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Frequently Asked Questions

Neuroscience Questions

How do I change my major to Neuroscience?

Make an appointment with a Neuroscience Academic Advisor. At the appointment, we will discuss the major in person and then we can officially change it through the system.

How do I add the Neuroscience minor?

Once you have completed all the prep and we check your GPA and unit max, we can officially add you to the Neuroscience minor. If you’re going to exceed your unit max of 216 units, you will need to file a petition with the College of Letters and Science. These petitions are typically approved IF you show that you will graduate by Summer Session C after your 4th year (2nd year for transfers). You don’t have to complete all the prep before you start taking upper division courses – just check the pre-requisites and enrollment restrictions.

Where is the Neuroscience Undergraduate Office?

The Neuroscience Academic Advisors offices are located in the Gonda Center. You can make an appointment on the Advising page (which also includes the room numbers for each advisor). The Gonda Center is south of Ackerman Union on Westwood Blvd., at the corner of Charles E. Young Dr. South. It’s a large brick building across from the Police Station. Use the interactive UCLA map to help you: http://maps.ucla.edu/campus/

Why do we take NEUROSC 102 and NEUROSC M101A together? 

The curriculum was created that you take NEUROSC 102 and NEUROSC M101A together (or NEUROSC 102 the summer prior to NEUROSC M101A, if offered) to build the most solid foundation for your Neuroscience major. NEUROSC M101A and NEUROSC 102 enhanced students’ understanding of the rest of the core series and upper division electives. Therefore, if you take it with NEUROSC M101A (Fall of 3rd Year), you will be well prepared for any elective.

What if I have been volunteering in the lab instead of completing SRP 99? Can I still sign up for NEUROSC 199/198?

No. You must have one quarter of SRP completed in the lab with your faculty sponsor. Therefore, make sure you plan a quarter of SRP into your schedule before NEUROSC 199.

What’s the difference between NEUROSC 198A/B and NEUROSC 199A/B?

NEUROSC 198A/B is reserved for students in departmental honors and requires additional work.

I want to sign up for a Psychology elective, but it says I need PSYCH 100A/115/etc. Can I still take it?

Yes, you can still take Psychology courses, even if you have not completed all the requisites. Please check the Enrollment Restrictions and Notes sections on the Registrar’s Schedule of Classes to see when Neuroscience majors are allowed to enroll. You can also reach out directly to the Psychology undergraduate advising office if you have trouble enrolling on second pass.

UCLA Questions

I’m thinking about dropping a course. Is this okay?

There are several aspects to dropping a course. For all courses, the first thing to consider is: what week is it? If it’s after Week 2 (for an impacted course) or Week 4 (non-impacted), you will receive a transcript notation. If it’s during Weeks 8-10, you are now limited to dropping no more than three non-impacted courses in your academic career. Should you decide not to drop, the College allows you to re-take courses you receive a C- or below in. Please talk to a College counselor about re-taking policies.

For courses for the Neuroscience major, you will have to re-take core requirements, so please make sure you are aware of when the course will be offered next.

Ultimately, the decision to drop a course is a personal decision, but it is best to be as informed as possible.

I’m thinking about double majoring. What do I need to do?

Make sure you can either graduate on-time or under the unit max. If not, you’ll need to get started on the petition paperwork. You can not declare your second major until you have completed all the prep courses and two upper division courses for both majors. But you can begin the upper division courses before completing all the prep as long as you have completed the pre-requisites.

What is the “College?”

If you are a Neuroscience major, you are in the College of Letters and Science. Within Letters and Science, there are four unique advising centers. They have jurisdiction over everything except your major requirements. They can help with petitions, GE requirements, or the proficiency requirements.

Since each unit has been created to address the respective needs of its target population, it is very important that you know which advising office you should go to in order to meet with a full-time counselor or process UCLA College petitions and related requests. Every student belongs to one of those groups, but if you’re not sure who to see, start with the College Academic Counselors in A316 Murphy Hall.

If you are a student in the School of Arts and Architecture, the Department of Education, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Nursing, the School of Public Policy, or the School of Theater, Film and Television, please see a counselor in your division.

What can College Counselors help me with?

All College counselors advise students on General Education, Expected Cumulative Progress, Academic Regulations, Unit Minimums and Maximums, Petitions, and other FAQs .

I want to go to Medical School/Dentistry/Nursing. What classes do I need?

The Career Center is an excellent place to find answers for all pre-health students.  

How do I fulfill my Writing Requirements?

Please see the Career Center for questions about the English requirement for medical school and your College Counselors for the Writing I and II requirements.

Why do I have to go to so many different counselors to ask my questions?

Because UCLA is so large, there are many different areas counselors specialize in. My area of focus is anything and everything related to graduating as a Neuroscience major. The College counselors can tell you about graduating from UCLA in the College of Letters and Science. And the Career Center can give you lots of information about how to pursue the career of your choice. We try to make this process as smooth as possible, but I understand how tiresome it can be to bounce between Murphy, Gonda, and Strathmore. However, this process is in place so that each of us can specialize and really know our specific area as best as possible.  

Is there something not answered here? Contact a Neuroscience Academic Advisor for more information.