@LynAmmo it’s pretty difficult to bring a car if you’re living on campus. You’re better off going in thinking it’s not possible.
Hello everyone! I’m new here but I have been reading and absorbing all of the posts in this thread. My anxiety has finally gotten the best of me and I must ask you all for advice. I promise my “chance me” is not the kind you can google.
I was a history major up until last semester and after examining the profile of admitted transfer students by major, I decided to switch to the major “Ancient Near East and Egyptology.” Its random I know, but I am very interested in the middle east and I don’t mind being in a more obscure major.
My gpa is 3.46
Im at Santa Monica College and for my EC i went to Liberia, West Africa and helped open a school. I also own a successful business and am supporting myself and paying my own way through school.
As far as the major prep classes, Assist doesnt have an articulation for this major and the UCLA website says very little: One civilization course on Mesopotamia, Egypt, Near Eastern archaeology, or Middle Eastern cultures.
I dont really know which classes fit under this umbrella since they aren’t on assist. But I HAVE taken History of the Middle East, World Archaeology, and World Civilizations 1 and 2. Does anyone know any other Ancient Near East and Egyptology Major students or applicants? Anyone know of this major or currently in it? Chances?
yeah, if you’re on campus you should be fine 
my comment are directed more towards the commuters.
@MiniGrace11 i literally live in LA without a car but i get around everywhere in a timely manner from public transportation alone, lol. you just have to know your way around.
@LynAmmo yeah, the ucla/westwood area is pretty compact in itself. also, westwood is in the center, in between beverly hills, santa monica and west hollywood. there are these “rapid” metro buses that you can easily commute in between these areas.
ok so how strict are the requirements. so lets say my major requires like 6 classes and I have 5, is that going to hurt me a lot. I’m applying from out of state so it’s a little hard to get the correspondence right with the requirements.
I was just wondering how important the GPA is compared to pre-reqs completion. So would a student with 4.0 and 1 missing pre-req have any disadvantage compared to a student with ~3.7ish and all the pre-reqs finished? Anw I think I’m gonna find out this Friday, this torture is coming to an end lol.
Good luck to everyone!
cmdchavezz-- are you male?
If you’re a female you’re THE FIRST I’ve ever heard having shiney experiences on LA transit
Last word on the subject: If you’re living ON CAMPUS or WITHIN WALKING, a car is not worth parking-- an uber will get you to whereever else you have to go for less than insurance and car payments.
If you’re living OFF CAMPUS you need a dang car, especially if you’re planning on a job or internship. Is the way it is.
@sPib9Kiv9anD0aWd Ha finally someone with the same concern! I remember reading from someone that finishing all pre-reqs is critical to your admission and that really freaked me out as I’m still missing my last Physics class lol
Finishing your pre-reqs is pretty important. You only really get leeway with classes that aren’t offered at your CC or in majors that aren’t impacted. More in the former, from what I’ve seen.
@Oldhopeful thanks! Yeah in asking about any professors I should avoid, I meant those (like Langdon) that are stingy about giving out A’s. Since I wanna do grad school my biggest concern is keeping my GPA high. Thanks for the other tips too!
what’s your secret? lol
@IAmNotARobot33 I’d avoid Langdon, Silverman, and Wilson for GPA’s sake.
does anyone know the difference between pre-reqs and preparation for major? or are they the same? If i look up transfer preparation for economics, it states very clearly that “to be considered for this major, all of the preparatory courses listed here must be completed by the spring before transfer.” For art, its much less clear and it just says these are the classes that are preparation for the major. I asked the art director at UCLA about it and she said to finish what you can, and my counselor at my cc said the same thing. There’s one class that isn’t offered at my school.
@FaithGraceUC i’m female, but i get you completely. just bc i get around on public transportation all the time doesn’t mean i think it’s “shiney” in your words. i have bad experiences every day from sleazy men and it’s the worst. i’ve trained myself though, so i ignore them completely though and look straight ahead. the worst is in rails/subways, not really buses. but what i’m trying to say in the first place is that it is indeed DOABLE to live in LA relying on public transportation alone. bc everyone thinks it’s a myth. i’m a little hurt getting some aggressive tones in your post, lol. just wanna help bc so many ppl think it’s absolutely impossible to do it in LA
heya-- Didn’t say it was impossible, I said it was “BAD”.
No meaning to be aggressive-- but had some pretty awful experiences. Not only with the sleazes but also quite literally the last bus of the night getting cancelled and being stuck at a subway station from 1 to 5 in the morning (too far to walk and phone dead).
It’s a high “not recommended” in my book, but sure it is theoretically a possibility.
@MiniGrace11 i’m guessing the secret question was to me but im not sure. just in case it was, the secret is probably knowing the variety of ride choices you have. for example, if you want to get to santa monica from westwood, you have the option of taking a bus to westwood/rancho park station and taking the expo rail to santa monica, or walking to wilshire and taking the metro rapid bus that goes straight there. that way, when you check bus/rail times (i recommend w an app called NextBus), you can determine which way is quickest and you can go that way. there are tons of different buses/bus systems so there’s a lot of route variety.
@FaithGraceUC no worries, but i totally understand you. as someone who takes the subway every day, i have too many of those stories to share. like i’m not just saying this, it gets so fucking bad. esp the times i used to come home around 3AM every night when the buses stopped. that’s why i’ve relied solely on ubers when it’s past 11. for the westwood area itself though, it’s kinda better. esp bc modt of the buses are w the big blue bus system and are more “bougie” for lack of a better term, LOL. and i haven’t had any bad experiences w people on them esp bc there are drivers onboard. the expo rail is also a lot safer than the subway bc more ppl are on it at all hours bc of the santa monica extension, and you don’t lose cell signal. to avoid sleazy men, i always like to sit in the one seaters or at the edge of the two seaters so that they can’t sit next to me. but you’re right in what you said earlier about needing a car w jobs/internships out westwood. im hoping to get an internship in burbank so im planning on getting a car.
overall i recommend public transportation for the cost, ofc. bc it is accessible to go around LA. but if you’re a female i don’t recommend taking it late at night. all hours of the day there are gonna be sleazy men trying to talk to you, sit next to you, feel you up, etc. it’s LA. but the trick is ignoring them, looking straight ahead, never making eye contact, sitting at the outermost seats, etc. it sucks. you won’t encounter it every ride but it does happen.
LOL everyone here is like “Ill be accepted so I better start worrying about LA life” srsly tho it would be total depressing if you get hopes up and get rejected …
@iwanttransfer true lol i dont wanna get my hopes up but im so anxious i cant help worrying about everything
guys I can’t study at all because of the anxiety. Once the decision comes out I will be able to study again. For the meantime, I will be panicking in my room （╯°□°）╯︵( .o.)