<p>This is a literal question. I was looking at the impacted majors for UCLA and several of them are what some would call "easy" majors or "useless" majors (I happen to be majoring in sociology, so don't call me a hater)</p>
<p>I was just thinking, are these majors impacted at UCLA because there are a lot of people who want to major in something "easy"? Or is it that UCLA really does have exceptional programs in those fields. It doens't make a lot of sense to me that one of the best universities in the country has renowned programs in "easy" majors, but I don't know.</p>
<p>Would it be possible to impress the adcoms is I show them that I really have a genuine interest and passion for sociology rather than a shiny GPA and a desire for a degree from UCLA so big that I would be willing to take on an easy major?</p>
<p>I just think that it was to do with popularity. Communication studies seems to have gotten so popular what with the advent of technology and media. It’s also a very general degree… like sociology, English, and etc.</p>
<p>I understand what you mean though. I know people majoring in English because they think it’s “easy”… Yeah try writing a fifteen page paper on the use of supernatural in Shakespeare’s works… (this is only community college!) It’s annoying that people claim that any degree is easy. I’ve seen my boyfriend’s computer science work and I have seen how much time he spends on calculus, but it doesn’t mean that my work isn’t hard too. It’s just different. Back on topic… I don’t think that people necessarily go for those degrees because they’re easy but because they allow for so much more flexibility.</p>
<p>That’s good point SMCguy, but it also makes sense that UCLA would rather keep those programs expanded to make themselves look more competitive and “tough”</p>
<p>I looked on the UCLA website for the Communications Studies Department and found that the pre-requisites for the major require only one quantitative course, Stats 10 or Stats 11 which is elementary statistics that has a pre-requisite of three years of high school math.</p>
<p>My eldest son is going into his sophomore year at CSU Sacramento as a Geology major which has pre-requisities of three semesters of Calculus (CSUS uses the same Calculus textbook as the one used for engineering majors at UCB), three semesters of Calculus based Physics and two semesters of Chemistry for Chemistry and Engineering majors. Instead of Political Science or Psychology his upper division requirements include a semester of Geophysics.</p>
<p>Even though he will graduate with a BS from a lowly CSU, he will have had to have mastered far more difficult material and have made a much larger intellectual investment in his degree than someone who graduates with a BA in Communications Studies from UCLA.</p>
<p>Geology is not an impacted major anywhere as far as I can tell even though the subjects it deals with such as the age of the Earth, earthquakes and volcanoes, as well as searching for oil, water and other resources are inherently as interesting as Communications. I may be mistaken but I do not believe the employment prospects and starting salaries are that much better for UCLA graduates with a BA in Communications Studies than CSU Sacramento graduates with a BS in Geology. I think the reason that Communications Studies is so impacted while few students major in Geology is simply that a degree in Geology is so much harder to earn, even at a CSU, than a degree in Communications Studies from UCLA.</p>
<p>Take easy classes, get a 4.0, major in Communication, attend UCLA, get a fun job in the media industry. This is why it’s so popular! I have friends with Comm degrees that work all over Hollywood and they love their jobs. Comm degrees from USC, LMU and CSUN…only one graduated from UCLA, they’re making between 60-125k. The LMU grad makes the most and the USC grad makes the least. UCLA and CSUN grads are in the middle…but I really think pay depends on the person, not the school.</p>
<p>Anyhow, it’s pretty obvious to me why someone would want to make decent $ while working at CBS, Paramount, Interscope, People’s revolution, etc. This is why it’s so popular!</p>
<p>UCLA’s comm dept is a leading department with a global rating. UCB has a higher-rated one, however. One reason both are impacted is because the depts are small.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m sure it’s easier than a lot of others (certainly STEM) but sociology ain’t so far behind. And there are cognitive science options that connect communication with neuroscience.</p>
<p>And as someone else mentioned, UCLA is in the entertainment capital of the world, so yeah, um, I think people do all right. Two UCSB students I know, majoring in Communications, got a job at Google and Facebook by the end of this summer after they graduated last June. </p>