As of today, I have officially submitted my intent to register at UCLA for the upcoming fall quarter and to be honest I do not recall ever feeling as excited and nervous as I currently am about my educational future. I have always dreamed of attending UCLA, so much so that I turned down UCSB, UCI, and a few other universities after high school and chose to attend a local community college for two years with the hopes that I might become a more attractive prospect to UCLA as a transfer student. Nearly two years later, I am proud and humbled to call myself a Bruin and I look forward to everything that awaits me at my new home and education destination. That being said, I have enrolled in Econ 11 (Intermediate Microeconomic Theory) and Econ 41 (Statistics for Economists) for the first Summer Session and I have a few questions pertaining to these classes. I plan to ask these same questions during one of the transfer oriented events offered at UCLA, but I thought I would try my luck on CC and see if anyone has any answers or advice.
My most first and most pressing question is this: at what point does UCLA acknowledge the completion of the prerequisite courses that are required to take these two courses? I have completed both introductory Microeconomics and Macroeconomics at the community college I am currently attending (these are both required to take Econ 11), and I have taken Calculus 2 at the community college as well (this, along with Calc 1, are required to take Econ 41). I did not take Calc 1 because I had taken both the Calculus AB and BC Advanced Placement exams in high school, which permitted me to skip Calc 1 at my community college and jump directly into Calc 2. When enrolling for these courses, the website warned me that failing to complete these prerequisite courses would lead to me being unable to complete these courses, which I understand are a required part of the Business Econ major. So will UCLA acknowledge that I have completed these four courses as soon as they receive my official community college transcript and my official AP test scores? I have already sent both the transcript and the scores to UCLA but I still fear that an issue will arise that will prevent me from being enrolled in these two courses. The last thing I want to occur during my first classes at UCLA is to realize that I am not properly prepared or qualified to take the classes I need for my major. Do I have any reason to be worried, or am I simply being overly paranoid? Any insight into how and when UCLA acknowledges the completion of required community college classes would be extremely appreciated!
My next question is as follows: how challenging are each of these courses? I have been reading comments from past UCLA students on other websites that the classes in the Business Economics major are extremely competitive because of the fact that the major is impacted. I was fully aware of this fact prior to applying to the major and I certainly do not expect any easy courses at UCLA. However, as I continued reading I noticed that many students mentioned that professors have a quota for A’s, B’s, C’s, etc in their classes. While I am not surprised that professors do not want to hand out good grades to all students, I was curious as to whether they intentionally give out low grades because they need to maintain around, say, 10-15% A’s in a class. Seeing that I am a UCLA transfer student, it should come as no surprise that I intend to get an A in every class I take (not realistic but I find that it is a good goal to set for myself), especially because I plan to apply for the selective Accounting minor offered by the Anderson School of Management. So from any Economics or Business Economics majors who have taken these courses, what is the level of competitiveness I should expect from these courses? Will it be extremely unlikely that I earn an A in both courses unless I spend 30 hours a week studying, reading the textbook, and attending office hours and discussion sections? I realize that my question sounds stupid given that the UCLA econ department is extremely competitive, so it should be assumed that all students enrolled in the majors give each class as much effort as they can muster. I suppose I ask it simply out of fear of the unknown as well as the knowledge that my fellow classmates are similarly driven and most likely possess far superior intellects to mine.
Finally, I would like to know if any current or former UCLA students have any advice for how to best study for any class at UCLA, but particularly Economics and Management courses. I have obviously established my own personal study habits during my educational career (I would not have made it here otherwise), but given that I have made the jump from community college to world renowned research university I have a desire to elevate my game. For any fellow UCLA transfer students, how easy/painful was the transition for you to adjust to? Are professors typically willing to assist you during office hours if you are lost? What resources are available to students who are seeking assistance other than office hours and discussion sections? Again, any advice from current or former UCLA students, transfer or otherwise, would be GREATLY appreciated. I simply would like to mentally prepare myself for the challenges that will face me once I begin to attend UCLA.
Thank you in advance to anyone who was willing to read this essay of a post. Any advice or assistance you can provide me with is extremely appreciated. I feel beyond fortunate to be able to attend such an amazing university, which is why I would like to ensure that I am well-prepared so as to avoid squandering the hard work that has propelled me to my current situation. I know that I would not have been accepted if UCLA did not have a sliver of a feeling that I belong at their university, and for that I am especially grateful. Thank you all again and go Bruins!
I did apply for financial aid and I received a small grant but its predicated on me taking two classes for at least units, which is why I’m taking Econ 11 and 41. I may end up dropping 41 if I go the first week and decide I’d rather focus on 11 and just take 41 in the fall. I wanted to take Management 120A over summer but when I tried to enroll they said I hadn’t completed the required pre-reqs so that was a bummer…if you do decide to take both classes during summer session A let me know! I’d love to find a study mate 