I have some friends who have a son that was a very mediocre high school student (with marginal test scores). He went to one of the local community colleges for two years, did reasonably well (mostly A’s and B’s), applied to UCSD and was accepted, with credits transferred, without incident. I think it only took him two years to graduate from UCSD. If this kid is any indication, going the community college route is both cheaper and easier. It seems a hell of a lot easier than applying with every kid that wants into the system straight out of high school.