<p>Hey, I'm an incoming freshman and I'd like to hear any personal experiences with freshman clusters. I talked to a recently graduated student who said she has heard only negative things about them, but I would love some more opinions.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Didn’t take a cluster myself, but have heard nothing but bad things from people who were in them.</p>
<p>I took a cluster my first year here at UCLA, and to be honest, although it was a lot of work, I believe it was worth it. Some clusters seem horrible, but as long as you actively focus in on reading and other things, it’s not impossible to do. I’ve aced my cluster classes although most of the time the grades you’ll receive depend highly on your Teaching Fellow/Assistant. </p>
<p>Plus, it knocked out my Writing 2 requirement (which I know have completed as a first year! :D)</p>
<p>I took a cluster and though I didn’t LOVE it, I didn’t think it was nearly as horrible as people make clusters out to be. </p>
<p>My advice would be to take a cluster if a) you’re fairly certain that the subject will continue to interest you for the whole year and b) none of the GEs covered by your cluster are covered by your major or minor (this includes the Writing 2 requirement… English majors , for example). </p>
<p>Clusters are a lot of reading and essays but I would not necessarily say that they’re challenging. They knock out Writing 2 and eliminate some of the stress come enrollment time, since you’re pretty much guaranteed a spot in the class. If you’re in the honors program, clusters count for honors credit.</p>
<p>The only good thing about clusters is that it gives you priority enrollment for English Comp 3 classes Winter Quarter and that your schedule is basically set in stone for a whole year, meaning that you don’t need to worry about choosing 4 different classes each time, hoping each will be open, you now only have to choose 3 (or 2 if you’re only taking 3 classes total).</p>
<p>Overall, I didn’t learn *<strong><em>. I took the 60’s cluster. I hope some of the teachers read this. Their class sucked ass. I really didn’t learn a thing I didn’t already know and felt the class was that “movie-version” of what college is - a place where a person just basically sits up there and lectures (only 1/4 teachers really had a detailed powerpoint, the other was gather words and put to paper). I can tell you that every other class I’ve had is not like that, in fact - quite the opposite. I felt clueless on the final, thought I failed, ended up with an A. Also, the essays were crap. A musicological essay that is hard as *</em></strong> and other crap. Really they are too much trouble for what they are worth.</p>
<p>Oh and screw the honors program, it gets you nothing but a seal on your diploma. Too much work for to little reward.</p>