<p>Hello, I'm a transfer student and got into both schools. The thing that's keeping me from making an easy choice is the difference in major. I prefer SD's major but at the same time, I don't want to regret later on that I passed up on UCLA. Now I know that I shouldn't pick a school based on name, prestige, etc. etc. but it's still a bit of a factor. Any advice??</p>
<p>Does ucla's prestige/name outweigh the major and better campus (IMO) of SD?</p>
<p>Well what two majors are we talking about?</p>
<p>@YOUR QUESTION: No, prestige/name/rankings should never outweigh your major or academic goals. Despite people making a big deal over it (especially here on CollegeConfidential), you will find that it will not matter much in the job market or at all to grad schools. Only look at things that actually matter such as the number of research or internships available and class sizes. </p>
<p>My personal stance is that no one should feel compelled to choose from the top schools they are accepted into.</p>
<p>Its Communication at SD and Asian American studies at LA (in hindsight, i think i could have gotten in with a diff major, not comm., but i was scared at the time i was applying lol).
Part of the reason its hard is cuz its not like biochem or bizecon where one is clearly better…</p>
<p>@sentiment: i does undergrad school matter at all when grad schools look at applications?</p>
<p>Okay, first, you be aware that your major is NOT rigid. You can easily change majors once you get to either UCLA or UCSD. I don’t know about UCSD; but at UCLA, you can pick from almost any major in the College of Letters & Sciences (or the school you’re admitted into). </p>
<p>Unfortunately, you should be aware that Communication Studies is in high demand in LA and you will have difficulty transferring in. Here is a list of majors you can choose from. Do note any footnotes:
[Majors</a> - College of Letters & Science - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Majors/lsmajor.htm]Majors”>http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Majors/lsmajor.htm)</p>
<p>To your other question, grad schools are concerned only very vaguely with your undergraduate school and they will not penalize an applicant for attending an unprestigious college, such as a CSU. UCSD = UCLA = Berkeley in their eyes. A lot of people just aim for the university that will award them the highest GPA. </p>
<p>What’s much more important, however, are the internship and research opportunities available. Grad schools look for applicants who have hands-on experience in the field. Lesser universities, such as UC Irvine, may not have the same number or variety of offerings as a school like UCLA. Also, a school like Berkeley will often have more renowned faculty and so you will get an upper hand working with them in comparison to a person at a lesser college working with their own faculty.</p>
<p>Ah ok, thank you for that info. </p>
<p>And maybe this belongs somewhere else but i’m gonna ask anyway. (I’m sorry in advance if i sound like a newb). If i want to say get a master’s in communication, is it vital that i also do my undergrad in communication? or could i be a different major?
TIA</p>
<p>
This is different across majors and universities and you need to do research about grad schools on your own. A lot of programs, such as pre-Med, only care that you’ve taken the prerequisite courses required.</p>
<p>I don’t think we even offer a Communication Studies MA at UCLA. (Most universities don’t it seems from a Google search.)</p>
<p>I don’t think you need an undergrad degree in communication. It depends on the requirements of the specific school you want to go to. But when you apply for graduate school, you should have a few communication classes on your transcript. (This shows that you actually have some experience/knowledge about comm. Also, you should take a few comm classes anyway to make sure that’s what you really want to do.)</p>
<p>P.S. The pre-requisite classes for Comm at UCLA are notoriously difficult.</p>