My Opinion

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of California - Los Angeles
1

<p>Before I post, I want you to know that what I have to say is based on my own opinion and what I have seen. So if I offend anyone I apologize in advance.</p>

<p>When we all applied to college, we all felt that after getting into college our lives would be set. </p>

<p>WRONG!!! </p>

<p>I quickly found that college required a lot of work. I came to UCLA as Biology major and I quickly found out that it requires a lot of work. I would be studying countless hours for Chem. and Life Science. During my first quarter I got a 3.0 GPA and it sucked. I studied my ass of and all I had to show for it were B’s. </p>

<p>Some of my friends were also in the same boat as me, they would be studying there butts off and would only have 3.1-3.3 GPA. I know this isn’t true about everyone in south campus but from what I have seen that seems to be the norm. So picture the fact that you are a freshman and you realize that the major you chose is not as fun as what you initially thought it to be. You are now in a situation where you either have to kick it up a notch or completely reevaluate your situation. I stuck it out another two quarters and both quarters and I got a 3.4 and 3.3, and I had a 3.23 GPA after my freshmen year.</p>

<p>I quickly got out of my major and became a Political Science major. I slowly watched my friends struggle and their hopes of medical, dental, optometry, or even graduate school were slowly dashed because they had a 2.8-3.1 GPA. </p>

<p>So now they are going to graduate, just as I am, but there job prospects look slim, they maybe able to get a nice research job but I highly doubt that they will end up making a lot of money after they graduate. As one of my friends said “Colleges are were your dreams get shattered” </p>

<p>Since we know that the average GPA of south campus majors is around a 2.8-2.9, that means that there are hundreds of students that have this average and there are students that may have lower then this. Also there are students who are successful and have above a 3.3, however there are more people doing alright then people doing well.</p>

<p>Now let’s jump to north campus, which is somewhat in the same situation, the average GPA is around a 3.1-3.2 for north campus majors, while this number is encouraging take into consideration that some of the north campus majors are not as sought after as some south campus majors. I am political science major and I have a 3.46 and I scored a 1400 on the GRE and I feel as if I am screwed. Yes my gpa is okay but I am in a major that doesn’t have strong job outlook and that can be said about some majors in north campus. What could I do if I went to graduate school, become an activist or doing bit%% work for some snobby politician. </p>

<p>What I am trying to get at, is that despite the fact that there are successful undergrads, they pale in comparison to the number of students who do average and worse. Being raised in an Asian household I was always told to major in something that would be lucrative however, it was too hard and I was sick and tired of getting a 3.0 GPA, and to be honest with 3.0 as a south campus major will not get you far in life. And the same can be said about north campus, you might do average or do well in a north campus major but your options are limited. </p>

<p>The only people I can consider to be safe are engineers. You guys can maintain a 3.0 and your perfectly fine and you are able to land a nice $60,000 paying job, I wish I could have a job like that because I grew up dirt poor.</p>

<p>The point of my post is that you either have to do really, really well and hope you get into a good graduate or pre-professional school or else your academic time here at UCLA is a waste of time and money.</p>

2

<p>money isn't everything.</p>

3

<p>but it is a lot.</p>

4

<p>and its why alot of us are whoring on CC</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
The point of my post is that you either have to do really, really well and hope you get into a good graduate or pre-professional school or else your academic time here at UCLA is a waste of time and money.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>All I have to do is read the last sentence to know how ridiculous your post is. And I don't think very many people think that once you get into college your life is set...</p>

6

<p>college is worth the college experience (friends, learning, etc)...
i agree with namaste that money isn't everything</p>

7

<p>Even though a bunch of people are going to bash this entry, I do see where you're coming from, and I hope that things work out for the best. It does suck to work so hard for something and not get it, and yeah that makes trying seem kinda useless. I also have to agree with some above posters that there's a lot more to college than just getting a high-paying job. I think a lot of it has to do with strategy - not just how to study, but who you make connections with and what kinda strings you're able to pull during your time here</p>

8

<p>This might be really hard to believe, but here it is: there's more to life than gpa. Seriously. </p>

<p>Most people do not go on to grad school, and most do just fine. Hell, most people don't go to schools that are anywhere near as highly regarded as UCLA, and they also do just fine. Are you really, in 10 years, going to look back and say, "my time and money at UCLA were wasted because I didn't graduate summa"? Or are you going to remember your friends and the cool stuff you did, the places you went, etc?</p>

<p>If you honestly feel like you wasted time at UCLA just because you didn't have a perfect gpa, I sincerely feel really bad for you. I just feel like it's awfully defeatist to presume that you won't make anything of your life as a result of a stupid number not being as high as you'd like. Don't think your grades will land you a good job? Get some practical work experience and prove yourself that way. It's more impressive to prospective employers than an A+ in some poli sci class will ever be. Business people are much more concerned with your competency and your personality than they are with how well you wrote some BS essay two years ago. </p>

<p>Money comes and goes, dude. A 60k job out of college would be great, but what happens if you get laid off? Or have some kind of disaster and acquire a ton of debt? You are far, far too young to feel so financially doomed, especially because you never really know how the chips are going to fall. I understand the growing up without money thing and the wanting to make more of yourself thing, but you'd be mistaken to write off your entire college experience just because you don't think you're primed to make enough cash. Focus on figuring out what the hell you want to do with your life, like truly. And what you'd ENJOY doing with your life. Then figure out how to make it happen. The money will come. I know it's all cliche and blah blah whatever blah, but seriously. Create a damn goal and achieve it. </p>

<p>UCLA doesn't really owe you anything, and I think there's a certain amount of ownership one needs to take over their situation. It's your GPA, own it dude. And make the effing best of it. But complaining on a message board that UCLA is a waste of time and money just because the average GPA is lower than you'd like is kind of silly. If you're seriously throwing your hands up at 21 or 22 years old and declaring the past four years of your life as a wash because you have a freaking 3.4 gpa, you have a little more growing to do, yo. Make stuff happen for yourself.</p>

9

<p>allie, before I post a response to your post, I would like to know why you transferred.</p>

<p>Was it because of your high school grades, cost, or because you were not ready for college?</p>

10

<p>bruinblue</p>

<p>Here's an idea; go to law school. You're GPA is fairly decent and with a high enough LSAT score, you could get into some excellent places (including perhaps the UCLA School of Law).</p>

11

<p>I know that is a option, but lets look at the people who have the mediocre grades, the thousands of UCLA students who have 2.8-3.2 GPA, they are limited in their employment options. </p>

<p>I am obviously in a good position but what about my friends, they are screwed, they worked their butts off as much as I did and all they have to show for is a mediocre GPA.</p>

12

<p>None of the above. I transferred because I hated high school and wanted out. I started community college classes when I was 16. It made more sense to just take the transfer path and have a significantly better chance of admission than it did to try to do both at the same time and just take my chances applying out of high school. I had an incredibly fulfilling CC experience and I feel like it did a lot to prepare me for life after college.</p>

13

<p>ok good so you admit your 3.46 isnt bad by any means. it wont get you into the top law schools but its fine for anything else.</p>

14

<p>bruinblue- so your friends suck it up, interview their asses off, and get jobs. It's not like a 2.8 gpa means you'll be homeless and destitute the rest of your life. It just means you have to prove yourself in other ways.</p>

15

<p>I'm pretty glad I'm an engineer. There's always someone who's recruiting UCLA Engineering graduates on campus, and willing to look at resumes -- even if their GPAs are terrible. :rolleyes:</p>

16

<p>So much to discuss here...</p>

<p>
[quote]
I quickly found that college required a lot of work. I came to UCLA as Biology major and I quickly found out that it requires a lot of work. I would be studying countless hours for Chem. and Life Science. During my first quarter I got a 3.0 GPA and it sucked. I studied my ass of and all I had to show for it were B’s.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Real life is also hard. I don't want to be fatalistic, but some people do succeed and...some sorta don't. </p>

<p>
[quote]
Some of my friends were also in the same boat as me, they would be studying there butts off and would only have 3.1-3.3 GPA. I know this isn’t true about everyone in south campus but from what I have seen that seems to be the norm. So picture the fact that you are a freshman and you realize that the major you chose is not as fun as what you initially thought it to be. You are now in a situation where you either have to kick it up a notch or completely reevaluate your situation. I stuck it out another two quarters and both quarters and I got a 3.4 and 3.3, and I had a 3.23 GPA after my freshmen year.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Picture starting a law career and finding out that you hate it. That's a helluva sunk cost to have to swallow and start over. But guess what? It happens. Be very very happy that you realized in your freshman year that you didn't like your intended field of study and had enough support to change your major. Some aren't that lucky. </p>

<p>
[quote]
I quickly got out of my major and became a Political Science major. I slowly watched my friends struggle and their hopes of medical, dental, optometry, or even graduate school were slowly dashed because they had a 2.8-3.1 GPA.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Molliebatmit's GPA wasn't spectacularly higher than 3.1, and I have a friend who got into Stanford med with around a 3.0-3.1, and another friend in med school whose science GPA was less than 3.0</p>

<p>Stick that in your poopycap. </p>

<p>
[quote]
So now they are going to graduate, just as I am, but there job prospects look slim, they maybe able to get a nice research job but I highly doubt that they will end up making a lot of money after they graduate. As one of my friends said “Colleges are were your dreams get shattered”

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Real life is where your dreams get shattered.</p>

<p>Oh, and a good research job for 3 years can overshadow a bad GPA and then lead to better grad school prospects.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Since we know that the average GPA of south campus majors is around a 2.8-2.9, that means that there are hundreds of students that have this average and there are students that may have lower then this. Also there are students who are successful and have above a 3.3, however there are more people doing alright then people doing well.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>As it should be. </p>

<p>
[quote]
Now let’s jump to north campus, which is somewhat in the same situation, the average GPA is around a 3.1-3.2 for north campus majors, while this number is encouraging take into consideration that some of the north campus majors are not as sought after as some south campus majors. I am political science major and I have a 3.46 and I scored a 1400 on the GRE and I feel as if I am screwed. Yes my gpa is okay but I am in a major that doesn’t have strong job outlook and that can be said about some majors in north campus. What could I do if I went to graduate school, become an activist or doing bit%% work for some snobby politician.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Well, let's see... I graduated with a poli sci degree, and I'm looking to work for the State Dept. and later the FBI.</p>

<p>I also know poli sci grads who went off to big companies like Sony. Another is doing his MBA. A few in law school. My girlfriend's brother is now a DA.</p>

<p>Such crappy job prospects.</p>

<p>
[quote]
What I am trying to get at, is that despite the fact that there are successful undergrads, they pale in comparison to the number of students who do average and worse. Being raised in an Asian household I was always told to major in something that would be lucrative however, it was too hard and I was sick and tired of getting a 3.0 GPA, and to be honest with 3.0 as a south campus major will not get you far in life. And the same can be said about north campus, you might do average or do well in a north campus major but your options are limited.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>No, your options are unlimited. Your personal scope is limited.</p>

17

<p>
[quote]
The only people I can consider to be safe are engineers. You guys can maintain a 3.0 and your perfectly fine and you are able to land a nice $60,000 paying job, I wish I could have a job like that because I grew up dirt poor.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Would you have enjoyed engineering though? I wouldn't have. </p>

<p>
[quote]
The point of my post is that you either have to do really, really well and hope you get into a good graduate or pre-professional school or else your academic time here at UCLA is a waste of time and money.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>No, you don't.</p>

<p>Why don't you guys get this? You can work for a few years and then later go back to grad school.</p>

<p>Look at the average GPAs at top MBA programs. IR programs. Education programs. They're not incredibly super wow high. Work experience can help mitigate a lot of your undergrad weaknesses.</p>

<p>Stop despairing and go work.</p>

18

<p>
[quote]
I am political science major and I have a 3.46 and I scored a 1400 on the GRE and I feel as if I am screwed.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>By the way, depending on your course load and experience, this GPA and GRE score would make you a shoo-in for top IR programs and even competitive at some good poli sci PhD programs.</p>

<p>You're very very screwed, son. </p>

<p>By the way, Stanford now accepts the GRE for b-school. With some work experience, you might have a shot there with that score. 1400's pretty good. I barely broke 1300 and got into two top IR programs.</p>

<p>In other words: I'd love to be as "screwed" as you are.</p>

19

<p>This is what i don't get. Why does everyone think that you will die poor and unsuccessful if you don't go into grad school immediately after graduation? My grandfather went to law school in his FORTIES, after he decided that working as a sheriff kinda sucked after all . He was a successful lawyer for ~30 years. </p>

<p>For most of us, life doesn't end when we're 25. Which is really cool. </p>

<p>You have options, kids. Consider yourself LUCKY and embrace them.</p>

20

<p>I took a year off between undergrad and grad and found that my options increased. So did my ability to understand what I wanted with a degree.</p>

<p>My roommate is 28. </p>

<p>Most of my classmates are older than 26, and they're all pretty happy with themselves. </p>

<p>allie is right. Life continues well past 25.</p>