Santa Monica College

Date: Dec 05 2014
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
This school sells you with

#1 in transfers to UCLA.

Nearly EVERYONE attending SMC is here in hopes of transferring to UCLA—I guess they forgot what a low percentage of applicants UCLA actually admits yearly.

I've been here far too long - longer than I'm willing to admit - due to my own lack of motivation when I was fresh out of high school; however, that means I KNOW the good and the bad about this school.

THE BAD—parking. That's it, parking. Ridiculous. The end. If you're thinking of arriving here around 9-10am because your class doesn't start until noon and you think 2-3 hours ahead is more than enough… well, you're wrong. If you want to find a parking space your best bet is to arrive by 7:30 AT THE LATEST. Not during the first 2 months of fall semester though! Better be there by 6:45! [This does not apply if you have evening classes] Oh, and the parking decal is $85. TOO EXPENSIVE when you aren't guaranteed a spot.

Also, higher division math professors… GOOD LUCK. They all suck. Not joking. Check ratemyprofessors.com and trust the comments. There may be 1 or 2 exceptions to that. Science courses here are INTENSE. Yes, the caps were necessary. I KNOW this is due to SMC's attempt to prepare all students for UCLA. Hey I get it, these are future physicians, vets, engineers, pharmacists, dentists, etc., but I'm almost sure the classes at UCLA are not as hard as the classes at SMC. (Some professors teach at both schools and they know what goes down at each)

THE GOOD—Any other major besides a math-based or science-based? You'll pass with flying colors. I WOULD KNOW, I've taken many GE's and received 100% in several GE classes. Really? Wish I could say the same about chemistry.

There are many professors who actually DO CARE about your performance in their class. Attend office hours (my worst regret when I was in my young, immature stage) - these people are paid to help, take advantage. Attend tutoring - math lab tutors and science tutors available.

Many clubs & programs available (Adelante, Black Collegians, STEM, Scholars, etc…) Sorry, I know nothing about clubs.

PS, if you're here to socialize and make friends, shouldn't be a problem making friends in your classes. Keywords, IN YOUR CLASSES. Friendships don't usually last thereafter. IMO. And does anyone actually hang out in Santa Monica that doesn't live nearby? The beach is fairly close so I know people who bus it over. Cool stuff. Not me. I'm not about that life.

I should have gone to LACC. It's a joke there. :D