<p>I have been a long time user of these boards but have only recently created an account. While preparing to transfer from my CCC, I used these forums religiously and appreciated feedback from those who had completed the transfer process. I am here to pay it forward, so please ask me anything and I will answer to the best of my ability about UCLA in general, the political science program, the honors college, etc.</p>
<p>Here is some basic info:</p>
<p>Transfered from Santa Monica College
GPA: 3.8
Major GPA: 4.0
Completed all pre-reqs except stats
IGETC: Completed
Not part of the SMC scholars program
No TAP or TAG
Applied to: UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB
Accepted to all</p>
<p>Started at SMC in 2007, transfered fall 2012
6 Ws on my CCC transcript
Not an URM
Strong personal statement
No work experience
Family obligations
Only listed 2 ECs</p>
<p>Do you like attending UCLA?. The reason I ask is that last year, my son turned down UCLA, which I think was a mistake. He would have majored in political science.</p>
<p>I have applied to the same schools and am a political science major with a 3.8. Why did you choose ucla’s poli sci program over berkeley’s? How are the classes at ucla and how is the difficulty in comparison to community college level?</p>
<p>I LOVE UCLA!
I had a really difficult decision to make between UCB and UCLA, but I feel like I made the right choice in the end. A few friends of mine ended up going to Cal for Political Science and they regret it. A big deciding factor for me was the neighborhoods where the schools are located. Cal just felt too unsafe for me and I felt as though I wouldn’t be happy there. </p>
<p>All that being said there are some downsides to UCLA:</p>
<p>-I dislike the political science undergraduate advisor James Bondurant. He just seems to really dislike his job and is rather unfriendly.</p>
<p>-Because of the fact that there are so many students in the department (and with recent budget cuts) they are trying to jam pack students into forum classes with more TA sections. I personally hate sections because you can either have an amazing TA or a real dud, I have had both. </p>
<p>Other than those two things, I have had amazing experiences here thus far and feel I made the right choice!</p>
<p>I decided on UCLA because after some research I found that both political science programs were similar and it really came down to location. I think it is also important to consider your long term goals when deciding. If you are inclined towards international relations, there might be a slight edge with Cal. I also took into account political leanings of both schools. I consider myself a left leaning moderate and felt that Cal may be too left for me and that UCLA might be more balanced (so far UCLA has been very balanced with regard to political views). </p>
<p>As far as the difficulty of classes, it will really depend on how well your CC has prepared you. However, I was shocked by how many people are okay with just kind of bumming about here. As I stated previously, what I don’t like are sections! Your TA can make or break you and some of them are pompous and act as though they have something to prove. They can be much harsher than the professors themselves and in that way they can make things extremely difficult since they grade everything. </p>
<p>I hope you decide on UCLA!</p>
<p>Edit for follow up question:</p>
<p>My female friends just do not feel safe! There is a large homeless population and some of my friends have been harassed :(. Also, if you are used to driving everywhere (which I am), you will probably have to adjust to the public transit system at Cal, since parking can be notoriously difficult.
Also, my friends dislike the attitudes of a lot of people there. There are some pretty uppity people who have big egos since they “got into Cal”. There is also a lot of people pushing causes protesting just to say they did it and what not.
One of my TAs did his undergrad at Cal and said people are just a bit nerdier/geekier and he liked the more laid back vibe here at UCLA :)</p>
<p>No problem ucisee. The best advice though is to take a trip to both schools and really get a feel for them. Once you are there you will probably get your “aha!” moment from either Cal or UCLA, OR you will be even more torn hehe :)</p>