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05-17-2008, 01:41 AM
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#2146 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Threads: 74
Posts: 1,964
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Flopsy or GrassPuppet can probably cite you the link where Dean Boelter wanted engineers to only have 2 hours of free time per day.
| Wow, promoted to a dean. 
Anyways, it's true ... if you want to sleep 8 hours per day, want to be a good student (go to all classes/recitations, do all homeworks completely and accurately, study, read the book thoroughly) then you will only have limited free time. 2 hours is about average for those who follow the above procedures. If you think you can do all the above and have lots of free time, then you are a genius (that's my only explanation ...)
I think most UCLA engineering students have and will find ways to get more free time -- sleep less, skip classes, copy from solutions manual, underestimate the material and theory/get surface knowledge, learn the material and forget the subsequent quarter). It's your choice of how you spend your time. The dean demands an amount but there's too many variables to control how much time you should spend doing something (your goals, aptitude, passion).
At least for my point of view, the dean wants people to spend that much time on academics is because he wants every student to MASTER the material, not just know if for one quarter or year. The best way to test your knowledge is to teach someone -- to answer someone's question .. or to teach it to your grandma. Think about the courses you took last year; are you confident in tutoring others in that course? Or even more crucial, what if you were a TA. How embarassing would it be if a student asked you a difficult (but not impossible) question and you had to "get back to him/her on that question"? It's okay for high school teachers to do that (you've probably visited that scenario before), but definitely not professional when you are a TA or future leader in the industry.
Now, there are those who do extra work such as extra problem sets, study the book meticulously, and read the book in advance. This type of person would have no free time. There are some people who are like that, and they are usually the top students. I think the reward is very worth if for them.
Engineers are busy and endure a lot of stress. Analogous to the industry life, engineering work will be sometimes boring, but also challenging. It is painful and full of unpaid overtime hours, but one will receive sufficient satisfaction (or else no one would want to become an engineer).
This post probably had no point, but just filled with conscious facts.
Last edited by BoelterHall : 05-17-2008 at 01:47 AM.
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05-17-2008, 01:52 AM
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#2147 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Threads: 74
Posts: 1,964
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A 3.3 engineering GPA is between one and two standard deviations above the average engineering GPA at UCLA and UC Berkeley, which is in the 2.8-3.0 range.
| A consensus of students I've talked to believe that the average UCLA GPA is around 3.0-3.1. It is believed that it's slightly higher at UCB, at around 3.1-3.15.
I think that a 3.3 is about 65% percentile. | |
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05-17-2008, 01:37 PM
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#2148 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: UCLA
Threads: 119
Posts: 8,025
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Originally Posted by BoelterHall A consensus of students I've talked to believe that the average UCLA GPA is around 3.0-3.1. It is believed that it's slightly higher at UCB, at around 3.1-3.15. | Selection bias. | |
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05-18-2008, 02:11 AM
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#2149 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Threads: 74
Posts: 1,964
| Are you sure? Maybe ... but I don't know anyone with under 3.0. I would think anyone who has very poor stats already switched out of engineering.
The average grade is a B- (some C+ and B .. so they counteract), which is a 2.7, I understand. But many people take easy A GEs and other classes which should make the average engineering GPA somewhere around the B range, right?
I don't think UCLA is like Poly, where the average is in the 2s. | |
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05-18-2008, 04:11 AM
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#2150 | | Member
Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Rockville, MD
Threads: 21
Posts: 676
| i know plenty of engineering students with under a 3.0, some under a 2.3. | |
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05-18-2008, 01:44 PM
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#2151 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: UCLA
Threads: 119
Posts: 8,025
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Originally Posted by BoelterHall The average grade is a B- (some C+ and B .. so they counteract), which is a 2.7, I understand. But many people take easy A GEs and other classes which should make the average engineering GPA somewhere around the B range, right? | I've taken the influence GEs into consideration when calculating average GPA. The ratio of GE classes to engineering classes in, say, Electrical Engineering under the 2007 curriculum is 1:4. So, for an average cohort of one GE and four engineering courses (some of which may be the new "breadth" engineering courses) the average student would get {A, B-, B-, B-, B-} which works out to a 2.96 GPA. Keep in mind, however, that the "A" is not necessarily guaranteed, and the student might not choose all "easy A" courses for his/her GE requirement, but instead pursue a more rigorous GE from time to time that he/she might actually be interested in. Therefore, I skewed down the 2.96 figure to something more realistic -- hence the 2.8-3.0 range. | |
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05-18-2008, 01:53 PM
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#2152 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Threads: 74
Posts: 1,964
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but instead pursue a more rigorous GE from time to time that he/she might actually be interested in
| Speaking about the average student, I think the average student takes the easy GE more than 50% of the time. Quote: |
i know plenty of engineering students with under a 3.0, some under a 2.3.
| Are they even trying? I think when you get to upper division, you really have to screw up to get a C or below (for an average class). | |
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05-18-2008, 03:27 PM
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#2153 | | Junior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Threads: 4
Posts: 177
| BoelterHall, it might be for MechE but ChemE it's possible to work your butt off and get a C-.
Drake gave 104A last quarter 20% Ds and Fs. It was so bad, people complained to the Department Chair, Monboquette who then talked to Drake to do something about the grades.
Drake gave 104B harsh grading, almost everybody got Cs, either C+ or C-.
It depends on your major. There are some very easy engineering classes compared to true I want to cry engineering classes.
So I suspect also for electrical engineering/cs, it's possible to work your butt off and get a C.
- TB54 | |
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05-18-2008, 05:43 PM
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#2154 | | Member
Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Rockville, MD
Threads: 21
Posts: 676
| they have to try to avoid failing, but they aren't trying to their fullest extent. but is the average student really trying their hardest..? | |
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05-19-2008, 07:28 PM
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#2155 | | New Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Threads: 3
Posts: 15
| Man, these messages dillusion me more than I already am about CS...
btw, anyone here who took a minor along with Com Sci? I turned in my minor request form 7 weeks ago...still haven't heard from them.  | |
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05-20-2008, 11:23 AM
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#2156 | | New Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Threads: 0
Posts: 13
| General Education requirement
I'm transferring from a CCC to UCLA as a ChemE and having finished most of my GE requirements for HSSEAS, I would like to know of some 'unit filler/easy' GE classes that will not only boost my GPA, but will actually be an invigorating learning experience.
(easy meaning, if you work enough the A/A- is inevitable)
So a list of GE classes, that are good from an engineering stand point, would be great! | |
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05-21-2008, 01:48 AM
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#2157 | | Member
Join Date: May 2006 Location: YRL (^_^)
Threads: 7
Posts: 478
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Originally Posted by Vendetta I'm transferring from a CCC to UCLA as a ChemE and having finished most of my GE requirements for HSSEAS, I would like to know of some 'unit filler/easy' GE classes that will not only boost my GPA, but will actually be an invigorating learning experience.
(easy meaning, if you work enough the A/A- is inevitable)
So a list of GE classes, that are good from an engineering stand point, would be great! | There's already a thread about this! The "Easy GE" List | |
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05-24-2008, 08:56 PM
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#2158 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Threads: 4
Posts: 104
| I'm going to be majoring in Computer Science Engineering and I was wondering if Intro to Comp. Science I is based in C++ or Java. I was planning on preparing before I actually take the course. Does anyone know which textbook is used? | |
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05-25-2008, 10:02 PM
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#2160 | | New Member
Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Chicago Gender: Male
Threads: 0
Posts: 4
| Laptop
Hi,
I'm going to UCLA for CS in the fall of 08 and was wondering if a laptop is a necessity in place of a desktop. I have a desktop which is really nice that I built myself for college but now I am worried that I will need the portability of a laptop. So I guess my question is should I bring a laptop and a desktop or just one, and if one then which one?
Thanks | |
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