Advisor Q&A
Courses for New Freshmen
Q. As a new freshman, what courses should I plan to take first?
A. If your test results show a need for Writing 1, take this course as soon as you can. It builds foundation skills that will be helpful in many other courses. Aside from that, first priority should go to courses that will help to find or confirm your major. If you have a declared major, you should meet with the undergraduate advisor in your department and take one or two courses pertinent to your major each quarter, as recommended by your departmental advisor. If you have not yet declared a major, you should take at least two courses each quarter that will help you evaluate your interest and aptitude in disciplines you see as potential majors.
A freshman seminar is also a good way to facilitate a smooth transition from an intimate high-school classroom to a lecture-hall college class. You may want to supplement your schedule of large lecture classes with a freshman seminar or two. For more information about Freshman Seminars, go to: http://www.freshsem.ucsb.edu/
Prerequisites
Q. What are prerequisites, and how important are they?
A. Prerequisites, which are isted in the General Catalog, are very important, as they indicate the minimum preparation you need to succeed in a course. They are so important, in fact, that you cannot register in a course unless you meet its stated prerequisites.
Changing a Major
Q. I declared a major when I applied to UCSB, but now I think I may want to
change it. What procedure should I follow?
A. First, if you don't have a particular new major in mind but are beginning to think your current major isn't right for you, stop into Cheadle Hall 1117 to schedule an appointment with an advisor. We can help you to get acquainted with the various options and suggest some ways to evaluate them. Second, log onto www.ucsb.edu/academics/depts to get information about specific majors, major requirements, and special admission requirements. Third, once you have met whatever admission requirements the department has set, take a copy of your UCSB transcript and a record of any transfer work you have completed to your chosen department. Staff there will then evaluate your eligibility and help you with the necessary paper work.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) versus Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Q. What's the difference between a B.A. and other degrees (B.S., B.M., B.F.A.) ?
A. The bachelor of arts degree is the dominant choice at UCSB, with most majors leading exclusively to that objective. However, some of our science majors offer a choice of the bachelor of arts or the bachelor of science, and several lead exclusively the B.S. In addition, students in dance, theatre, and music who pass necessary auditions may choose either a bachelor of arts, or bachelor of music, or bachelor of fine arts objective.
In general terms, students' opportunities after graduation will not be affected by the particular degree objective, as there is no universally recognized standard distinguishing these degrees. In practical terms at UCSB, the more specialized degrees (B.S., B.M., B.F.A.) require a greater concentration of work in the upper-division major and slightly fewer general education courses than the B.A.
General Education (GE) Timeline
Q. Do I need to complete GE by the end of my sophomore year?
A. Our faculty consider General Education a four-year program, so there is no hurry to get it all done within your first two years. As you look at the options in the various GE areas, you will notice many upper-division choices. That is quite intentional, as we really do hope students will spread their GE studies out over their entire UCSB career.
The most important thing to do during your first two years is to find a major by taking courses that are pertinent to your areas of principal interest. Even if you have already declared a major, you should get started on it soon to make sure it matches your interest and abilities.
Pass/No Pass (P/NP) Grade Option
Q. I'm kind of intrigued by P/NP grading and wonder how I should go about choosing my grading option.
A. If a course offers you the option of letter grade or P/NP grading, the first thing to remember is that you must choose letter grade in courses you intend to apply to your major or minor. This is true even when your major department requires you to complete course work in another department (for example, political science majors must complete required economics and history courses on a letter-grade basis.) If you haven't yet chosen a major, you'll want to be cautious in using the P/NP grading option, because you don't yet know whether your courses will be needed for your major.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you'll earn a P grade and course credit on the P/NP system only if you perform at the level of C or higher. An NP grade is recorded for students who earn a C- or lower if they've chosen P/NP grading. The NP can protect the grade-point average, but no credit is awarded for a course graded NP.
Remember, too, that you must complete at least two-thirds of your UCSB units on a letter-grade basis. And finally, if you're working toward earning academic honors (and we hope you are), check the General Catalog for the quarterly and overall letter-grade unit requirements.
Registering Using Gaucho Online Date (GOLD)
Q. What if GOLD (UCSB's course registration system) won't let me enroll for a class that I want to take?
A. There are several possible reasons why you may be unable to add a course through GOLD. Check the reason, so you will know how to proceed:
- If the course was full when you asked for it, you might try again as classes are starting, in case someone has dropped the course, opening a space. Or, just go to the class the first day to ask if the instructor can accommodate you. If the instructor is able to accept you, he or she can give you an approval code, which you can use to add the class.
- If GOLD says that you do not meet a restriction (certain major or class level), you can talk to the instructor to see if an exception can be made. You will be given an approval code if the exception is approved.
- If GOLD says that you do not meet the prerequisite, you must complete the prerequisite as listed in the General Catalog before you can register for the course. If you have completed a transfer course equivalent to the listed prerequisite, however, you should visit the department with evidence of your transfer work, and someone can update the registration system to allow you to take the course.
Note that you will not always be successful in gaining space in a course that is full or for which you do not meet the requirements, so you will need to plan a satisfactory alternate program.
How to Graduate in Four Years
Q. I'm entering UCSB as an undeclared freshman. Is it still possible for me to graduate in four years?
A. Yes, it's quite possible. However, majors in the sciences and performing arts require lower-division, sequential prerequisites that must be completed during the freshman and sophomore years if you want to graduate in four years. Accordingly, if you are considering one of these majors, you should get started on the appropriate sequence even while you are undeclared.
Q. How many units must I complete each quarter to graduate in four years?
A. To graduate in four years, you must earn an average of 15 units per quarter to meet the minimum requirement of 180 units. If you fulfill the foreign language requirement (General Education Area B) with college coursework, you must add four units for a total of 184 units.
Q. How late can I declare my major and still meet a four-year graduation goal?
A. It's not when you declare your major but when you begin taking courses for the major that determines how long it will take for you to graduate. No matter when you declare your major, if you begin the courses required for your major in your freshman year and keep successfully completing the courses required for the major in a steady fashion, you should be able to graduate in four years. If you choose a relatively short major and you do not begin it until late in your sophomore year, you can still graduate in four years, provided you make good progress all along in your other requirements, but if you choose a long major and get a late start you will probably need more time.
Double Major versus Major and Minor
Q. What are the relative advantages of double majoring and minoring? If I want to complete more than a single major, should I double major or add a minor?
A. If you are considering a minor in a field that offers a major of a similar name, the minor is usually a scaled-down version of that major. If you are trying to decide between doing the full major or the minor, you'll want to ask yourself the following questions:
Would the full major increase my time to degree? This is important both because it may have some economic consequences and because the College of Letters and Science has a policy of requiring you to graduate without undertaking more than 200 units www.advising.ltsc.ucsb.edu/maxunits.
If the full major would not increase my length of study, would it significantly reduce my freedom to dabble in unrelated electives? Sometimes breadth is very desirable, sometimes not. What is your preference?
Upon graduation, both majors and minors appear on the diploma and transcript. You cannot predict what values your future evaluators (employers, graduate school admission committees) may ascribe to these notations, so it is best to think in terms of which choice will satisfy you personally.
In other situations, there is no real choice. The college offers nine minors that are unrelated to an existing major: American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Astronomy and Planetary Science, Exercise and Sport Studies, Global Peace and Security, Jewish Studies, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies, Professional Writing, Speech and Hearing Sciences, and Women, Culture, and Development. If you are interested in pursuing these disciplines, you cannot choose a double major with one of these topics as a major.
Then again, many departments offer no minor. If you are interested in two such disciplines and want to complete a recognized program in each, a double major is the only choice.
