Late to this post but I’m a current UCLA English major. I would highly suggest doing the 5 literature in translation courses. Much easier and much more variety. Also gives you the P/NP option if that’s something that interests you.
To answer your question:
But my question is if I qualify for UCLA at all. I did not take any foreign language classes in college, and it says 5 quarters total are required for the major, so does that mean I will have to take an upper division Spanish class if I get in? I’m a little confused. Do I have to take Spanish before I transfer?
NO! You don’t need to take any foreign language courses before you transfer. You would take 5 foreign language courses in translation (they can be lower division depending on your transfer credits) to fulfill the requirements as a transfer. Those classes change every year so make sure to look at the actual UCLA catalog NOT the English website.
http://catalog.registrar.ucla.edu/ucla-catalog2017-459.html
Take the classes that interest you and they do NOT have to be related or in any type of sequence. So for example, fall quarter you could take Scandinavian Myths. Winter quarter it could be Classic Arabic texts and spring quarter it could be French Contemporary literature.
It sounds much more intimidating then it is.
Hope this helps! Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have! We would love to have you be a part of the English program!