Just finished my first quarter as a Political Science transfer to UCLA

Transfer Students UC Transfers
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<p>I remember last year I really appreciated all the threads done by people after they transferred. I just finished with all of my finals and I figured I would do one as well for all the social science majors on the board.</p>

<p>The most important thing I can tell you is to finish as many pre-requisites as you can. Beginning fall 2011 you will not be able to enroll in any upper-division political science courses during your first pass. You must have declared the major first in order to do that. You will be able to enroll in upper-division political science courses during second pass, space permitting. This may affect how long it takes you to complete your degree. Political science is already one of the most impacted majors on campus, so I’d say to get a headstart if possible.</p>

<p>You’re probably not going to get every class you wanted at orientation. I know the three classes I got were completely different than from the list of 27 classes I was interested in. When I was there, the political science counselors could only promise us one upper division political science course for fall quarter and had saved spaces in only a few. You could use the extra unit space to either fulfill any lower-div requirements you may have or to fill the upper-div elective requirement.</p>

<p>I have not had one scantron test here. Everything has been based on essays. After talking to a few people, even in the Biochem department, I have realized that is the norm. If you’re having trouble deciding which professors to take at your community college, take the ones that will make you write. I feel that is the best way to prepare for the UCLA workload. If you’re already used to writing a lot of papers, there will be no transition at all.</p>

<p>There’s more reading than at community college, but it’s manageable. When I saw the syllabus for my IR of the Middle East class, my head exploded. I had no idea how I was going to read four books and various online articles in ten weeks with two other classes to deal with. But I ended up reading all of them and finishing before Thanksgiving. It really helped that I read on the bus when I was heading back home, but it’s possible to set aside studying time whether you live on campus or not. It just takes time management and staying on top of your schedule.</p>

<p>Go to lecture. I was never the type to skip lecture when I was in community college and it has definitely paid off this quarter. My Political Geography professor put a question on the midterm that was purposely chosen from a day few people went to class. My IR of the Middle East professor asked us to write a mini essay for the final on the factors contributing to regional instability. He had literally taken the heading of the lecture from November 23 and just put a question mark at the end of it.</p>

<p>Professors are open to discussing questions with you… at least, the ones I had were. My Political Geography professor was the nicest guy ever and replied to e-mails in seconds. None of my professors came off as condescending or as if they felt they were wasting their time. They acted as if they were interested in what I had to say. Don’t be scared to talk to your professors. The worst that happens is they peg you as that one person that said that one thing. I know I was “the girl writing about porn” for a week to my Political Geography professor, and then “the girl trying to relate regional identity to the Oklahoma City Thunder” for the week after. Eventually he learned my name, but he could point me out in a classroom of 100 students. Now he’s giving me advice on how to conduct my own research over winter break. Boo yah.</p>

<p>If you’re a commuter, and have the time, join a club or two. This quarter I was only on campus Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-3 and Fridays for a one hour discussion section. I still don’t know what the entire campus looks like and I’m rarely by Bruin Walk. I chose a club that meets on Tuesdays to try to get better acquainted with the campus. It also appealed to me because they do volunteer work at a middle school only ten minutes away from where I live. Next quarter I’ll be on campus Monday-Thursday and I definitely plan on checking out those Monday and Wednesday clubs I didn’t go to this quarter.</p>

<p>I don’t really know what else to say. I got every class I wanted for winter quarter, so class selection does get better as time goes on. I might have different things to say after grades are posted, but I’ll have to see. I guess just ask more questions if you have any.</p>

<p>Good luck with your applications!</p>

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<p>haha i’m also finishing up my first quarter here at ucla</p>

<p>i’m also a poli sci major and i’m also taking intl 132A … actually finishing up the take home final in my dorm now</p>

<p>my experience here has been great too, i’ll elaborate once i’m done with finals</p>

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<p>Are either of you considering a minor? If so, which one and are those courses hard to get? Thanks for taking the time to post today, so exciting!</p>

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<p>YAY great post, and tell us your grades :D</p>

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<p>I’m considering either picking up a Geography minor or adding it as full-blown double major. I really fell in love with the field throughout the quarter and am now thinking about pursuing a graduate degree in Geography. The classes I wanted for winter quarter were at less than half capacity when I enrolled during my second pass. They filled pretty soon after the juniors had their enrollment appointments though.</p>

<p>I figured I should add that, according to UCLA, I have senior status so I have an earlier appointment time than what I think most transfers may have. They added my AP units on top of the max units I earned at community college.</p>

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<p>finishing up my first quarter at ucla also! halfway through my final paper for philosophy 100a and then im done…great experience…Ill answer any specific questions anyone has for me or phil majors wondering.</p>

<p>The work hasnt been unbearable…I got a B, B+ and A+ on my midterms so I feel confident that after finals I will have atleast a 3.5 for the quarter</p>

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<p>Can you guys elaborate on your gpas from community college, and your expected gpa (only for UCLA)?</p>

<p>I’ll be transferring next fall (I applied this fall) and hopefully will be admitted to UCLA or USC with my backup being UCSD. I’m kind of scared of the whole work hard and you’ll most likely get a B or B- kind of thing. I’m just wondering if it really is as hard to get an A as people say, I’ll be transferring in with about a 3.9 with 75+ units completed in 2 years, and I usually hold the top grade (or atleast score the top score on a couple tests) for each class. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>Same here. I will be finishing up my first quarter at UCLA as a Pre-Poli Sci major once Thursday is over!</p>

<p>My #1 advice: Try to find a community college that fulfills the Stats10/PS6 requirement listed on assist.org I took Stats class at CC only to learn that it does not fulfill the Poli Sci Stats requirement at UCLA. As a result, I must take this course either this upcoming Winter or Spring in order to declare the major. </p>

<h1>2 advice: Study hard but also study smart. Since the reading tend to be heavy for classes here and things move at a much faster pace in the quarter system, look for the key points of the reading and highlight them during the first read through. If necessary, take very brief notes (Just enough for your brain to recall the contents).</h1>

<p>I don’t find the classes that much more difficult. As matter of fact, I had quite a bit of free time during my first quarter here enrolling in only 3 classes maybe that will change starting next quarter. The most noticeable difference for me between CC and here is gap in time between midterms and finals. In CC, I always felt that you can relax and take a breather for a week or so after the midterm; however, you tend to jump right into preparing for the finals once the midterms are over since you are only given 10 weeks in a quarter. Most midterms I took this first quarter occurred during the 6th or 7th week. </p>

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<p>Killer: Who did you have for Poli Geography? Sounds like an interesting class. Any professors you have taken this past quarter who you would recommend? Btw, I highly recommend Gussin for Poli Sci. Look for him in both Winter & Spring.</p>

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<p>Lucky, i still have a math and econ final, i should post my experience later too.</p>

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<p>great post, it’s nice to get this perspective from fellow transfer students!</p>

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<p>@nabilesmail: My GPA from community college stood at 3.8. I don’t really know what to expect for this first quarter. I had 90%'s in my PoliSci and my Geography classes after the mid-terms. My third class was based on a paper and attendance/participation, but we haven’t gotten our grades back for our synopsis and obviously our final paper. I did get a 97% on the annotated bibliography and participated plenty though. I feel like I should be able to pull at least straight B’s when all is said and done.</p>

<p>@JC1029: That totally sucks about Stats! My community college thankfully DID have a class that transfers over as Stats 10, so I was able to declare in Week One. I felt like I had a lot of free time too. I signed up for four classes next quarter to feel out the workload. I know which one I’ll drop if I feel like it’s too much. I had Tristan Sturm for Political Geography but he’s leaving after winter quarter. He relied on a lot of texts from John Agnew though, so I assume he might teach it too. I had Binder for my PoliSci class. He’s the kind of lecturer you need to drink a cup of coffee for, but interesting if you’re awake.</p>

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<p>^ Funny, I was in Binder’s class. I end up dropping it in favor of a different poli sci class because I thought he was boring and rambled on and on. I know I’ll probably end up in one of his classes in the future given that I need some IR classes, and he’s supposedly the God of IR at UCLA for Poli Sci. In terms of difficulty & workload, how is his class?</p>

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<p>@nabilesmail: My GPA from CC was 3.8. For the three classes I took this past quarter, I am expecting As on two of them and perhaps an A- in one of the three courses; it’s hard me to predict since it’s graded on a curve. I know that UCLA uses +/- system when it comes to their grades, but as far as I can tell from the syllabuses of the three classes, there are no difference between A and A+ in terms of their impacts on the GPA. They both equate to 4.0 on the GPA scale.</p>

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<p>FYI: There is just too much to know in the field and major of Geography to double major with an incompatible like Poli Sci. UCLA typically wants Geography students for their grad school who plan on getting a PhD and writing and doing research for the university. A political geography class is actually quite obtuse and not very typical of the major and field. Unfortunately cultural and human geography won’t lead to a job in the field and only a research and/or academic position. Modern geography isn’t so much about state capitals as it is about science and computers. If you don’t like advanced science and computers there is a good chance you will not like geography as is taught and applied in the field today. If you just want the cultural side, I’d suggest just a geography minor.</p>

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<p>MAN! UCLA’s Geography department has some high standards… like every student becoming a doctor. I did not know that. Maybe I am better off doing something different</p>

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<p>@JC1029: The mid-term was based completely on the reading while the final was a combination of the reading and the lecture. The most difficult part about taking Binder was just keeping up with the reading. I had Davari as my TA and he was pretty nice. He threw out a lot of challenging questions during my discussion section. But, yeah, definitely have that cup of coffee before his class. Sometimes his microphone cuts out too so it’s better if you sit closer to the front of class.</p>

<p>@kmazza: GIS is something I really want to get into once Geography 7 is offered again in the spring. I was thinking of getting a masters in GIS from CSUN. I just happened to get into the field really late and after I had already chosen a major ;___;</p>

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<p>CSUN has one of the larger more diverse geography programs in the country but the main GIS school on the west coast where the federal database is located is at UCSB. CSUN’s computer based weather system is the 500 mb one. UCLA’s strength in the field is more their Atmospheric Science program and department.
GIS can be fun but realize ArcGIS does have a steep learning curve, especially when dealing with the large databases, server side and programming aspects involved. If sincerely interested, I’d also recommend getting familiar with Leica’s Photogrammetry Suite and ERDAS Imagine. That way you understand how to take a satellite photo, apply geospatial reference coordinates to create a raster ortho and import it into ArcGIS to be overlaid with vector based shapefiles. Don’t worry if this sounds like Greek to you. For computer technology GIS is very exciting and being used across many sectors in the workforce and only growing.</p>

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<p>Congrats on everyone getting in.</p>

<p>I just applied, and my top 2 choices are Berkeley and UCSD. I am TAP certified for UCLA and am still considering going (for Anthropology).</p>

<p>Is it lame that the biggest reasons I would choose UCLA is to try to get at least one class with Jared Diamond or Greg Graffin? No, I don’t think so.</p>

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<p>@JC1029
is he for PS50? during the winter?</p>

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<p>^Who? Gussin…No, he’s teaching PS149 Lecture 3 during the Winter.</p>