<p>Hi guys. I'm a freshman at UCLA right now and have not been very satisfied with it yet. The main reason I wanted to go to UCLA was to try to get into the film program, but now I'm wondering if I made a mistake by enrolling for all four years. My family can't really afford it, and I'm not happy there. I'm considering dropping out and finishing my freshman and sophomore year at a CCC, but would it be extremely difficult for me to transfer back into UCLA's film program (or to UCLA in general) junior year? Any advice would be great, thanks.</p>
<p>i wouldn’t stop going here. Budget cuts are happening and just because you were admitted before doesn’t mean you’ll be admitted again. </p>
<p>don’t know about the film program’s transfer rules, but USC’s film program is better (although MORE expensive) so if price is what you’re concerned about, i wouldn’t recommend it.</p>
<p>Can you describe what you think caused you to not be happy here? Did you find that you have trouble making friends, since the people here are generally unfriendly and stuck-up?</p>
<p>^ well that wasn’t a loaded question <em>sarcasm</em></p>
<p>Actually, I rescind my sarcasm. Sorry (:</p>
<p>^what are you trying to say :rolleyes:</p>
<p>SL65AMG, that’s part of it, yeah. 
I’m really friendly and pretty outgoing, I’ve joined clubs, and all that, but it’s still been hard to make friends. I’m thinking of joining a frat and getting a job to see if those might help, but it’s still disheartening. But besides that, I also haven’t been too satisfied with the academic experience at UCLA so far. Most of the classes seem like stuff that I could learn on my own, and I dunno…I sometimes just feel like I’m wasting time and money at UCLA. :-/</p>
<p>give it some time. I disagree that people here are unfriendly and stuckup…that’s a stereotype thrown around about LA itself. If you’re not in a hall, try to make friends with people who are. you’ll meet a lot of people for sure.</p>
<p>on a more serious note, I wouldn’t transfer out. Like beyphy said, the film school is already hard to get into, and transferring out with a plan to transfer in has a huge chance of backfiring…you’ll regret it down the line if you can’t get into it in the future.</p>
<p>Remember you can always minor in Film and take additional classes in the field. I wouldn’t transfer out.</p>
<p>Isn’t UCLA film/theater school very well known and famous? Graduating from it will open doors and opportunities for you!</p>
<p>To be honest OP, what where you expecting when you came to college (in terms of learning and such)?</p>
<p>College is useless for almost everybody, why? Because it’s just a hurdle to jump through. Society has placed an artifically high value on an expensive piece of paper called a degree that teaches you a lot of nothing really important. The majority of your learning will come from real life and applications, as in on the job training.</p>
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I feel the same way. I have also thought about transferring to another university, but it is probably too late for me now. People in my previous city were much more friendly than here in Los Angeles. Most of the experiences that I’ve had with people here are that most of them are stuck-up, self-centered, and fake - trying to act all tough and give an impression like they are so much better than you.</p>
<p>One option is to withdraw, attend a 2-year college, and then transfer to another college of your choice. This would save you a lot of money and you may be happier.</p>
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<p>Huh, funny. I met my best man and one groomsman at UCLA, and still keep in touch with at least three or four people. Most of my classmates and dormmates and roommates were all down to earth, nice, easygoing people.</p>
<p>I often wonder, when I read unhappy freshmen posts (I see these every year, BTW), if it’s mostly just growing pains.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to be the old man acting like a jerk here, but I think a lot of people have a tough first quarter or year of college. They then develop a niche, make friends, and are happy for the rest of the time.</p>
<p>Jukebox, give it one more quarter and see what happens. I transferred after a year in a CC, and I’m glad I did it, but I’m not sure you’d be much happier going that route. CC has many of its own pitfalls, trust me.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, guys. 
I know I should give it one more quarter at least, and I will. I feel like I’ve tried a lot of things so far and none have panned out, but I do recognize that there are still some options left: frat, job, applying again to the Daily Bruin perhaps, maybe even trying to start my own club or something, internship…I don’t know; I might as well try some of these and see if they change anything. I don’t think my dissatisfication should be attributed to “growing pains” though. I legitimately have made efforts with a lot of people and groups, and as for the academic experience, I didn’t necessarily expect much more than I’m receiving, but I did expect at least a little more, a greater number of stimulating classes than I’ve taken so far.</p>
<p>STRONG ADVICE:</p>
<p>I am also an undergrad at UCLA although only just transferred in this fall as a junior. I came from a JC in the Bay Area, and had spent 2.5 years there, so I think my advice should be helpful in your making a decision (even though I am sure you’ve already made up your mind by now). Plus, I also don’t really like it here.</p>
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<li><p>YES Being at a JC will be much cheaper, but what other people are saying is true; it will be exponentially harder to be accepted here 1-2 years down the road. While it may be true that getting in as a freshman is much harder, your still taking a major risk.
PROS: Save a Lot of Money!
CONS: You might not be admitted again, here, or at a comparable university.
Film is much harder to bridge into as a transfer (Especially at UCLA).
You lose a certain level of academic / professional reputation.
You lose out on potential internship with studios you might not get at a JC.
Life at a JC for two+ years doesn’t seem bad, but it drags on! TRUST ME!</p></li>
<li><p>For Film, USC is the best in the country (excepting the American Film Institute). If you decide to go anywhere outside of UCLA it should very well be better not worse. I know that financial concerns are always up there for people in making their decisions, but trust me; if the program your admitted to is #1 in the world, your off to a good start. Meaning you can loan yourself to the hilt in an effort to complete your education. If you come out of a program that prestigious, chances are you have already held internship positions in the LA area, and you already have a job lined up upon graduation. Also you have more “clout” at UCLA so if you are applying to a better school (like USC, or any IVY), you will stand a better chance of admission coming from here (GUARANTEED). If I were you I would consider sophomore transfer via the Common App to other universities. Unfortunately the deadline for USC is … Today. LOL well, either you’ve already come to this conclusion and have applied, or your still deciding. If you are still deciding, consider some other privates. The NYU app isn’t due for a little while, so you could still apply for this upcoming year…
-AND- Their film program still tops UCLA by 1 rank. In case your wondering what the top 25 film programs are, and haven’t already looked it up; check this out:</p></li>
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<p>[The</a> 25 Best Film Schools Rankings - The Hollywood Reporter](<a href=“http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/25-best-film-schools-rankings-215714]The”>The 25 Best Film Schools Rankings – The Hollywood Reporter)</p>
<p>Good luck man, and also yes your classes may not seem stimulating… but you are a freshman and are taking lower divs. It only get more interesting, and trust me a JC will not be an improvement academically. I know a great deal on the subject, as I am offer a Transfer Counseling Advisory Service for kids at JC’s who need Ed. plans / direction / etc… and they all wish they could end up right were we are, so my final advice is either learn to like it here, or learn to be in much much much more debt and transfer to USC or NYU.</p>
<p>To answer your original question, yes, it would be harder. As far as I know (and I’m not expert so I could be wrong) UCLA first looks at current students wanting to transfer into the film program, and THEN if there are spaces left looks at students transferring from CC, etc.</p>