<p>So I got admitted as a computer science and engineering major for the Henry blah blah school.
I'm almost sure I am going to go to UCLA, the only other competitors are
Santa Clara Univ.( 5 min from home and I loved it there)
and UCSC(yes I know... but I like it alot)</p>
<p>the only reason I am considering UCLA is because of the name, thats really it. So I need to know how bad is engineering there. How much free time in terms of hours, do engineers get over there?</p>
<p>Whatever extra work you’d be doing here is well worth it, and I would suggest shedding that attitude because regardless of which school you attend, a company won’t give you a job unless it’s clear that you’re willing to do hard work. And going to an “easier” school with fewer resources is a double whammy because the only way to overcome having fewer resources is with a stronger work ethic.</p>
<p>Is there free time here? Yes. I’m a CS major, I do well, and I generally have lots of free time. That’s not to say that classes are easy and there are times that I can feel the load, but that’s definitely not all the time.</p>
<p>Why attend UCLA as a CS/CSE major? Well-supported research labs like CENS, recruiting events from practically all major tech companies, and high-quality faculty who not only do interesting research, but are generally good at teaching.</p>
<p>thanks for the quick response. Another question.</p>
<p>I’m going to be living on campus if I go, and I heard that Engineers simply must live in a plaza or suite, because the dorms are just too…“active” for studying. Is this true?</p>
<p>I have a ton of friends who are engineers in halls and are excelling. Plus none of the lower div engineering classes are really that hard, although they are time consuming.</p>
<p>I agree with lolfail regarding engineers in halls, but I do want to clarify: suites and plazas are also on campus and share the same general area as the residence halls. So even if you live in a suite or plaza, you would still be on campus (just paying more).</p>
<p>Check out this thread for more on housing: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/341377-read-before-starting-new-housing-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/341377-read-before-starting-new-housing-thread.html</a></p>
<p>I dont suppose there is a way to hint towards the housing office that I want to have an engineering major roomate is there?</p>
<p>Not really, unless you know someone specific. When I came in to UCLA, one of my roommates was an engineer, and I know people who had triple rooms with all engineers. Housing doesn’t state their detailed methodology, but it looks like they might take major into account.</p>
<p>videodima: I’m a CS major here. Live in a dorm hall, they’re way more fun for your first year! You shouldn’t be studying in your room anyways in my opinion. Navigate to a study lounge (there are a bunch nearby). I don’t think you should pick UCSC over UCLA because of the workload. I transferred from UCR to UCLA and haven’t even noticed a tremendous difference in workload believe it or not. Where there definitely is a difference is in the class curves.</p>
<p>You can have plenty of free time if you want it. Don’t believe horror stories about how you need to study 24/7 to pass.</p>
<p>With all that said, your comment “I’m only considering UCLA because of the name” concerns me. If you hate the place, then don’t come. Don’t let “workload” be your reason for choosing not to attend.</p>
<p>Another thing I think worth pointing out is that there really are significantly more opportunities coming out of UCLA than UCSC. This extends beyond just “prestige”. Take a look at the employers that recruit at UCLA, for example: [UCLA</a> Career Center](<a href=“http://career.ucla.edu/Students/CareerFairs/ArchivesPreviousFairs/Fall2010_EngineeringTechnicalFair_TuesOct12.aspx]UCLA”>http://career.ucla.edu/Students/CareerFairs/ArchivesPreviousFairs/Fall2010_EngineeringTechnicalFair_TuesOct12.aspx)</p>
<p>I haven’t looked at a career fair for UCSC, though I know that the career fairs at UCR only had a couple companies I even recognized.</p>
<p>hey arcade thanks for the response, yeah I didn’t really mean the name thing, it was just late night and I was sick and I don’t even know why I typed it.</p>
<p>“Hard” enough to where, if you go and graduate, you will be highly respected and enjoy a six figure salary forever, because it’s UCLA. Your hard work will be rewarded tenfold what you put in. Don’t settle.</p>
<p>Well…I’m not sure I can realistically guarantee you an eternal six figure salary like Barnaby can. What I can guarantee you is you’ll find more opportunities coming out of UCLA than UCSC. You’ll probably also get a better education, since you’ll be more motivated by your peers to study and learn. I would recommend UCLA without a doubt, but if you really disliked the place (as was the vibe in your initial post), then maybe not.</p>
<p>UCLA definitely does not guarantee you a six figure salary. Even students from MIT and UCB won’t get six figure base salaries.</p>
<p>On a side note, you should consider that UCLA’s engineering department is one of the stronger departments on campus. It’s truly nice to go to a campus that has a healthy engineering department (high enrollment, number of professors/research, and student activities). But I don’t expect to see a considerable difference in the courses on the fundamentals of your engineering major between the two schools…</p>
<p>I don’t dislike the school, its just out of the three schools im considering, the other 2 that aren’t UCLA, when I came out of them I thought " Wow I really liked that place alot"
where UCLA was hmm that was pretty nice.</p>
<p>Really? Go check out Royce and Powell again…super pretty! That was what pumped me up when I visited.</p>
<p>UCLA’s curriculum (CS major) is considered very difficult by many companies. I have a PhD friend who was told by Google that they know if you have UCLA degree in CS, then you already took a lot of difficult CS classes.</p>
<p>hey (this kind of relates to the thread), I’m entering as a freshman under chemistry, but I’m thinking of switching to chemical engineering. What are the major differences??? Is one harder than the other?</p>
<p>@FlyingFeatherz,</p>
<p>I’m a 2nd yr chemical engineering major, and I have just finished all of my required chemistry classes. I would say that there is a difference between chemistry and chem engr. First, chemisty is science, while chem engr is technology. If you study science, you’ll be studying the fundamental theories of nature (i.e. why does it work?). If you study engineering, you’ll be studying how to apply the scientific principles (i.e. how does is work?). If you’re interested in finding a job after school (e.g. working at refinery, Frito Lay, etc.), be a chem engr. However if you are interested in research/grad school, chemical engineering and chemistry do share lots of similar research fields. In chem engr you could be working with polymers, material science, fuel & battery, medicines, etc. I would say that chem engr research focuses on the technological aspects, while chemistry research focuses on the theory behind it. Generally speaking, chem engr is a really broad subject, much broader than chemistry. If you’re interested in theory, go for chemistry. If you’re interested in technology, go for chem engr.</p>
<p>As for difficulty, the lower div requirements for both majors are basically the same (one more organic chemistry class for chemistry major). However, chem engr upper div classes are more difficult than chem upper divs (might not be accurate since i have only taken 2 chem upper divs), and they are more maths-intense. I feel that chem upper divs involve more memorisation, while chem engr classes have more critical thinking (they even give you open book exams because the material is hard…).</p>
<p>This measure of difficulty only applies to undergrad classes, though. Nothing is easy if you go deep into that field.</p>
<p>Damn long post… but hope this helps.</p>
<p>thank you soooooo much!!! i really appreciate the details. i’ll definitely take all of that into consideration… i might switch to chem engineering cuz i originally thought chemistry was broader to begin with. thanks!! :)</p>
<p>haha anytime. Chemistry is broad, too, but since i’m chemE major, I know more about chemE. It totally depends on what you want to do in the future & your personal interests.
There’re people who major in chemistry and do pre-med, but chem engr is not a good choice for pre-med (cuz it’s hard and might impair your GPA…). There is also a major called chemistry/material science, which combines chemistry and material engineering. Just saying :)</p>