<p>Hi everyone! I know a lot of you must be stressing out awaiting decisions! College Confidential was huge in helping me transfer. I transferred to UCSB (admitted as a Pre-Econ major, but switched to English) in Fall 2013. If you have any questions about UCSB or the application process, put them here and I'll try to answer all I can! Thanks! </p>
<p>I tagged UCSB for econ. I really want to go to UCSB but the fact that a lot of pre-econ students don’t make it to full major status due to strict grade curves worries me. Did it worry you, and do you know what percentage of students make it to full econ major?
Also did you live in the campus dorms, apartments, or off-campus for your first semester? Would you have preferred a different housing option than what you chose? Did you have difficulty meeting new people/friends? </p>
<p>Hey @Maxsays! Unless you REALLY, REALLY LOVE economics, I personally would choose a different school because as you’ve mentioned, first you’re admitted as a Pre-Econ major. You need to pass Econ 10a here at UCSB with a B or higher, but if you go to another school, you’re in your major and all is well. I believe only 42 percent of the class can get a B or higher. You can petition if you get a B- or C+ and you’ll have to get a B or higher in your next Econ class (Econ 100B). The class is EXTREMELY competitive and difficult because of the curve, but if you don’t mind that, then UCSB is a fine choice. I personally switched to English because I had to be honest with myself and realize that I wasn’t 100 percent interested in economics. It was never an issue of not understanding the material in my case. Econ 10a is meant to weed out students who are not truly passionate about econ. The same applies for any pre-majors here at UCSB - they’re all very competitive to get into. </p>
<p>Transfer students typically don’t live in dorms. I’m living in Santa Ynez (off-campus university owned apartments) and I absolutely love it. It’s a beautiful complex and the people are very friendly. You will have no problem making friends here! With all that being said, UCSB is a beautiful place and you’ll never run out of things to do around here. </p>
<p>Hi larinaga–</p>
<p>How hard is it to change your major once you have been admitted? What was your timing to switch, before or after school started?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>@larinaga
Thanks for the reply. Very Helpful.
Forgot to add. Are you, or have you thought about studying abroad? I would like to but I feel as a transfer student it might have some complications.</p>
<p>@SockherMom: I changed my major a few days ago. Lol. And it’s already Winter quarter, so I already had a summer session and a Fall quarter under my belt. I’ll still graduate on time. You can also change your major before school starts and during the quarter. Also, for me, it wasn’t very difficult to switch into English. I just went into the department and had the advisor sign me off. It all depends on what you want to switch into. Some majors, like Engineering are restricted for transfers and you can’t switch into them. In any case, I would just ask the respective department advisor. </p>
<p>@MAXsays: ABSOLUTELY! I wish I would have researched it sooner! I’m currently in the process of applying for study abroad for the Spring 2015 quarter. If you’re interested I recommend you ask about it on DAY 1 of your summer or fall quarter. As a transfer, there CAN be some complications, but they’re usually fixable as long as you work closely with your department advisor and the school. </p>
<p>Hi Larinaga haha </p>
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