It’s a misconception—even an excuse—that the professors will not know your name. Yes, there are enormous lectures, but I’d rather be in a large lecture from a world-class professor than a seminar with someone less qualified. The professor can and will get to know you if you make the effort. Sitting in the front, raising your hand a few times, and attending office hours are small prices to pay for the recommendations and connections you could gain from the first-class professors at UCLA.
As a north campus major, my classes subsist on a healthy balance of professor lectures and student discussions, usually both within the same hour period. The academic expectations of UCLA translate into a competitive student body, which means that discussions can actually be useful. And, while it may say something about my “party life”, more often than not I find myself in intellectual conversations outside of class, because in the end, most of us got here and remain here because we value intelligent thought and discussion.
UCLA has designed a totally optional one-year program for freshmen, a class known as a “cluster”, which focuses on a certain theme with multi-disciplinary approaches. For example, I took one on “History of Modern/Social Thought”. (Topics vary from “The 1960s” to “Global Environment”, “Interracial Development, etc.) The class spans all three quarters, and features lecturers from related and overlapping fields—my cluster was taught by professors and teaching fellows from the history, anthropology, philosophy, and sociology departments. It was difficult, and intense, especially for a freshman, but I have used the knowledge I gained in that class in literally every class that has followed. In addition, some perks include priority enrollment for cluster students and early training in seminar writing and discussion, which not only trains students for upper division classes but satisfies otherwise often tricky seminar and writing requirements for the university. I have recommended the cluster program to literally every student that I’ve talked to about coming to UCLA.
I came to UCLA as a physics major, impressed with and excited about the well-respected science department. However, after a few quarters I realized that my strengths and interests lay instead in the English department. I was incredibly satisfied, therefore, to experience UCLA’s versatility, because the English department here is as world-renowned as its science department, if not more so, allowing me the same academic excitement that had brought me here on a different academic track. My experience within the department has been quite inspiring, as I’ve gotten the opportunity to study with some big names within the field. I would stress the influence of the study abroad program within my major as well, because it’s afforded me the opportunity to get to know some of these professors in a very focused setting, plus it’s studying abroad. It’s been within seminar settings such as the study abroad classes that I’ve been able to really experience some awe-inspiring intellectual discussions that ensure my enthusiasm for the subject. After taking a Fiat Lux—a small, one-unit, pass/fail class meant purely for fun—I got to know the professor, who every summer took students to a major English conference for professors and graduate students, that we might get to observe, and participate in, a higher level of discussion than most undergraduates. This experience allowed me to make the absolute most out of my major, and I’ve been thrilled about studying English, with the UCLA English department, ever since.
There’s a lot of opportunity for a student to make the most out of their major here, because all it takes is the time to get to know one professor, and suddenly a wide range of connections and opportunities opens. I feel that individual departments are very good about rewarding those students that want to be there, and when you’re already in a big pond, getting to be a big fish carries some considerable rewards and renown. Thus, it’s often easy to get a little intimidated by the minds teaching the classes—for instance, when your professor has written the textbook which you’re assigned—but my experience has been that, during office hours or appointments, these world-recognized professors are here to encourage students to get as excited about their field as they are, and so they reward students who show a little more interest or willingness to do well. The one thing to remember is that it’s a student’s responsibility to make him/herself memorable. Sitting in the front is a small price to pay for a letter of recommendation from a top-ranked professor. I’ve gotten to know a few of my favorite professors by taking multiple classes from them, visiting their office hours to discuss everything from a specific paper thesis to my academic career and possible future opportunities. Also, I’ve had overall a pretty good experience with TA’s, who, I’ve found, are great sources of information on things like grad school, because they’re so close to my own age and experience. To sum up, the professors here, while they’re gods during lecture, are approachable and helpful human beings as soon as you approach them as such.
Thanks to the academic rigor at UCLA, while each class is structured and taught as if it were learning for learning’s sake, it’s as effective and applicable to the working world as if it were taught that way. Since our professors are so knowledgeable and our students so competitive, what feels like “learning for learning’s sake” is effective job training in itself. Some of the academic requirements have forced me outside my field of interests, but in hindsight I am glad that I’ve had to take south-campus science and math classes despite their utter irrelevance to my future degree in British Literature. The GE requirements are tedious at the outset—they make schedule-planning seem like a chore and they often result in a lecture-long nap session. But, every once in a while, a GE class in a field which you thought you disliked can offer some uncanny and interesting connections. Luckily, the quarter system allies particularly well with GE requirements, because they go very quickly. Also, with just a little bit of research or counseling, you’ll find that there is more than one way to fill a requirement—for me, History of Rock and Roll fulfilled a performing arts requirement, and Linguistics fulfilled a life science requirement, which means that even if your interests lie firmly and solely in one area of study, there’s still a little room to tailor those “unrelated” requirements to round out, if not parallel, your preferred fields.