How to transition from semester to quarter system?

<p>for UCSD
How many units should we be taking once we transfer over to the quarter system?
I'm taking 15 units (5 classes, 3 units each) at the moment at my CCC
upper division classes are usually 4 units at UCSD right?
how many upper division classes are we suppose to take? are we still suppose to continue lower division classes?</p>

<p>Ahhahahahahaha! G’luck. It sucks.</p>

<p>If you’re major is considerably more difficult than others (math, engineering, chemistry, etc), take 12 units and no more (only for the first quarter). If you’re doing communications or philosophy, you should be okay to take 16 units fall quarter. And you take upper div’s as they are offered as long as you’ve taken the prerequisite course. </p>

<p>You will most likely take lower div’s that weren’t offered at your CC your junior year (as most classes within you’re major are only offered once or twice per year so selection of the courses you choose is crucial).</p>

<p>My advice is this: once you decide what school you’re attending, make an appointment (before Spring 2011 semester ends) and plan out your schedule for the next two or three years. If you wanted to get out in two years, you’ll most likely need to take both summer sessions. And yes, most classes at UCSD are 4 units.</p>

<p>Take it slow. Seriously.</p>

<p>If you don’t have a job and can dedicate the time needed for the work, it isn’t that bad.</p>

<p>Job or no job. I wouldn’t advise you to take more than 12 in your first term; youll need time to adapt to the UC work load.</p>

<p>Definitely keep it to 12 for your first quarter. See how your grades turn out in December and add more if you feel you’re up to the challenge.</p>

<p>Ok I’m a humanities person, but I took 12 units for my first quarter, 2 upper division english courses and one lower division history course, while working 20 hours and getting drunk 3 nights a week and I still thought the workload was not that bad… If I could go back i would have took 16 units</p>

<p>You still need to take the 12 to find out whether it’s easy or hard, and it’s much better to make it “too easy” than too hard, especially on your first semester!</p>

<p>^my bffl goes to sb and shes a humanities person and she feels the same. maybe its just sb? because i have a friend who transferred to la but she feels like shes drowning in all the readings she has to do. shes a poli sci major.</p>

<p>it must be easier going from quarter to semester though, right?</p>

<p>Na redo, its not just sb, the fact of the matter is no matter what UC you go to 16 units is normal, its what everyone takes pretty much every quarter. Whenever I ask my peers they all agree that a 12 unit quarter is a cake walk. Transfer advisors will always tell you that you should take 12 but the truth is the transition isn’t very difficult… its not like “OMG the quarter system is so fast!”</p>

<p>Keep in mind this is just my experience</p>

<p>I feel like it also depends on your major. I’m a political science major and while there’s more reading than I did before, I think it’s manageable. This is my first quarter at UCLA and the adjustment wasn’t that hard. I just really advise 12 units as a benchmark because it’s not going to be the same for all people.</p>

<p>^ I would imagine the case being different for science and engineering majors though, with the heavy course load n’ all. All the friends I’ve had who transferred to UCSD as biological science and engineering majors had to do summer school and usually took an extra quarter or so to graduate.</p>

<p>thanks for all the replies! </p>

<p>i’m a political science major. i finished all 3 courses that are available at my CC. 2 other ones are not available, so that means i will have to take POLI 13, Power and Justice, and POLI 30, Political Inquiry at UCSD? it seems like i’d need 12 upper division classes for the major. Would be it hard to try and finish all 12 upper division classes within 2 years + summer sessions?</p>

<p>It for sure is different for science and engineering majors. Do you have any idea how much time we dedicate to engineering projects not during class? We study at least 15 hours per week and we still have hw to worry about. To top all this we still work part time throughout the week. Sure I got out on the wknds and what not but the transition sucks. So point and lesson: if you’re major is widely considered ‘easier’ than the rest (ex: humanities, communications, history, etc) you’re probably okay to exceed the 12 units upon arrival but if you’re majoring in a science or engineering, only take 12 units!</p>

<p>Note: I’m not saying that those ‘easier’ majors are easy by any means. I’m sure there are classes which some science and math people couldn’t do, just as you can’t do what they’re doing. But in general, the public would agree that a degree in humanities is not as time consuming and conceptually complicated such as chemical engineering.</p>

<p>And no man. 12 upper div’s are very, very doable to do withing two years upon transfer. You won’t need to do summer session and if you plan you’re courses right, you can probably graduate early (assuming you have the units necessary).</p>

<p>Another note: Engineering majors need to complete 20-22 upper div’s to obtain a BS.</p>