<p>I don’t think that anyone can really fully answer this question with any kind of hard evidence. I think it depends on the individual person and the type of student they are. I can only tell you what I have gathered from people that I have personally talked to that attend/attended these schools. I am a Media Studies major as well and I spoke to a few MS majors the last time I visited Berkeley. </p>
<p>I was told that the GSI can either make or break you there. You have to understand what they want from you in order to get a good grade. You have to ask them what they are looking for and write FOR them. This may be difficult for people that have a super strong opinion about something. There may be times where you have to throw everything you know (and feel) out the window and just write the paper how they want you to write it. </p>
<p>I was told by one recent MS grad that the major really isn’t very difficult at all. She said that most MS classes consist of a few short (5-ish page) papers and a final. She said that the reading can get a little heavy, but she said that she was able to “skim it” most of the time. I am not sure how much natural ability she has though, so something that is skim worthy to her may take someone else weeks to comprehend, KWIM? Keep in mind that MS is an interdisciplinary major, so you will be taking classes from other disciplines such as Soc, Psych, Business, etc. Those classes may be structured differently. </p>
<p>As far as UCLA is concerned, the general consensus is that the course load at UCLA is significantly greater than CC. Many people here have posted their first quarter experiences and almost all of them said that they did not expect that much course work, but they seemed to adjust. I also used to work with a recent UCLA Sociology grad and she loved it. She had nothing but great things to say about the school and major. </p>
<p>Overall, no matter which UC you go to, expect to step it up. University expectations are always higher than CC. I would pick your school based on more important things than course load b/c no matter what, you are going to have to work hard and buckle down.</p>