I may be worrying about this too early, but would applying as “Undeclared” or applying as “Design Media Arts” be more beneficial? I realize that in order to be accepted as a “Design Media Arts” major I would have to supply a supplemental application, so would applying as “Undeclared” be a better route?
I am a Junior this year, but I know I will be applying to UCLA and I want my chances to be the best they can be at this point…
S '05 was a D|MA major, and I’m pretty convinced that that’s what got him into UCLA, especially since he was OOS as well. The supplemental app and portfolio play a very strong role in affecting one’s admissions odds. Someone one told me that if you have a strong portfolio, that will trump a middling GPA, but that’s heresay.
Good luck!
If you apply as “Undeclared” then you will have to change into the major at a later date. According to the website this is on a space-available basis. You ought to contact the dept advisor to find out how many applied and were accepted in recent years.
I’ve been told by a huge amount of students that getting in the major once you’re on campus is practically impossible and quite cumbersome. Also, because of the majors prerequisites, it’s actually pretty unlikely that you will graduate in 4 years once getting into the program. If you’re sure that you want to go to UCLA, and have high test scores + grades, and don’t have anything to put into your portfolio, then I would apply to the university as undecided. However, if you are quite sure that DMA is something you want to do, have a portfolio, and maybe not high test scores + grades, apply to DMA. I was accepted as a freshman to DMA, and I’m almost positive that I wouldn’t have gotten into UCLA as undecided. Overall, you must analyze your strengths and aspirations in college to make this decision.