I am a parent of a UCLA senior. Yes, it is really hard to get the classes you need as a freshman/sophomore. You will be in the last group to pick courses, and your time to register in this last group could also fall badly, i.e. in the last hour of registration. My son is in a specialized biology major and had to take all the same pre-requisites as a pre-med. The first two quarters, he couldn’t start his sequence for biology, physics or chem, because they were all full by the time his registration came around. He ended up fulfilling all his general education classes those first two quarters and even in those he just had to choose from what was left. In the end, they turned out to be the most interesting and enjoyable classes, though! So yes, it is really hard to get the classes you need or you would like at the start. That said, my son is graduating in 3 years instead of the usual 4, since he stayed on for all summer sessions for the next two years, to catch up on his pre-requisite major requirements. And LA in the summer is not a bad place!
Econ is a very short major. You will be plenty fine getting classes for econ.
S is just finishing his junior year. There were a couple of occasions, particularly in his first two years where he had a poor second pass time and was worried that certain courses wouldn’t be available. One time he emailed the TA who opened up another slot for him, another time he got a friend with a better pass time to register and then they switched the place to him later on. But this generally only affects one course per quarter because you get two of your three classes in first pass.
As @10s4life notes, Econ is a very short major so you’ll rarely have to take four classes per quarter, which is where these problems can be a bigger concern. In fact if you have Calc and Econ AP credits, and are only taking the regular Econ major, you’ll need to find something else to do to fill your time beyond the required courses and GEs.
I’m an overseas student who got accepted to study Physics at UCLA and Berkeley. Initially, my intent was to go to LA because of the social scene but after being accepted to Berkeley ( to my surprise), the tables have turned and I really don’t know what to do.
What will I be missing out on if I attend UCLA, and on the contrary, what will be the advantages of UCLA when linking to both the student life and academic aspect (preferably in detail here)?
Is it also possible to switch majors/ complete a minor in a related subject of interest, and what course of actions would be appropriate for said decision shall I be willing to transfer to Mathematics, for instance?
As for the housing options, I received an email which I shall go through, but are there any general recommendations as to where to live? Do people even live outside of campus?
Cheers to anyone who responds, and I am eager to read your replies.
Please help me.
I think I responded to you in another thread but for UCLA and Cal you are not in physics yet. All L&S students are undeclared until you finish the prereqs and get in the major. So yes, it is easy to switch. Its also easy to minor in L&S although minors are really just for self enrichment and do almost nothing for grad school or job recruiting.
If you are a freshman live in the dorms. Classics and plazas are really the only options with a handful of suites. You can rank by preference by classics have the best freshman experience.
For undergrad physics either UCLA or Cal are fine.
@10s4life Hello! I recently committed to UCLA and I’m so excited!
Just out of curiosity, what is your favorite memory from being on campus? What is your number one advice for an incoming freshman?
Congrats, you made a great choice! I don’t have a particular favorite memory since theres so many that were all great in their own ways. But in the end, all my favorite memories being at UCLA had one common thing which was the friends I made at college. Any school can teach you the academic stuff, but theres something really special about the people ucla chooses to become bruins.
My number one piece of advice is don’t be afraid to try new things and get out of your comfort zone! College is a time to explore and UCLA/ Los Angeles offer so much to do! Also when moving onto campus, don’t be afraid to go up to someone and introduce yourself. Everyone is entering a new environment and are likely just as nervous as you. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.
Can anyone tell me in engineering, how does AP credit work - It is not clear on website
-If someone has calc BC, can they skip Math 1 & Math 2
How about the general education classes? Are they overall more fast-paced and in-depth than the high school AP classes on the same subject?
So would it be easier to double major with econ?
Yes it’s very common. PoliSci/Econ is an obvious combination - my S started with that plan but then switched to Public Affairs which combines these topics more explicitly from an applied rather than theoretical perspective. But if you are thinking you might want to do an Economics PhD then it would be better to do MathEcon.
@d12025 Take a look at page 22 of https://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/seasoasa/UCLASamueliAnncmt20-21.pdf.
If you received a 4 on the Calc BC AP then 4 units may be applied toward Mathematics
31A. A 5 on AP then 4 units Mathematics 31A plus 4 units that may be
applied toward Mathematics 31B.
In general, a high school AP course is spread out over one year. UCLA is on the quarter system so the same amount of material is covered in 10 weeks.
UCLA does not allow students to use their AP credits to replace GE courses. If you plan on using your AP units for a course in your major, I would make sure that you are confident in your knowledge of the subject so that other courses in your major can build upon that knowledge.
Thank you for answering my question and I apologise if I missed your reply previously. I have several more inquisitions: how expensive can it get i.e. what can monthly expenditures on life in general be like? What’s the party scene in UCB compared to UCLA?
Thank you!
Thank you so much! Also, there is a requirement for US History that’s taken in high school. Does it have to be AP US History or a year of regular US History course taken in high school would satisfy the requirement? Son is a music major and we try to figure out what’s required academically in UCLA vs. in a pure conservatory environment.
GE’s are meant to be fun classes you take and in general are not very difficult. I took a class on vikings and one of the assignments was to do a mock trial based on the short story we read. Another was a class on health diet and exercise and the project was to track gym improvement and what you ate.
Regular and AP US History will account for it. But he will need to take social science GE’s. There’s a popular one about mass incarceration and the project is to make a model of a historical landmark related to it.
That is dependent on the person. Are you going out to eat on weekends? How much do you spend on snacks and other items? In general you could technically survive on just paying for toiletries outside of the meal plan. So your experience may vary. Some students get allowances from their parents and others hold part time jobs so I can’t really answer this for you.
At any large school you can find a range of things to do. Partying may be one of them and you can find it at any school. Cal is a more academically focused school than UCLA so their scene is a little less intense but its such a small part of the college experience I wouldnt worry to much about it.
Thanks for sharing! That sounds very fun and interesting. I hope it’s not too hard to get into the relatively more interesting and less challenging classes