<p>I was just admitted to both UCLA and Carnegie Mellon for Chemistry and trying to decide where to go. UCLA is ranked 10th for Chemistry and CMU is 74th making it the clear choice, but I just read a post about how everyone at UCLA hates the Chemistry department which scares me. Is this a true opinion? and if so why? At the same time I have a lot of other considerations like that I live in California and kind of want to leave, that I'm gay which is more of an issue at some schools, and of course the fact that Carnegie Mellon is about twice the cost of UCLA. They are both great schools, but I feel like UCLA would probably be the more sensible choice I would just hate to go there and hate my major. On that note, is it very hard to change majors there early on say especially from Chemistry to Chemical Engineering although that would maybe be a stupid choice since UCLA's chemical engineering is ranked so much worse?</p>
<p>Dude, this thread is perfect for me to answer.
I am a chemistry major.
I am gay.</p>
<p>UCLA is great for chemistry, but call me biased–I’m currently doing undergrad research in a building named after the man who discovered the mechanisms of the Sodium/Potassium-ATPase–Paul D. Boyer.</p>
<p>It’s unfair to say that everybody hates the Chemistry department. Every pre-med needs 1 year of General Chemistry and 1 year of Organic chemistry. As a result, the classes offered by the Chemistry Department are in high demand–students who don’t get what they want get upset. Also, I think it’s basically just one of the Chemistry Undergraduate Office counselors who everybody dislikes. Despite having been at UCLA for 20 years, she has an attitude problem towards students she’s supposed to help, and I have seen her be nice (to parents of high school student) at one time, and a total bag most of the other times. We do have other wonderful Chemistry counselors, though (just one mean one)! Other than that, all the Chemistry professors I’ve had so far are good. Keep in mind that UCLA is a research institution, and that most professors here are doing research and teach only because they kinda have to. Despite that, professors do want you to learn and do well. The education you receive here will not be worse than any other institution. Don’t be afraid of the Chemistry department. If I had to say whether I loved or hated it, I would say I love it.</p>
<p>UCLA is a great environment for LGBT, and we have an LGBT center with great people in it. I’m not a regular at the center, but I’ve been there more than a handful of times. The campus climate overall is extremely accepting and nice, and you should not have to worry about being yourself here.</p>
<p>The chemistry major falls in the College of Letters and Science, while chemical engineering falls in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (HSSEAS). If you were just switching majors within a college (such as chemistry to biology) then its easy to switch majors. But to go from the LS College to HSSEAS (such as from chemistry to chemical engineering) is more difficult, and if I recall correctly, requires some more forms, and you can only switch after obtaining a satisfactory GPA after a few quarters at UCLA. It’s possible, but I don’t know how easy it is.</p>
<p>UCLA would be a great choice. I literally let up a huge smile when you mentioned that you were gay (in addition to thinking about chemistry), because that’s essentially me! Hahaha hit me up if you ever want to chat or have any other types of questions. I don’t frequent collegeconfidential so much, so don’t get discouraged if I don’t reply to private messages immediately.</p>
<p>Take Care.
Kenny</p>
<p>I can’t really say much about the chem department other than that everyone I know who hates chem is pre-med but also in the life sciences. I mean, there’s a reason why they’re not Chemistry majors directly so perhaps that’s why? I think if you truly love your major then you’ll find it’s worthwhile and be willing to work for it, but do keep in mind what Kenny said about this being a research university (which can work for/against you). Within the College of Letters and Science it’s fairly easy to switch majors but between schools it’s a bit tougher, especially to engineering, but definitely doable.
As for being gay, I’d say UCLA is a very LGBT friendly campus. I have many many gay friends who are not afraid to be open about it; one of the most popular nearby clubs is a gay club (Rage). We do have a center and a Queer Alliance, and a gay/bisexual/progressive men’s fraternity. You can find more information here:
[UCLA</a> LGBT Resource Center](<a href=“http://www.lgbt.ucla.edu/UCLALGBTStudentOrganization.htm]UCLA”>http://www.lgbt.ucla.edu/UCLALGBTStudentOrganization.htm)
I’d say definitely hit him up!^^^ He definitely knows your situation and can help you out with more specific questions. Another great thing about UCLA I’ve found is that there are a lot of mentorship programs here for any students who need a safe place/person to go to.</p>
<p>My two years as a Chemistry major (I’m not anymore) is something of a bittersweet experience, but my whole UCLA experience has been rather bittersweet, so take what I say as you will. </p>
<p>About the gay thing, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about at UCLA. There’s a lot of different LGBT groups and organizations, along with the LGBT Center (“The Center”) that jayjiggle mentioned. In all my years at UCLA, I’ve only personally witnessed maybe about 2 anti-gay incidents. (Once when one of my gay friends was briefly harassed in Westwood and another when these “God hates gays, blacks, jews etc” people were on campus. Generally and most likely, out of towners.)</p>
<p>As for the major…</p>
<p>The actual administrative staff (not the professors), I would say are very bureaucratic. Think of every DMV or government worker you’ve ever met in your life. They go through the motions and could care less about you. </p>
<p>The classes themselves left more to be desired. As a disclaimer, I stopped the chemistry major somewhat short of taking the upper division, so I could be wrong. I have been told some really interesting and fun stuff is learned there, but anyways, the lower division courses are somewhat of a grind. The professors, while nice and friendly (profs. I’ve met generally are), they’re not really good at teaching. Some professors outright see the introductory classes as “weeder” course. They’re not really there to teach you the basics, they’re there to see if you will sink or swim. Given, I’ve had a couple of exceptional and inspirational professors, but theses are sadly low in numbers. </p>
<p>My personal gripe with UCLA is the quarter system and being much more theoretical than application based. At first, I didn’t think the quarter system was too bad, but after my first quarter, it’s just too fast! Maybe I’m just slow, but every was just so fast paced. Think about, it’s only about 10 weeks of instruction. Or approximately 2 months to learn 3-4 different subjects. </p>
<p>Then on the actual instruction style, they teach you theory and stuff like that, which is great if you want to go on to research, but I’ve always been in the classes constantly thinking, why is this even relevant? Does anyone in “real” chemistry even know/do this? If you’re the type of person that wants to see more real-world things, you might want to think harder about UCLA. This isn’t just for Chemistry at UCLA, this is pretty much my experience with all math and science classes at UCLA. (While engineering has more application, I hear much of the same complaints from them as well.) While I will admit, it’s pretty cool and fun when your professor talks about his/her research, if you learn better by their application, a lot of classes can be somewhat boring. My fault for choosing a RESEARCH institution. </p>
<p>Of course, for all I know, Carnegie Mellon might even be worse about these things. </p>
<p>Also, about the switch from Chem to ChemE, it’s definitely harder since you’re going from different colleges, unless of course, you got really good grades (you can do whatever you want if you have really good grades, but most people generally don’t switch out if they have good grades, go figure). I had the misfortune of having low grades, and its quite aggravating to switch into certain majors.</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t see how any department can operate without being bureaucratic. Even so, the times that I’ve needed to see the administrative staff, I got what I needed. Of course, that one undergraduate counselor is not a bucket of sunshine to deal with, but the only times I really need to see her is when I needed to enroll in a class. That’s as simple as filling out a half-sheet form and giving it to her. However, if you want to enroll in a class that’s full and in popular demand, you’ll get some attitude from her.</p>
<p>I’ve interacted with the other undergraduate counselors, the graduate counselors, the building manager of the chemistry building, and the chemistry department chair. It’s bureaucratic because that’s the only way a large department can operate, but the department does it well in my opinion. It’s only when you’re asking for the impossible (“Please enroll me in a class with 350 enrolled students and 100 waitlisted students!”) that you’ll see the bureaucracy at its worst.</p>
<p>As for the theoretical vs. application aspect of the department, I can agree with silvercross in some parts. Of course to understand and apply something, you have to know the theory behind it. I can understand if a professor goes too much into theory, but it depends on the professor and the subject matter of the course, as well as whether the student likes that teaching approach. For me, the only professor who was more theoretical than my taste buds would have liked was also a professor in the Physics department, and those guys love theory. What I’ve seen the Chemistry professors try to do, if they teach a lot of theory, is show you the thinking and expect you to apply it on exams. I don’t think it’s terribly bad, although it probably should encourage you to do more homework and practice problems.</p>
<p>I don’t really agree with the “weeder” issues. Some students probably feel that way when they’re in a large classroom. It’s also probably a result of professors trying to obtain that nice “bell curve” grade distribution–a lot of kids will get grade in the C range and below. I don’t think it necessarily means they’re intentionally weeding out kids and making exams hard to fail them.</p>
<p>Just keep in mind that whether you’re going to UCLA or CMU, you’re going to a Top 25 (by my arbitrary ranking) university, so you’re expected to perform well.</p>
<p>I understand why bureaucracy exists in the chem department, but I’ve also been to many many other departments (bigger and smaller than Chem). Things just got done more efficiently and faster. If they couldn’t help you, they told you or directed you elsewhere (although this occasionally led to a redirection circle >.>). I’m not looking for 5-star customer service, I’m just lamenting how the Chem department just doesn’t seem on par with the other departments at UCLA.</p>
<p>About the weeder thing, that’s just my personal perception. I can certainly see why some at UCLA don’t feel that way. After all, I did leave the Chem major and obviously, you’re still in it. We’re all biased.</p>
<p>To the original poster, I would suggest you know your learning interest (application vs. theoretical) and what exactly you want to get out from your experience. Maybe by asking the right questions, you’ll figure out what you really want.</p>
<p>[Change</a> of Major — UCLA Engineering Office of Academic and Student Affairs](<a href=“http://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/undergraduates/change-of-majord]Change”>http://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/undergraduates/change-of-majord)</p>
<p>Theory - Chemistry
Application - Chemical Engineering</p>
<p>Be prepared to go against the premeds in the 153 series if you go theory (a lot of them have previous tests). </p>
<p>I graduated ChemE in 08. If you find theory isn’t your cup of tea, audit ChemE 100 and see if you like it (it’s a weeder however - not too many As are given out - I think 5 on average). If you do well, you’ll do well in ChemE.</p>