently and I am literally in the same boat. I came from an all-girl private high school and am currently attending West Valley. I want to go to UCLA and stumbled on your videos to help me understand the process and all of that. They are so helpful and in my case, relatable. Thank you for making this type of content. Much love!

Basically described me in the beginning. Thank you so much! I feel much more motivated now ✨🦋

This is so encouraging! I had counselors like that too ... made me work harder. I’m applying to UC schools for fall 2020

Wow I’m literally in the same boat! Lol in High school I got rejected from all the schools I applied to, and as a community college student I got accepted by all schools. I’m attending UCLA in the Fall so your videos are a HUGE help. Love how you keep it real👌🏼💓

first of all, I freaked out when you said you were from sj because I am too!! I actually go to west valley’s sister college mission!! anyway, this video really resonated with me. I was always considered a “smart kid” but I had a bunch of mental health problems in high school that basically trashed my grades lol. my school was also pretty academic/college-oriented (though probably not to the extent that you experienced bc it was a public school) so I was always a little ashamed to share that I was going to a cc. I felt a lot of bitterness and shame but honestly I’m doing pretty great now! it’s only my first semester and my mental health problems haven’t magically gone away but I’m pulling all A’s for the first time in years and am happier than I’ve been in a while. this vid really gives me hope for the possibility of getting into 4-years that weren’t an option for me with my hs grades. thanks for the video and good luck at UCLA!! 💘💘💘 sorry for like sharing my life story in the comments lol

Thank you so much for this video! I was also rejected from most of the schools I applied to in high school so this gives me so much hope!~

You’re an excellent storyteller, Hailey!! Best of luck for everything!

Wow! This was very encouraging! Thank you so much for sharing your story!

You are giving me hope for my son. It’s motivating. Good luck to you.

thank you so much for making this video, it was super inspirational and I felt alot of the expeeriences you went through as well with horrible grades in hs, shitty counselors, and the realization that you have to be on it and work hard to get to where you want to be!

Your videos have been so helpful, thank you for sharing your journey!

My gooosh this is so reassuring. I’m in the same position of attending a college preparatory where only a handful of us are going to community bc I got rejected by ALL of the universities. Really made me realize I’m okay where I’m headed.

this gives me sooo much more reassurance that I can make it to the school of my choice AND motivation to work hard this coming year!

Our story is really similar and that makes me feel so much better. I did horrible in high school because of my mental health and got motivation way too late into my senior year and had to settle for community. UCLA is my top school so I really hope if works out for me. thank you for sharing!

Thanks for the sharing! I'll definitely look into the Berkeley summer experience program. My plan right now is transferring to UCLA linguistic too, hopefully there will be more video about it

thank you for sharing that you did not get into any college that you've applied to. I got waitlisted for 3 and still waiting. but being rejected by 22 colleges really hurt...

Im on my 3rd year going on my 4th and at first I also felt really bad about it. You’re honestly so inspiring and I hope you are doing great at UCLA

This video made me feel sooo much better. After the university of Florida denied me I was so devastated because I felt like it was basically a slap to the face after I worked so hard on my academics but... I got a SHIT sat score and never did many clubs. I got accepted into other universities but honestly I decided that CC will help me overall in the long term. 🥰 congrats on UCLA!

Thanks for sharing so relatable and comforting

This was so inspiring thank you so much! I am starting my first year in college in two days and I am pretty embarrassed to say I am attending community college because I disappointed a lot of people because I didn’t get into any colleges I applied to. I lost hope but thank you for inspiring me to push myself and prove those wrong!!! ♥️😭

First off, thank you so much for this video. I really do appreciate it. This is by far the best transfer video I’ve watched so far. It definitely made me feel more comfortable with the fact that I’m at a cc. I do have a couple questions though. So you transferred from cc with a 3.7 gpa??? Also, you mentioned you dropped some classes. Did you happen to receive any Ws from those?

This is by far the best transfer video I have seen and I’ve never related sooo much! I too have decided to stay another year in cc (making it my third year) bc I feel that I’m not ready and I’m glad you felt the same way! I also understand where you’re coming from in not wanting to tell ppl that you attend a cc bc of the way they look at you and make you feel :/ some of my family members were disappointed at first and made me feel like shit. But I chose to ignore them and get ost it and now I’m doing great and have a 3.8! I hope to transfer to UCLA as well! Congrats on getting in btw!

Amazing success story!

So happy to hear this, giving so much hope! can you make a vid on 1. reading ur essays and how to write them!! 2. how to optimize community college : get the most experience and taking opportunities

Loved your story, I’m going through the same, but I’ll be transferring next year to an elite university. I know I will!

I love this video! Encouraged me soooo much 👍🏽

I'm in my first year of community college and I plan on applying to universities this November and transfer next year! Right now, I'm really hoping I'll be accepted to UCLA and sometimes it's tough being so confident because of how competitive it is. But seeing your journey has given me inspiration :) I had no intention of going to community until I was rejected by my top choices out of high school, but being at a cc has really flipped the negative perception of community colleges I had going in. Hopefully, I'll find myself as a UCLA student next year:) congratulations and I hope you're enjoying your time at UCLA! :D

Watching this video was so comforting! I'm debating whether I should just head to a 4-year or cc but my heart isn't in it for a 4-year. I haven't considered cc as an option pretty much up until 3 months ago so I'm still new to the idea. Due to severe social anxiety, my mental health dipped as well throughout HS but my reaction was the opposite as yours. I burried myself in work to at least have a distraction or to have a purpose which resulted in my current GPA being at 4.3. I'm not proud of it since I pretty much sacrificed so much time and energy where I should have spent towards my mental health and/or exploring hobbies and ECs. I want a clean slate where I would focus more on my personal growth while being close to home. The people around me are surprised since I have pretty good stats so I'm under a bit of external pressure I guess. I'm scared that I'd lose opportunites by choosing cc. What are your thoughts on opportunities offered in cc?

I just dropped my math class, you have me some great hope! Summer school sign ups are soon, switching to business calc

Thank you so much for this video you Inspire me 😭.....I play football but at the same time I'm going to community college and my dream is to go to a bigger college.🙏🏾

Just came across this video. Thanks, so much! for sharing.

Omg I can relate to you so much.. I was an honor student and I went through so much social anxiety and depression around the end of high school. My GPA went downhill and so my dreams of going to a good university was utterly crushed. I ended up taking a gap year just to get a job and figure myself out. But right now I'm starting community college and It's really my biggest dream to transfer to UCLA, the only problem is I'm from Texas and I'm worried that would make me a weaker candidate for getting accepted to UCLA.

I feel you. I am going through the same thing in high school. I don’t have any friends and I eat alone at lunch. My only friend is in two of my classes now, which makes me happy that i have someone that I atleast feel comfortable around.

This is super helpful. UCI (my dream school) recently accepted me off their waitlist, but with the whole COVID situation and my own personal goals, I feel like starting right away might not be the best choice for me. I'm considering community college for a couple years and then transferring in, to hopefully also save money.

Thanks for sharing your story girl

Congratulations. Definitely agree about community college because it is very rigorous as a prestigious university. Shock people still look down on them even in this day and age

Hi girl, I’ve been watching your videos for the last few weeks as I go through the transfer application process. I went to Foothill and applied to all UCS except Merced, Santa Barbara, and Davis. I was hellbent on getting into UCB as I live in Oakland but that didn’t work out (surprise! lol). I have a similar story of partying, etc as a teenager and young adult. Like you said, sometimes there’s a turning point :) I got a hard reject from UCB and accepted everywhere else but UCLA. But! I got waitlisted at UCLA, opted in, and just got accepted last week and committed. I’m so happy for both of us and I’m proud of you and I both for enduring the very real stigma surrounding CCs. I’m sure you felt the same thing but the “relief” from finally being validated being at a “prestigious” school is so real. I’m a sociology major so these are things I especially think and learn about, but seriously, I feel like CC transfer students have all felt such similar things in this grueling process. Subbed, I hope you’re great and thanks for the videos/company :) 💓

Congratulations! ☺️💕 I’m applying to the UC’s right now. And I wasn’t sure if I should apply to UCLA because my gpa is not the best, but I’ll still try ☺️

I am about to enter my senior year and My dream school is also UCLA, but I think that to save my parents money I’ll apply to community college and then hopefully transfer to UCLA. Also I was exited when you said that you were from San Jose cause I am too! And also I have really bad socially skills cause I am really shy so I relate with you a lot. Although I’m currently going to a public high school but otherwise I love watching your videos specially this one since it gave me hope that I can transfer to my dream school and because you gave really good advice.

Man I can relate to disappointed peers...I was friends with our school's valedictorian and two other top students and went to CC lol. But now I'm premed and on a more challenging path than all of them 😁

brooo i can relate. i’m currently a junior and dealing with social anxiety. i’ve been able to keep up a pretty good gpa (3.9) but mentally i’m not there. i have zero extracurriculars and i have no idea who to ask letters of recommendation. it’s sucks cuz the education system expects you to act like a grown adult when your still trying to learn about yourself. smh.

i can relate to everything you just said!!!! I graduate high school in 2020 and my GPA is not that good so i was stuck on weather i should do community college or not but this video helped thank you..

Thank you so much for this video. I go to West Valley too and I’ll be applying as a transfer this fall!!

I feel you, I just graduated from high school this year and I used to be so applied in school straight A’s, but because life I ended up going to community college. I feel so embarrassed of it, I don’t like telling people I go to cc. Before I will get so depressed thinking about college but I’m feeling more confident about what I’m doing now that I’ve started college. Thank you, your video was so helpful! I will try my best to be able to transfer to a good University

I’m in a 4 year university right now, it’s been about a week and I’m just now thinking of transferring to a CC. I’m just not ready yet for University life yet and should have stayed home to figure out my life before diving into University. I just hope everyone knows it’s totally okay to change your mind at this point in your life. There’s so much pressure on us to have our lives figured out so young:/

I am going to a cc and I understand the embarrassment of telling people about it. People tell me it isn’t a big deal but I still feel like a disappointment. I want to prove myself worthy by transferring so thanks for your encouragement :)

That happened to me too, I used to hide at the library in my phone or laptop but then things got better and now I need to spend more time in the library haha.

I swear your story is like my situation right now because I really want to go to UCLA also but like I’m hella embarrassed that I’m going to a community college but I want to proceed and work hard too to get into UCLA. In the later September I will be enrolling to west valley college. It’s crazy because we have the same situation.

woah :0 I got really surprised when you said you went to WVC, im going there next year for my senior year of high school for the middle college program

Hi Hailey! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. It really did motivated me to not care about other people view on community colleges. Just a question, were you in any clubs or programs? I heard it’s really good to join a club.

Hi Hailey ! Thank You for this video it was very Helpful! How did you deal with missing out on the traditional college experience??

i totally get the private school thing! it makes you feel like shit lol, but an education is an education. that is kinda how i’m feeling right now, but still super excited for what’s to come. i’m at a cc in LA, entering the TAG program for ucsb in the spring and hopefully TAP for ucla. the dream is ucla or usc!!! thanks for sharing about CC, i think it’s not talked about enough and such an overlooked path to take, especially california cc 💓 congrats! go bruins (:

Ive debating with myself whether or not to go to cc first but i dont know my heart really wants to go to college straight away

This video was really informative! I applied to the UC's and didn't get in any if them(granted, my major was chemical engineering which apparently engineering is competitive?). Well a lot of my peers faced the same thing this past application cycle. I committed to an out of state school(and I kind of regret it because although its a nice school my dream school has always been UCLA and the cost isnt too good plus I heard a few negative things about my school.) I would like to transfer to a community college and then transfer out to any of the UC's.

U went to that girl school in PA? Lol that school is super prestigious. But I graduated from a continuation hS, CC for 3 year and now UCSD, love it here

Omg u gave me so much hope

Hi Hailey! I loved the video. It gave me so much inspiration to hear your story and how you were able to build yourself up despite the challenges you faced. I'm also from the Bay Area close to San José, so it was nice to hear your story :) If you wouldn't mind, can I ask you a few questions to help me with transferring to my dream school? I just graduated high school and will be attending a CC to help transfer in the future. I'm wondering, what did you right about in your application essays when applying for the UC's? I'm curious to know if you wouldn't mind. Also, what extracurriculars did you take during your CC years? I'm not sure which ones I should take and would appreciate some ideas and suggestions. Thank you again! You are such an inspiration and loved the video :)

Loved your story. I’m in my second year of community college, 2 years after graduating high school. Still indecisive with my major, and still indecisive with my choice of schools to transfer. I’ve been considering UCLA, but I am terrified. I am still not ready and I feel like nothing about myself or my experiences these last couple of years are interesting enough to share in my personal statements. did you work or involve yourself in community service or extracurriculars at your CC? Update: I just read your description, that you did not do any extracurriculars. But did you have a job ? Bc I’ve not done any of those during my two years at CC. And I’m afraid that doesn’t impress them. I wouldn’t know what to write in my personal statements. And also, I’m glad you said you were there for 3 years, I might have to do that and I was worried, like you, about doing this for so long.

This video is amazing. I’m a senior in high school and stressing about whether or not community college is the right pathway for me. My gpa and sat score is not competitive enough to get into a great school and my parents have 4 other siblings to worry about, so money is a factor. Do you know any tips on how I can make sure not to deter from my goal in getting into a UC, describe how you found what major was right for you, and describe how difficult was it for you to transition from cc to UC? Thank you so much, anything you say would probably soothe my mind/stress.

this is such an encouraging video ❤️ im surprised to hear that we have a similar story in high school and community college! i’m about to finish my first semester :) i always though UCLA would be a reach for me but hoped for a chance of possibility.. do you think for competitive majors, we really need to do extra curriculars? do our grades really play the bigger factor when admissions office view our transcripts? i’m a full time student in school, but i am looking for work after our pandemic situation !

I completely agree with you. The problem that I’m having is similar to yours. Freshman and sophomore year I fucked up. Junior year I managed to get my GPA to a 3.26. Now, im a senior but I’m poor lol like I can’t afford a 4 year university and I don’t want to be 50k+ in debt. My family keep thinking community college is for failures and that it won’t get you anywhere. But, I ofcourse plan on transferring like you did. I don’t understand why Im letting them influence my decision so much but it’s hard. Im the first one to go to college and they keep pressuring me. At the end of the day it’s me that receives the education and im the one who has to pay the debt!

omg I saw you at the study at Hedrick !!!

Hi Hailey! :) Congrats!!! I’m really so happy for you and how far you have came in your journey. I actually have a similar story to yours from high school. And I just wanted to say thank you so much for this video. This absolutely helped a lot! I was wondering did you have any extracurricular activities or internships during your time at CC? Also did you have any awards? And which classes did you take for the honors program to get TAP certified?

So happy for you , I was so sad in High school. I had a 4.0 and got rejected by the UC’s and Cal states 🙁. Now my gpa is so low in college and idk if UC’s will accept me 😓

Your videos are so helpful thank you for helping everyone in the same shoes! May I ask what major you applied for at the UCs?

i’m at cc and i’m going to have to take 3 years to transfer and honestly this gave me so much hope🥺

Do you have any tips for the essay or any general tips that could help me to get into UCLA? I’m currently an international student at sbcc (santa barbara city college) and I plan to transfer the next fall 2021 to UCLA, my gpa is about 3,89 (Business major) I’m also an ambassador in my college and a honors student. Great video!

Really enjoyed the video! I was wondering, is it possible to transfer after 1 year in a cc? If so, are there differences in that application than when someone takes two or three years?

Hey Hailey! So proud of u, that u could get in UCLA! I have got a question. This fall, I am going to start my classes at Santa Monica community college, and I’m from Asia. I would like to know, is it possible to get full scholarship when transferring from community college into university for international students? Let’s say into UCLA?

Ngl you sound so much like me I’m also very shy and I always eat at the library...:/ lol but I didn’t get serious about school until end of junior year and this senior I’m working my bottom off and hoping to go to community college for the basics/general studies and hopefully get into UT Austin to study anthropology and archaeology and I wanted to do geology but cultural anthropology and archaeology are more me lol but thank you this vid gave me hope :’)

IM THE 100TH SUBSCRIBER!

How many years of foreign language did you take? Ive only done 2 years because the foreign language teachers at my school are horrible and im not sure if 2 is enough. And this video is sooo helpful thank you!

I'm from San Jose too!! Let me guess, you went to Presentation High? I went to Branham, went on to earn my AA in Social Science at Foothill. I also took classes at Evergreen, SJCC and De Anza. I transferred to Arizona State in 2019 and just graduated with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Psychology with high honors. High school was a joke, community college was a lot harder than high school and surprisingly, ASU was easier than community college! What I loved about my community college experience the most was that they prepared me great for ASU. I didn't apply to any California school since I wanted to go out of state. I was accepted to all 7 universities I applied to which were ASU, Kansas State, University of Kansas, Wichita State, Kent State, University of Kentucky and Ohio State. I originally wanted to go to Ohio State the most but couldn't afford the tuition. But ASU was a great experience for me! Great video!

I honestly didn’t know you can transfer to a college going interest your senior year of college, so did you still graduate with your class or did it take longer?

I plan on Going to University Of Memphis After The Community College im in!

Wow really awesome! Sadly I'm in a slightly worse position though. I really want to go to CSULB and a few other colleges but my GPA is only at a 2.5 now. And here's the thing, I've been here for 3 1/2 years. In reality I basically only did 2 and a half years whereas I basically did nothing for a year due to problems I probably could had for fixed but I was unmotivated to do so. At freshman year I did terrible. Got C's and and Fs, really bad. On my second year I got A's and B's, good but not great. After that things went even more downhill for me, one semester I spent fixing my Fs successfully but only getting B's and C's. And the two other semesters I practically accomplished nothing, nada. I got depressed for some reason basically the whole 3 1/2 years due to my negative outlook on cc. I regret it, I want to take three more semesters not including any winter or summer sessions, although I plan on doing them as well but not counting them. If I do this I'm spending up to 5 years total in cc. I guess one could say I in actuality am going to spend only up to four years or 3 and a half if I count out that semester fixing those Fs, but that's a very long time. I have a 2.5 GPA right now and one college I want to go to is CSU Long Beach because they have a solid industrial design major in it. Another choice of mine is OTIS for Toy Design(similar to industrial design), but in that case I have to get a fortunes worth of debt and I have to spend 3 years there for the degree. CSU LB and some other Industrial Design schools are options but I have a bad GPA and a bad transcript overall. CSU LB is very competitive, and I seem to be far too deep in at this point. For the next three semesters as well as the break semesters I want to get straight As and fix up some of my C classes and make them all A's too. I really hope I can lift my GPA from 2.5 to 3.5 in time but I think it will be impossible in my case because I already have so many units attempted and completed. Also for CSU LB I think I have to apply a full year before my intended semester admission so that means of I do my three semesters plus breaks I might have to wait a full year being a useless 22year old millenial. I don't know I'm very very scared for my future. My older brother is probably going to blow up on me but at least my parents are fully sympathetic to my lameness. I'm gonna break by spine doing as many classes and get As as well as get a part time job to help my family because I owe them that much for being an idiot, and hopefully do some extracurriculars. It be really great if anyone including this strong willed woman in the video can reply to my current situation. I have to wait a bit to ask a counselor for guidance but I'm expecting a frustrated individual to blatantly tell me I already failed as a human being and I have wasted all hope left. I need advise, or reasdurence, or blatant truths, thanks. It's wierd cause I did okay on my High School with a humble 3.4 gpa and I thought cc is a good choice and it was but It seems I wasted on this too. Again I appreciate some sort of reply, from Hailey and or someone else, thank you.

I have a friend we both started the same and now she's going to NYU. I got rejected from nearly every college and I slacked off a lot but this is my last hope. I'm going to go to a community college but I really do hope that I can make it to a good school like her I don't want to share my plans with anyone but I'm aiming for this and hopefully I can do it

Can you make an Q and A, I’m so interested because I’m trying to get into UCLA