<p>how beneficial are they ? do you have to be a certain major to join one ? and how can you get first pick?</p>
<p>They're pretty good in that they knock out 2 GE requirements and they knock out a writing requirement. It's difficult to get a writing II class if you don't have priority. :( You end up taking unusual classes like "Gender and Language Stereotypes in AJSKDAJKDSAKJda." Also, it's cool to study a topic in-depth for an entire year!! WOOOO!!! :p </p>
<p>Assuming you're in college of letters & sciences: </p>
<p>here are ur ge requirements:
---> you take a course from each of the dashed categories <---
---> if you google "GE requirements UCLA" you should be able to find a list of approved GEs for whatever college ur in (hsseas, arts&arch, cl&s)... some of the GEs can be used for multiply categories but can only satisfy one of the dashes categories at a time <--- </p>
<p>foundation 1
- phil & ling
* e.g. philosophy of the mind or intro to linguistics
- literary & cultural
* e.g. classical mythology or intro to southeast asian studies or intro to poetry
- visual & performing arts
* e.g. history of rock & roll </p>
<p>foundation 2
- historical analysis
* e.g. history of africa from 1800s
- social analysis
* e.g. intro to russian civilization </p>
<p>foundation 3
- one life sci course
* e.g. ecology/evolution/biodiversity
- one physical sciences course
* e.g. acids & bases, chemical equilibria... yadadada </p>
<p>if ur an engineering major, u only take 1 life sci class. youre already taking a mess of physical science coursesssdfsdfs. you have a total of 5 GEs total - 2 from foundation 1, 2 from foundation 2, and the sole ls class.</p>
<p>oh and yes the school also has some writing requirements ---> </p>
<p>writing I requirement
--> english comp 3 (freshman eng). u can pass out of with with a 4 or 5 on either AP English exam. i think if u score above 720 u get to pass out of it too? (someone confirm?) </p>
<p>writing II requirement (which i alluded to in regards to ge clusters)
--> 2 writing II courses
--> OR 1 writing II course and 1 seminar class
* writing II courses can also satisfy GE requirements at the same time. idk if the GE clusters writing II quarter (btw, the 3-quarter sequence of a cluster is as follows: ge-requirement, gerequirement2, writing II quarter) satisfies a different GE category concurrently.</p>
<p>I would say don't do one...there are much easier ways to fulfill GE's than clusters although I don't know about Writing II. I ended up dropping mine because and enrolling in another GE. My friend's TA even said they intentionally grade difficult and rarely give out A's.</p>
<p>also huge benefit: </p>
<p>GE CLUSTERS --> PRIORITY ENROLLMENT!!!!</p>
<ul>
<li>addendum: i ended up not taking a cluster because i wanted to take a variety of different courses over 3 quarters. also, i had an outlet for priority enrollment already</li>
</ul>
<p>Doesn't it complete 3 GEs, Writing II, and seminar requirement? By the way, they do grade difficult because you get a bunch of credit. And it does give you honors units, up to 15 total of the ~40 needed (5 of them counting towards the Honors Collegium requirement).</p>
<p>pretty beneficial (especially priority enrollment).</p>
<p>no, any major can join.</p>
<p>for best pick, goto the earliest orientation you possibly can. enrollment is first come first serve. earlier your orientation, the more class options you have to choose from.</p>
<p>
[quote]
writing I requirement
--> english comp 3 (freshman eng). u can pass out of with with a 4 or 5 on either AP English exam. i think if u score above 720 u get to pass out of it too? (someone confirm?)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>i believe its if you score over a 680</p>
<p>EDIT: </p>
<p>ANALYTICAL WRITING PLACEMENT EXAMINATION (AWPE)</p>
<p>Because proficiency in English composition is important to successful performance in many courses, the UC Entry Level Writing Proficiency Requirement is one requirement for graduation that must be satisfied before entering UCLA or during your first year in residence. There are six ways to meet this requirement before enrolling in the University:</p>
<pre><code>* A score of 680 or better on the writing section of the new SAT exam first administered in March 2005, OR
* A score of 30 or higher on the combined English/writing section of the ACT Assessment, OR
* A score of 680 or better on the SAT II - Writing Exam administered in May 1998 or later, OR
* A score of 3, 4 or 5 on one of the Advanced Placement exams in English, OR
* A score of 5 or higher in the Higher Levels of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Test in Language A1 (English) OR
* 4 quarter units of a college composition course that transfers into UCLA as English 3, with a grade of “C” or better.
</code></pre>
<p>The Writing I requirement may also be satisfied by scoring 4 or 5 on one of the College Board Advanced Placement Tests in English; a combination of a score of 720 or better on the SAT II Subject Test in Writing and superior performance on the English Composition 3 Proficiency Examination; or, for students whose native language is not English who satisfy the Subject A requirement with English as a Second Language 35, successful completion of English as a Second Language 36 or an equivalent.</p>
<p>The Writing II course is selected from a list of courses approved by the Faculty Executive Committee. Consult the College of Letters and Science Counseling Service for an updated list. The Writing II course may also be applied toward the general education requirements or preparation for the major.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/wp/requirements/writing.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/wp/requirements/writing.html</a>
<a href="http://www.college.ucla.edu/up/counseling/regulations/writing-sub-page.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.college.ucla.edu/up/counseling/regulations/writing-sub-page.htm</a></p>
<p>hmmm. i guess the things i posted earlier were for something else? haha so lost.</p>
<p>I think that was just the entry-level writing requirement. (Otherwise one is forced to take remedial English at UCLA if they do not pass it?) </p>
<p>The thing i posted is how to pass out of the writing I requirement.</p>
<p>oh danggit, i dont qualify seeing as how my school doesnt let IB kids take english AP, and i only took french to fulfill the language SAT II. :(</p>
<p>anyhow... you guys dont recommend clusters?</p>
<p>I do unless none of the topics interest you. It's a great way to check off a bunch of requirements, especially if you're going to do College Honors.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/ge/%5B/url%5D">http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/ge/</a></p>
<p>Here are links to PDFs outlining all the GE requirements for all the schools, in case you haven't seen it yet. It's pretty helpful, though I'm still confused..</p>
<p>What makes you confused?</p>
<p>I guess confused isn't the right word, just overwhelmed. I just can't imagine getting everything figured out (i.e. knowing which classes to take and when, and making sure I get all the GEs/other requirements done). And it definitely doesn't help that I'm the type of person who needs practically everything written down to keep me from panicking :rolleyes:</p>
<p>In the next few weeks, you'll become more acquainted with MyUCLA and <a href="http://www.registrar.ucla.edu%5B/url%5D">http://www.registrar.ucla.edu</a>. With the former, you can find out your schedule options through its "class planner." So, say you wanted to take Calculus I, CellsTissues&Organs, and History of Opera your first quarter. You would select the courses and it would show you all of the possible schedule options. From there, you can decide what works best for you. Also, on the registrar's website, there are several search options that will allow you to find out which classes satisfy GE requirements, which classes are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or even 6 units, and also, which classes are fiat lux seminars (1-unit seminar courses designed for freshmen that are graded pass/no pass). I didn't know all of this before orientation and didn't become acquainted with the registrar site and all of its search options until a few weeks into fall quarter. This will all make more sense soon enough! I didn't have the GE list until after orientation as well. Don't panic!</p>
<p>ALready asking about clusters...</p>
<p>When the official questions come in summer I'll give you my detailed cluster experience. For now, I would recommend it, if its a subject you're remotely interested in. For exmaple, if you HATE science and do a science cluster, thats a year of intense misery. But if you like English lit but its not your major, an English lit cluster will be fun.</p>
<p>As others say, one benefit is priority enrollment.</p>
<p>If run the pre-med route, you can reap the special profits. :)</p>
<p>i would take the cluster. its going to be hard, but you get tons of GE's out of the way, writing 2 completed, and you get PRIORITY ENROLLMENT!!!!! priority makes it all worthwhile</p>
<p>thanxs guys..</p>