<p>I would take the guaranteed medical spot hands down anytime without any regrets. It is very difficult to get into any U.S. medical school, and stats alone will not even guarantee you a spot. With a guaranteed medical spot, usually you are not obligated to attend, but the option and the relief off your shoulders is there. It is not completely impossible if you come to LA, but its very difficult. Very difficult. If you want to put yourself up to the challenge and can apply yourself really, really well here, then, with luck, you can make it. But being a pre-med student, your GPA is your lifeblood and with so many students, it can become a difficult task at time to maintain the high GPA to remain a competitive med school applicant. With that said, I would recommend as a pre-med at UCLA that you take the physics 6 series (no reason for pre-meds to take 1 series unless they’re an engineer which is required for them), chem 14 series (20 series again are more for engineers until you hit the 30 series but this series is vastly more difficult than the 14), and the math 3 series (again, 30 series are vastly more difficult than the 3 series, although 31A and 31B shouldn’t be hard as they’re just AP calculus material but you do not have this option if you passed out of the AP calculus exam). These 3 will not ensure you a high gpa, but its the easier of the allowed routes and will offer a better opportunity for a higher GPA, which is essential to a pre-med (they steer you away from the engineers and the hardcore biochem/chem majors).</p>
<p>DaRaver…thank you for all that information. I see that UCLA can definitely be a gateway into a lot of prestigious companies and jobs.</p>
<p>However, I don’t necessarily want to make 6 figures or anything…just a nice, comfortable living, with a good amount of money to spare at all times. Would that change your advice?</p>
<p>Also, what are the odds of wasting 2 years by going to UCLA, aiming for the Biz-Econ major and not getting in?</p>
<p>Again dude, thanks for the responses. Obviously I am a confused individual who is trying to weigh the pros and cons of each possibility, so please forgive me if I act dumb sometimes. :p</p>
<p>If I’m going to go pre-med:</p>
<p>So…if you are forced to skip 31A and B if you get a 4 or 5 on Calc BC AP test…do you think there’s an advantage in either bombing the AP test or just not taking it? This way I could cruise(more or less) through 31A and B and hopefully start off with an easy transition into college and maintain a high GPA.</p>
<p>Don’t bomb the AP exam: you’ll only be wasting $75 and ruining the statistics of your AP calc teacher in the process (not a fine way of thanking him for a year of instruction). If anything, op out of not taking the exam. Cruising through 31A and B will provide a much needed GPA cushion later on, a piece of information I regretted not receiving.</p>
<p>shinseki12: If you’re gonna do pre-med at UCLA, I recommend you pick a life science major (as oppose to physical science). This route is more gpa-friendly and opens the door to the math 3 series (supposedly equal to the 30 series but in actuality is easier and by the time you reach 3C it equates to 32A- you get the same credit with less work and come out with 3 nice gpa boosters). If you have the option, pick the math 3 series. You will thank me later. Also, if you’re orientation counselor tells you that the chem 20 series opens the door for more possibilities, keep in mind that you’ll only need it if you’re either (1) going to be an engineer later on (if this is the case take the 30 math series as well) or (2) you’re going to switch into a physical science major (chemistry or biochemistry- which does not increase your chances of getting into a medical school and only means that you’re a hardcore chemistry person- and if you are one, by all means go ahead and take this series if you’re up for a challenge with other hardcore chem/pre-med students). Otherwise, for the gpa-safer route, take the math 3 series and the chemistry 14 series. No nonengineer decides to take the physics 1 series (unless they’re a physics major…) because the courseload of it is VASTLY more difficult than the 6 series (1 series are geared towards engineers and goes into unnecessary details for a pre-med/nonengineers and also equates to some as gpa killers).</p>
<p>Yeah my major is either going to be Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology or if I change it: Immunology and Microbiology.</p>
<p>The math 3 series is the 31A, B, C etc?</p>
<p>Yeah I’ve realized bombing an AP test is a not quite so fun plan…so I might just choose to take the AB test or or not take it at all. Do you think I should go with the AB? That will only keep me from taking 31A, but allow me to take 31B I think. And would med schools look down on me taking easier classes(or would they even know?)</p>
<p>I’ll talk to my counselor today about it(though I don’t think counselors at my school know much of anything).</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info jyancy-you’re a lifesaver.</p>
<p>On a side note, seems I’m going to come visit UCLA for the Honors Day thing. Hope it’ll be fun.</p>
<p>The math 3 series is even easier than the math 30 series (3A is equivalent to 31A, B equiv to 31B, 3C equiv to 32A). You can take the AB exam because 1 higher level course in the 30 series (32B) isn’t so bad, but I think that might keep you from taking the 3 series (It only goes A-C I think, never heard of any beyond 3C). You can probably suffice that one quarter of math with some early statistics class also, which is nice information to have.</p>
<p>I never really went to my counselor for college advice, only because he knew very little about the UCs, but they’re all different and you may be suprised at what your counselor knows. The most information you’ll probably obtain early on is from your orientation counselor in the summer, because your group is led by a current student who is going through the major you’ve declared. Life science major orientation counselors are suppose to recommend the 3 series with the option of the 30’s but its up to you. As a life science major, you will not see any math material beyone 3C/32A material in any of your major required courses (unless you’re taking physics 1 series- then you need to go beyond 32A).</p>
<p>^ On a side, I would have killed for this type of information. I’m on the most difficult route early on as a life science major (20 chem series and started with 32A) and I didn’t take my OC’s recommendation (20 chem series) with a grain of salt, and I didn’t know that passing an AP exam could actually barr you from classes. The thing is, once you start the 20 series, you are required to see it through (whereas someone in the 14 series can upgrade halfway through to the 20 series- it only works this one way). Hopefully my mistakes will be your gain.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that when applying to med schools, the 20 series is seen in the same light as the 14 series: They do not factor in the difference in difficulty of the course, but they do rely heavily on the grades. Same goes to the 3 series. It may actually be more wise to take the AB exam, pass out of 31A, and take a quarter of Stats 10. Up to you. Know the option is there and difficulty has no bearing while GPA is everything to a pre-med.</p>
<p>Hey jyancy-I PMed you.</p>
<p>Got the message. Sorry if I doubled up on the response, but if you get both, look at the second of the original message because it has a slight correction (on the last sentence of the first paragraph I meant stats not math). If you have any more questions you can either PM me or ask on the forum, but I probably won’t get to it until tomorrow. Must get cracking on my last minute finals cramming. Enjoy your senior year because what’s left of it will really fly fast, especially after those ap exams!</p>
<p>“However, I don’t necessarily want to make 6 figures or anything…just a nice, comfortable living, with a good amount of money to spare at all times. Would that change your advice?”</p>
<p>The one things I really appreciated about UCLA was the fact that regardless of the backgrounds of vastly different ethnicities, the students on average were genuinely nice, polished, and had strong family values. In other words, you wouldnt see too many students who could labeled as “jerks, jocks, and annoying narcisstic idiots” who you would often see at one of those “Inside Edition: College Kids Go Wild during Spring Break.” </p>
<p>And it is this kind of students that make your social and academic life much enjoyable.</p>
<p>Correct me if I wrong, but I am sensing that you feel a little hesistant about going to UCLA perhaps because of the UCLA’s legendary status as the “mega-urban” campus and of the fact that you had to get away from your hometown.</p>
<p>If this is the case, dont ever worry about not being able to fit in. With so many people, so many groups & organizations, and opportunities, you should be able to find a good number of close friends in your first quarter through living together in dorms, dining together in cafeteria, and studying together with your buddies, etc.</p>
<p>It is from my experience that the seemingly big urban legend about the intimidating UCLA urban campus life is by far overrated and unnecessarily overhyped.</p>
<p>And if you just take time and look around, you should find a string of the classes comprised of, at the most, 10~15 students. The opportunities to intimately interact with students and professors in these “seminar” courses are pricelss, and I would strongly recommend you to take up these courses for yourself. You wouldnt be disappointed, I assure you that much.</p>
<p>Also, dont pay too much attention to the fact that UCLA doesnt have the business administration major. The economics and management departments offer an array of finance, accounting, economics, applied math, public policy, marketing, management strategy courses for your tastes.</p>
<p>In other words, if you can live without the official title of “Marketing” or"Fiance" major on your diploma, the UCLA’s Biz Econ should be able to offer you a far more diversity of business-related classes than the CSU Business major would.</p>
<p>"Also, what are the odds of wasting 2 years by going to UCLA, aiming for the Biz-Econ major and not getting in?</p>
<p>Again dude, thanks for the responses. Obviously I am a confused individual who is trying to weigh the pros and cons of each possibility, so please forgive me if I act dumb sometimes. "</p>
<p>You are not acting dumb at all. What you are asking is a legitimate question, and being aware of the pros and cons, thus leading to the inevitable sacrifices you would make by choosing one decision against the other, should be the first step. </p>
<p>To answer your question, just because you wouldnt be able to get into the UCLA Biz Econ program wouldnt necessarily mean that you would waste the first two years.</p>
<p>Besides the Biz Econ, there are many attractive programs available to UCLA students for the business-related job market.</p>
<ol>
<li>Straight Econ (with specialization in computing)</li>
</ol>
<p>This is one of the popular combination of major and specialization. During the peak era of dotcom era, students graduating with this combo fared very well in the job market, landing the most premier jobs in investment banking sector and also in Sillicon Valley area.</p>
<ol>
<li>Econ and specialization in math ( or applied math, I am not sure which)</li>
</ol>
<p>This is actually an awesome combination because the quantitative training you would get from this combination would make you an attractive candidate for the job market because the rigorous math training would certainly signal to the potential recruiters that you have what it takes to successfully take up on the quantitative work at the job and also to communicate and behave logically at the job.</p>
<p>I would highly, highly recommend you to take a look at this combination.</p>
<ol>
<li>International Economics</li>
</ol>
<p>Certainly easier major to get in than the Biz Econ. However, it is as good as Biz Econ. Due to the language requirement demanded by the major, you need to take five quarters of foreign language, which would essentially make you a bilingual by the end of the program (if not trilingual, if you already speak another language other than English).</p>
<p>This is a very good major that is highly respected by many firms.</p>
<p>My basic point is that not getting into the Biz Econ major is not the end of the world for your future by any means. Out of 10 premier firms that come to the campus looking to interview and hire UCLA students, I have seen only 1~2 companies that require the students to gradaute with Biz Econ degree.</p>
<p>Although there is certainly pecking order in the economics major at UCLA (Biz Econ>Econ) that is also perceived by the external recruiters, there are a handful of students who want to major just econ by their choices. And the companies are very aware of this behavior. Thus, not all companies would perceive the econ major as something “inferior” to the Biz Econ major.</p>
<p>In short, pick what you like, because not majoring Biz Econ isnt something horrible on your part. Most firms state something like:</p>
<p>“Qualification: Business Econ/Economics/International Economics Diploma Candidate with higher than 3.4 GPA” </p>
<p>in their qualification criteria.</p>
<p>Thus, it is not your major that is important; what you do with your major and how you do in your major are far more important than mere “bragging” rights the Biz Econ might give you.</p>
<p>Try to specialize the above programs while you are aiming to get in to the Biz Econ major. THe specilization would only require to take 5~8 extra classes anyway.</p>
<p>Furthermore, getting into Biz Econ is not as hard as advertised. After all, you will soon realize that it doesnt take a genius to achieve 3.3+ GPA doing econ majors.</p>
<p>You simply need to do work on a daily basis.</p>
<p>shinseki12: I will pray for you when you are about to take Organic Chemistry courses. I will really. May the Lord bless you…sincerely</p>
<p>“Correct me if I wrong, but I am sensing that you feel a little hesistant about going to UCLA perhaps because of the UCLA’s legendary status as the “mega-urban” campus and of the fact that you had to get away from your hometown.”</p>
<p>A little bit, but I’m baiscally trying to understand if some of the “risks” (financially, possibly major-wise) would be worth passing up the other offer. UCLA is an amazing campus and I know I’d enjoy it, but I would be putting more of a strain on myself and my family than I would prefer…</p>
<p>Also, about all these jobs with prestigious companies - Do they usually require you to move to their central location? Or can you stay where you are (in the LA area), or request where you’d like to go? I’d prefer to pick an area and live there for an extended period of time.</p>
<p>this is a little off topic but,</p>
<p>do you know how the body shop compares with the spearmint rhino (downtown la)?</p>
<p>BOdy Shop - hands down</p>
<p>You might see some skanky but fine chicks at Rhino, but definetely Body Shop, with its rare combination of lust and class.</p>
<p>BYW, you are not off the topic at all. You came to the right place for your question.</p>
<p>Is there a guarenteed admission program for law students?</p>
<p>hi daver im an intl from hong kong, i heard that there’re a whole lota hong kong ppl (or chinese intls) at ucla, is that true? and im accepted as a pre-poli sci major, how difficult (or easy) for me to change major in case i find it not suitable for me? and hows the class size? is there a huge difference between goin to a private college and a public one (im an intl so the total fees are more or less the same)</p>