I love UCLA!

supery00n · 04-15-2008, 06:52 PM

I visited UCLA before because my sister went there, but today was the first official campus tour I went on (Welcome Day). There's pretty much nothing that I don't like about UCLA, and I'm definitely going. =) I have several questions.

1. What exactly is priority registration? Do those who have it have significant or only minor advantages over those who don't.

2. My tour guide said that freshmen who have lots of AP credits would qualify for sophomore status, and also priority registration. I will be taking 10 AP courses (all hopefully with scores of 4-5) and will have received the IB diploma by graduation. Where would I stand with regard to sophomore status and/or priority enrollment?

3. Would you recommend that I take a GE cluster or Fiat Lux Seminars, if I could choose only one or the other? Which is more rewarding intellectually and socially?

4. Can you briefly explain the College Honors program in the College of Letters and Sciences?

Many thanks!

MrSpam · 04-15-2008, 08:48 PM

1. Priority registration lets you register for 10 units before any one else can.
2. You can check UCLA Undergrad Admissions: AP Credit - College of Letters and Science for how many units you aquire. Sophomore status is 45 units
3. Clusters: Not so much if you're doing a science major, but if not, it's a pretty quick way to get GEs done, it does take up a lot of time for reading and stuff.
Fiat Lux: Short 1 unit class that don't count for your GPA about random topics.
4. College Honors, I believe you have to take 40(?) units of honors classes and have a 3.5 by the time you graduate.

laserbase · 04-15-2008, 09:07 PM

dude i went today too lol...who were u? i was probably the only one wearing a hat throughout the whole trip, an Ecko Unlimited one, White on the front side and dark gray on the back side

supery00n · 04-15-2008, 09:25 PM

I was an Asian guy, just under 6 feet, average physique, white quiksilver shirt, navy blue cargo pants, dark brown shoes, glasses, and kinda spiked hair. My parents were with me; my dad was wearing an orange jacket and my mom a blue jacket. My tour guides last name was Otto...taking German + Russian and in the marching band.

mrMOO · 04-15-2008, 10:09 PM

I wouldn't really recommend clusters. A lot of people I know have dropped after a quarter and some people hate it and are sticking it out. Others just say its whatever and are apathetic, but NO ONE I know says that they like th classes.

liyana179 · 04-16-2008, 12:31 AM

1. priority is nice, but not the be-all end-all. sometimes it barely helps. signups can be a crapshoot no matter what.

2. ditto mrspam... although priority is not the right way to put it. what your guide prolly meant is that class standing determines your enrollment time: the higher the standing, the earlier you enroll. this does NOT apply your first quarter, as all frosh sign up in their respective orientations. will kick in for winter quarter though.

3. ONLY TAKE A CLUSTER if you are genuinely interested in the material. if you are not, you will probably fare better taking the GEs on your own. that said, if you like your cluster, it can be a rewarding experience and a good place to start as a freshman. there should be no reason why a cluster would preclude you from taking a fiat lux since those are only 1 unit and they fit in anywhere. those are really fun, so be sure to take advantage of them!

4. UCLA Honors Programs Academics

Jasonx88 · 04-16-2008, 12:52 AM

1. What exactly is priority registration? Do those who have it have significant or only minor advantages over those who don't.
It's definitely nice to have, but it depends what types of classes you are trying to get. For example, UD economics classes don't let people in during the priority pass cycle.

2. My tour guide said that freshmen who have lots of AP credits would qualify for sophomore status, and also priority registration. I will be taking 10 AP courses (all hopefully with scores of 4-5) and will have received the IB diploma by graduation. Where would I stand with regard to sophomore status and/or priority enrollment?
I'm pretty sure you would get sophomore status, but it depends which classes you took.

3. Would you recommend that I take a GE cluster or Fiat Lux Seminars, if I could choose only one or the other? Which is more rewarding intellectually and socially?
I loved my GE cluster and felt it was one of the best class series I have taken here at UCLA. Fiat Lux seminars are amazing as well, but it really depends on the professor. They are a great way to get exposed to a multitude of topics. Ge clusters and fiat lux seminars are not mutually exclusive. You can take both at the same time.

4. Can you briefly explain the College Honors program in the College of Letters and Sciences?
Honors gets you priority, and has its own set of counselors and various opportunities for honors students.

Go Bruins!

mynameiseric · 04-16-2008, 01:02 AM

also one huge downside with priority registration is that you can only sign up if the class is not already half full. So a lot of 'popular' classes might get filled up with other priority kids before your priority, in which case you'd have to wait for your first pass, which would be later than regular first pass.