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Mei~
5 Posts
Hmmmm, let's see...
1. GETTING CLASSES. When I was a CSULA freshman like you, I thought that it would be the course content that would be the hardest aspect of college. It turns out, just registering in the classes I needed was the most challenging part aha! The science pre-reqs (CHEM 151, BIOL 200A/B, and MICR 201/2) fill up extremely fast because a lot of people need them, and in addition to that, those classes aren't even offered every quarter. So do anything you can do to get priority registration (having financial aid, being a Biology major, earning a lot of credits so you can be a sophomore/junior faster, or -best option- being a Note Taker Introduction to training as a OSD notetaker) because you're going to need it. Don't feel discouraged if you don't get into a full class or if they don't offer a class when you want to take it, it happens, just try your best to keep moving forward by talking to the department and professors (which you're already doing, gj) to keep updated with when classes are being offered and by whom.
2. PROFESSORS. The professors you get seriously affect your experience of the class. Although it is your responsibility to work hard to earn a good grade in whatever class you are in, when registering make sure you do your research when picking which professor to enroll in, if you have that choice and if that data is available (sometimes it isn't and in those times you just have to accept the wildcard). Check Rate My Professors - Review Teachers and Professors, School Reviews, College Campus Ratings for reviews on his/her performance and https://www.myedu.com/ for past grades s/he gave out. You can also join the CSULA Book Exchange group on Facebook and ask for specific class advice there as well as buy/sell textbooks.
3. TEXTBOOKS. Really expensive! Use BIGWORDS.com | Buy or Rent Cheap Textbooks | Sell Textbooks | Textbook Buyback | Compare New and Used Textbook Prices to find the cheapest online prices. Try to Google if the textbook is available somewhere as a PDF or torrent. Try not to buy any textbook that is marked "Custom Edition" from the school bookstore, it's 99% a ripoff because they just slap a new cover on an existing book and charge an extra $100+ for it-- The Custom Edition books usually say which textbook they are 'based on' inside, just buy that instead. A Custom Edition textbook is different from a "Coursepack" which are spiral bound xerox sheets specifically made for the class by the dept or prof; those are fine to buy because they're actually helpful and cost
4. CC GPA BOOST. If you are able, try to take classes at your local community college, especially those science pre-reqs. It will most likely be a lot easier there not only to get in the classes, but also to get a good grade in them. CSULA does +/- grades but most cc's don't. A person who earns a 91 at CSULA gets an A- whereas a person who earns a 91 at a cc an A. +/- grades affect GPA so even though the two got exactly the same grade, the person at the cc will have a higher GPA.
5. SCIENCE PRE-REQS. CSULA says you must do both BIOL 200A and 200B (two seperate classes and thus two entire quarters, or two semesters at a cc) in one school. You can't do 200A at CSULA and 200B at a cc or vice versa, so plan ahead. For MICR 201 and 202 (these two classes are taken together in one quarter/semester, 202 is just the lab section of the lecture section 201), you need to physically go to the biology dept (Biol 143) and get department permission to register or you'll be blocked on GET even though you completed the pre-reqs to get in and you qualify. Go there the quarter before MICR 201/2 starts as that's when they are already signing up people to register on a paper roster.
6. MISC. Always keep in mind that there are usually 500-600 applicants and only 50-60 spots every year. The "cutoff" for acceptance seems to be around 24 points consistently every year but the data we collect here and from other threads is only a small glimpse of the applicant pool. Just simply always do your absolute best.
Omg well, I think that is about all. I'm so sorry for writing a novel hehe... But this is all the information I *wish* I knew when I was a CSULA freshman. Maybe you know some of this info already, but I hope this helps you, and anyone else who reads this huge wall of text bwahaha. (: