Current Bruins Taking Questions! (Housing, Campus Life, Majors, etc.)

<p>This thread reminds me of DWM. Where has she gone? Did someone eat her?</p>

<p>i can do my best to answer some engineering questions... its quite funny that the posters are this thread are mostly us that already attend UCLA lol</p>

<p>
[quote]

This thread reminds me of DWM. Where has she gone? Did someone eat her?

[/quote]

She was robbed of her jewelry in her single room. :rolleyes:</p>

<p>Is there a gym near the campus or on the campus? :D</p>

<p>wooden center, huge gym facilities.</p>

<p>also, dorms have gym equipment in them.</p>

<p>How are roommates paired up? I dont need to be in the Real World: UCLA</p>

<p>lol. there's a short questionnaire you fill out. by short i mean 3 questions- cleanliness, drinking/smoking, sleep is all i can remember.
BE HONEST. do not say you are a "very neat" person just so that you won't get a slob roomie. i did that and got two neatfreaks who kept moving my stuff...</p>

<p>In what dorms do you live? Are you tripled up? Is it compacted?</p>

<ol>
<li>How is the quarter system different from the semester system with regard to the variety of courses you can take. Are shorter terms balanced by less material, so ultimately the same amount of course material is taken, or does quarter system get more done? Are classes like Calculus, in which you'd learn about differentiation first sem and integration/series in the second, would the course material be spread out over three quarters instead?</li>
<li>I've heard that it's harder to switch majors @ Berkeley. My admissions decision e-mail said that we can change majors at orientation. Is it really that easy to change a major?</li>
<li>How good is the Business Economics major with regard to access to a wide variety of courses (like graduate business courses?) Are there lots of good electives?</li>
<li>Some of my friends say that they enter as sophomores or even juniors. Does this mean that if I go to UCLA, that I can take whatever courses I want to and just relax/study abroad, and then get a degree in two/three years?</li>
<li>Is there a limit on the number of freshman seminars? Provided that you register early enough, are you likely to be enrolled in the seminars that you choose, even if you take multiple (3+ lets say)?</li>
<li>Can you choose classes based on which professors you want? On rateyourprofessors.com, it seems like the information is there so students can make informed decisions...but then if you could simply choose your professor, then some professors would fill up too quickly...Are some classes taught by multiple professors?</li>
<li>Can you request a 3 person dorm? How likely is this to be approved?</li>
<li>Are the good dorms generally more expensive? Can you choose which one?</li>
<li>When I sign up for classes for the Fall Quarter 2008, when should I do so to guarantee that they won't fill up?</li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>count on being in a triple and be pleasantly pleased if you aren't.
i live in hedrick summit in a single... but that's cuz i'm a 2nd year lol.</p>

<ol>
<li>quarter system = less material per quarter, but more quarters, so it evens out. i LOVE quarters because you change things up 3 times a year, not twice, so it allows for better experimentation and variety. </li>
<li>changing majors in letters and science isn't a problem unless it's a competitive major (bizecon, communications studies, etc).</li>
<li>no idea about this one...</li>
<li>some majors allow you to graduate in 3 years with good planning, so yes, you have time for studying abroad. relaxing is subjective ;)</li>
<li>i've heard 5 fiat luxes is a limit... but don't know for sure. you won't really be taking as many as you think you will, but DO try for 1 per quarter. i only took 1 all first year and regretted it.</li>
<li>yes, you can choose based on professors. sometimes there are multiple professors for a certain class in one quarter, sometimes there's one per quarter which changes. and yes some professors DO fill up quickly because they're better- check out the math classes for an example ;)</li>
</ol>

<p>ditto on question #9 (supery00n).</p>

<p>Also, say you register for a class, but it gets filled.
I heard that if you go to the first day of class anyways, and stay after to talk to the professor, you can usually get in. Is this true?</p>

<p>oh man you all have fun (emmeline, liyana). i am not answering any of these newbies questions. if there is a question only i can answer let me know but this is insane. plus i figure i'll be answering plenty of questions in the fall <em>sigh</em> :)</p>

<p>liyana179, since psych is such a popular major, can you tell us a little about it?
Is it science-oriented? How many hours do you study per day? How are the professors? How are the career prospects with a psych degree from UCLA? What's good and bad about the major? etc</p>

<p>problem with quarter system = you have to deal with finals/midterms 3 times a year as opposed to do, and you dont have time to procrastinate :(</p>

<p>on the bright side, you have more opportunities to do better (or fail) if you screw up.</p>

<p>as for the "dead guy at the pool," i heard he hit his head because it was dark, and thats why he died</p>

<p>
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also, dorms have gym equipment in them.

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Hahaha .. you can check it out yourself, but it's about as good (or bad) as the gym equipment at exercise room of hotels. Wooden is the better choice here.</p>

<p>
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  1. Some of my friends say that they enter as sophomores or even juniors.

[/quote]

You come in with 2nd or 3rd year standing, but this is only in terms of units. (By logic), if units were the factor of graduating, then people would take 20-25 AP courses and graduate with a college degree without taking any courses. :rolleyes:</p>

<p>AP Credits only take care of a few elementary courses if you wish to opt out, and maybe some electives.</p>

<p>
[quote]

Does this mean that if I go to UCLA, that I can take whatever courses I want to and just relax/study abroad, and then get a degree in two/three years?

[/quote]

You make college sound so easy. Yes, you can take whatever courses you want, but you will need to finish the courses required for your major (IF you want to graduate).</p>

<p>I have never heard of anyone getting a B.A or B.S in 2 years. 3 years is possible for L&S majors (psych, history, sociology). If you want to get out in 3 years (for any majors and especially engineering), you have to be motivated.</p>

<p>As for studying abroad, it really depends on your major and when you want to graduate. Some people graduate a quarter later for that reason - but you can easily use summer school to get you back on track. Just plan - very important in your undergraduate years .. and in life.</p>

<p>
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On rateyourprofessors.com, it seems like the information is there so students can make informed decisions

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It's BS - never base your decision on the difficulty of professor. People are very subjective on those rating websites.</p>

<p>
[quote]

I heard that if you go to the first day of class anyways, and stay after to talk to the professor, you can usually get in. Is this true?

[/quote]

Depends on the class, major. Also depends on how badly you need the class (Are you close to graduating? Is this course offered next quarter?)</p>

<p>
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How many hours do you study per day?

[/quote]

This question gets asked by ~7/10 prospective students. It is difficult to give an appropriate response. First, this depends on your major. Some majors you don't have to study all quarter until the day before exams (I will not state which ones - to prevent myself from disparaging any programs)</p>

<p>Second, how much you study depends on your aptitude. My roomate studied 8 weeks of life science in one night, and got an A. Other students in the class studied everyday all quarter for ~2-3 hours per day for the class, and got Bs or As. The more you learn in class, the less you have to study. Knowledge isn't about how much you study - it's about knowing all you need to know. The variables are speed and retention.</p>

<p>
[quote]

you have to deal with finals/midterms 3 times a year

[/quote]
</p>

<p>On a brighter side, you don't have to remember material from 15 weeks ago (Do you even remember what you did during Winter Break? :rolleyes:)</p>

<p>
[quote]

  1. Are shorter terms balanced by less material, so ultimately the same amount of course material is taken, or does quarter system get more done? Are classes like Calculus, in which you'd learn about differentiation first sem and integration/series in the second, would the course material be spread out over three quarters instead?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yes, for example in math, I believe it's one semester of multivariable, and one semester of linear algebra/differential equations. Or something similar to that. It's the same material covered since the UCs have the same accredidation under ABET for applied sciences. For UCLA, it's just split in half.
32A: Multivariable
32B: Multivariable
33A: Linear Algebra
33B: 1st/2nd Order Differential Equations</p>

<p>
[quote]

  1. Is there a limit on the number of freshman seminars? Provided that you register early enough, are you likely to be enrolled in the seminars that you choose, even if you take multiple (3+ lets say)?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The point of seminars is to either develop an interest in a field, or learn more about a specific topic interest. Taking 3 or more is too many in my opinion. You would be wasting time (Well technically not, but you want to take other courses at this stage.) You you can get in if you sign up early. </p>

<p>
[quote]

  1. Can you request a 3 person dorm? How likely is this to be approved?

[/quote]

You are assigned - you don't get to request. You can only submit a request for which type of dorm you want - plaza, suite, residential hall.</p>

<p>
[quote]

  1. Are the good dorms generally more expensive? Can you choose which one?

[/quote]

Yes, the plazas are more expensive than the residential halls. If you come to Open House, there will be housing tours, so you can see for yourself and make a selection. There are perks for each, depending on your character.</p>

<p>
[quote]

  1. When I sign up for classes for the Fall Quarter 2008, when should I do so to guarantee that they won't fill up?

[/quote]

There is a sign up time for each student based on class standing and misc. priority accommodations. You can check this on URSA when you have access. If there were no system, then enrollment will be chaotic (it already is a bit). Don't worry about this until you finish high school. Enjoy your time .. and Prom. :rolleyes:</p>

<p>namaste, are you going to be an RA next year?</p>

<p>can you tell me more about clusters?</p>