<p>And lets not start this debate again. It's pointless on both ends.</p>
<p>never wanted to attend UCLA, grey.</p>
<p>I've been saying that for as long as i've been on these boards:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1060302197-post18.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1060302197-post18.html</a></p>
<p>Frankly, I can't stand the student body at UCLA...</p>
<p>I've got another spiel about the cheating bastards who use adderall to gain an unfair advantage over classmates, but that's another story for another day.</p>
<p>I agree that science/engineering majors are the hardest ones out there but please, I have a serious decision to make. Please don't turn this thread into a flame war. I just need to know if I have a good enough shot to UCLA to wait and if Poli sci at UCI would be that much easier than at UCLA. I need to pull a 3.7 if I want USC/Stanford to look at me.</p>
<p>Anchor:</p>
<p>You're right, I shouldn't criticize UCLA's poli program because it is probably more rigorous than most schools around the country. I am just bias towards the financial/quantitative fields. And place more value on quantitative abilities than critical thinking/reading comprehension. Although, I think all majors should emphasize all kinds of thinking methods.</p>
<p>I'd say go to UCI if you're sure you want to go to law/grad school. UCI is actually a very good school (ranked in the top 50 nationally) but it gets kind of a bad rap in CA because it's ranked behind UCB, UCLA and UCSD. You are still going to get a stellar education and all things held equal it's easier to get a higher GPA at UCI. On the other hand if you come out of UCLA with a 3.7 and good LSAT scores you'll be that much more competitive. But still, I'd advocate for UCI.</p>
<p>FYI there's a huge difference between USC law and Stanford law. Standford law is on par with Yale, Harvard, Columbia and NYU. It's tied with Harvard for #2 in the nation. USC, while a very good law school, is ranked about 20, outside of the top 14. Also your GPA will combine your ccc grades and your uc grades so you'll benefit from two years of a straight 4.0 which is good because a 3.7 and stellar LSAT scores makes you only competitive at Stanford.
/apologizes for law school rant</p>
<p>Connels,</p>
<p>thanks for the insight. I encourage law school rants. :)</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm just gonna go ahead and say it, I personally believe the people in the Poli Sci, Philosophy,etc. majors just don't have the mental fortitude to hang with the Chem, Physics, etc. majors.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Eh, I wouldn't go as far as to say that people majoring in poly sci, philosophy, etc. don't have the "mental fortitute" to hang with the sciences, since I think it just comes down to what they feel like studying. And heck, if people like studying comparative government over thermodynamics, then that's totally fine. I personally prefer the latter. :p</p>
<p>I honestly think people should major in college whatever they feel like studying for four years and then let them go into whatever career path they want to. After all, we all know there are tons and tons of people who go into career fields not even closely related to what is said on their college degree.</p>
<p>Damn it, are we going into this topic again? Grey is right in that these arguments really go nowhere. Bye bye.</p>
<p>Ha, of course they go nowhere, but it's always good to start a pointless argument if only to keep yourself awake during the 15 minute breaks you take while studying for organic chemistry.</p>
<p>You didn't take o-chem before you transferred? What's your major?</p>
<p>Physiology & Neuroscience.</p>
<p>(school didn't offer it)</p>
<p>anchor's right... I personally enjoy public discourse (i.e. arguing with anchor) to pass the time or otherwise... but yeah, that topic is too irrelevant to the general theme of this forum: UC transfer admissions.</p>
<p>Anyway, that whole "mental fortitude" claim is so deeply subjective that I'm not even going to go into it. Let's just say I would proofread English papers for all of my ex-girlfriend's room mates last year, who were (this is kinda funny) science majors at UCSD. And I can attest to the quality of those papers, and the magnitude of "mental fortitude" that they conveyed.</p>
<p>Connels,
Thanks for your input. I am leaning towards UCLA because it does have the name and I can't imagine it being that much harder than UCI. When applying to law school do they really take my ccc grades into account? I'm not sure how that works, especially for schools as high up as USC/Stanford.
Also, I am aware of the major difference between schools like USC and Stanford. They are my main picks not only for their rankings but also because they are both private schools and located in California. I'd hate to leave the great weather here. </p>
<p>Do you feel UCI would be that much easier to get a higher GPA at than UCLA? enough to validate going there and losing out on the name/experience/connections? The question is open to all willing to take a stab at it.</p>
<p>All grad schools still look at your community college grades.</p>
<p>But do they care about them/take them into consideration when averaging GPA?</p>
<p>Well obviously. The admissions process doesn't just look at a number on your application; they look at the whole package.</p>
<p>Yeah the California weather is hard to beat :). As far as the GPA goes, law school admission committees get your GPA from every college course you've taken. So yes, your ccc grades will absolutely be calculated in and will be treated the same as grades you recive at a four year school.</p>
<p>The law school GPA calculation is the same for all schools. They will all look at your ccc grades but how much credence they're given depends on the respective school. You should check out lawschooldiscussion.org for specifics- the people over there are really knowledgeable.</p>
<p>I truly think that it's easier to get a higher GPA at UCI than at UCLA although there is obviously a lot of gray area. UCLA students, on the whole, have higher grades and test scores than UCI students. UCLA draws from a higher caliber applicant pool so it stands to reason that the kids there are smarter and thus, it's more challenging academically. Personally I think this translates into more difficulty getting a high GPA. </p>
<p>The thing to remember is that law schools really don't care about the name of your school- your LSAT score will tell them how you compare to other law school applicants. Law school admissions is primarily about your LSAT and your GPA. I would say if you get a 3.5 at UCLA and a 3.7 at UCI you would be much, much better at UCI. </p>
<p>The LawSchoolDisucssion Forums talk about all of this in much greater detail so you might want to ask them but I think they'll tell you to go where you have the best chance at the best GPA.</p>