USC & UCSB! Please help?

Hello! California is the "most accepting" place on Earth as I like to refer to it! You can of course transfer from NY. California loves out of state students, because you will be paying higher tuition ;) The fact that you did poorly in high school certainly will not help your chances, but there's no reason to dwell on that, because there's nothing you can do about it now. You did very well in community college, and this will matter to them. They look for well rounded people. That comes in all shapes and sizes: sports, SGA, volunteer work, anything that interests YOU. I would recommend a GPA certainly above a 3.0, but closer to a 3.5. I got into UC Davis (only UC I applied to) with a 4.26 and know people with lower that didn't get it. The UC system is very hard to get into for in state people, but as I said, it should be easier for you.