Overcrowding/Overenrollment Issues at top tier schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At UCLA triples are standard, but they guarantee housing for all 4 years, which is vital for students who need it.

It is also hard to get classes, particularly prerequisites, so if a student needs things straightforward this environment would be difficult. You’ve got to plan, hustle, and be ready to pivot as needed. Register for more classes than you need and drop one once you get the feel for the work. Can’t get into a class? Start going anyways and wait for an opening or ask the professor to approve your seat. Successful student need to be savvy and resourceful, and plenty of them graduate in 4 years (maybe snagging some of those hard prerequisites at CC over the summer). There is no handholding.

The one thing that pisses me off is the underground market for classes. Students register for classes they don’t need and then sell the seat. I wish the school would crack down on that.

This is ridiculous. Utterly absurd.
WTAF?!?! I’m so glad my kid goes to the other LA school!

I adamantly refuse to pay $500.00 /yr. to the schedule squatters, but $20K more (OOS) or even $55K more / yr. (in-state) to the school itself is A-OK!

Look, I think the schedule squatters are scumbags and UCLA should have some kind of disciplinary mechanism to punish them, but unless you’re getting the NM 50% merit in Watts, it’s not nearly a slam dunk of a decision to incur over $200K more to attend SC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg this sounds awful.

I now understand why no kids from our private go to UCLA or Berkeley

Yes, it's such a horror show that they're begging students to attend.

Lots of subpar in-state Cali kids…..

When a state has 40 million people, even their "subpar" in-state kids are strong. The average SAT score at Berkeley is well above that of U Maryland .

Well, um, the entire UCal system is test blind. So whatever “data” you see for this are self reported and unreliable.

[Anonymous]

Big public schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:every single school

No. If looking at the top tier colleges, it's only a problem at the publics - Berkeley, UCLA, and Michigan. Which is another reason why the USNews rankings became so bogus last year. The UCs are plagued by this problem and have no business being so highly ranked for undergrad. There's classes with 1200 students. And graduating in four years is a real challenge for a lot of students.

Do you have a student at UCLA and Berkeley? I do and she has NEVER had a class with 1200 students, is graduating next week in 4 years with a double major and could’ve graduated last December. Oh and she studied abroad for a quarter too. All her friends are also graduating in four years. In so-called impacted majors too.

Real life experience.

I assume it is major specific.

When we toured Berkeley the guide said the most popular class (believe data science) had over 2,000 kids enrolled.

The class was hybrid since the lecture hall only seats 800. Also, while very large, everyone could take the class so you could still graduate on time.

[Anonymous]

Purdue had this problem a few years ago. They turned a common area into a big room for 10 people. The student la were eventually offered rooms, but they elected to stay in the big room.

Purdue has lowered the admittance numbers and increased housing options, so not as big a deal as before. DS got his first choice both freshman and sophomore year.

[Anonymous]

Ok these problems about UCLA should be known. This is a great function of this site.

Where else can we find this info? For other schools? It appears to be a size issue?
Michigan?
Cornell?
Northwestern?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hearing disturbing things about overcrowding in dorms/not enough housing at UCLA (3 freshman in a double etc)

Hearing about scheduling/class issues at Michigan, with kids not getting into required 1st year classes for majors etc.

What other schools have these types of issues? What’s the best way to find out?

Where are you hearing about scheduling/class issues at Michigan? Cite your sources please.

[Anonymous]

My neighbor has a crazy sorry about first year students showing up at BU and not having housing. They were eventually put up at hotels. This was only a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:every single school

+1

But it is worse at some schools. I suggest joining the FB Parent pages at all the schools your kid is considering (or one for prospective parents, but the real one will give you more truthful details about the "good the bad the ugly") Some are much worse. My oldest kid never had "forced triples" or "forced doubles" on campus. None of the dorms were luxury, most were older, but they always had enough space.

For my youngest, a "bad dorm" means you are a 10 min walk from the main campus in a not so nice dorm, but you get a kitchen. And I've only heard of a few "forced triples", typically done in the absolute largest double rooms. And it's maybe 1 room per floor of the dorm. Where as one of their other top choices: what used to be doubles has now been "forced Triples" for 5+ years (except for the first covid year). So every bed is lofted and your desk and dresser go under the bed. And every double in several dorms are now a triple. Oh, and in a bad year, you end up in a hotel room near campus where the wifi doesn't really work (so good luck doing your work).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a public school problem.

Largely it is. But I can list several privates with these issues. Tufts had kids in a hotel over a mile from campus a few years ago, with limited shuttle service--those kids were ALL freshman. Then they had "Trailers for dorms" and forced "triples" as well.
WPI has forced triples, many doubles are now permanently Triples.
NEU has major housing issues every semester.

[Anonymous]

Wesleyan periodically has this problem. The 2025 class was overenrolled. Doubles made into triples. It was cozy and rather ironic coming out of a strict covid period intoo one where they jammed kids into rooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:every single school

No. If looking at the top tier colleges, it's only a problem at the publics - Berkeley, UCLA, and Michigan. Which is another reason why the USNews rankings became so bogus last year. The UCs are plagued by this problem and have no business being so highly ranked for undergrad. There's classes with 1200 students. And graduating in four years is a real challenge for a lot of students.

Do you have a student at UCLA and Berkeley? I do and she has NEVER had a class with 1200 students, is graduating next week in 4 years with a double major and could’ve graduated last December. Oh and she studied abroad for a quarter too. All her friends are also graduating in four years. In so-called impacted majors too.

Real life experience.

DP: But I've known kids in the 1200+ courses and having trouble getting the courses they want/need to graduate. CS/engineering is known for this. CS majors have trouble getting the courses they want. Why go to school somewhere you cannot take the electives in your major that you want for your career and still graduate in 4 years?!?!?!
Real life experience as well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omg this sounds awful.

I now understand why no kids from our private go to UCLA or Berkeley

They are great if you are In-state. But definately not worth OOS prices. If I'm paying $60K+, my kid will have smaller class and the ability to get the courses they need when they need them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok these problems about UCLA should be known. This is a great function of this site.

Where else can we find this info? For other schools? It appears to be a size issue?
Michigan?
Cornell?
Northwestern?

I haven't heard of scheduling issues at these schools. Not akin to the problems that the UC's have anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg this sounds awful.

I now understand why no kids from our private go to UCLA or Berkeley

They are great if you are In-state. But definately not worth OOS prices. If I'm paying $60K+, my kid will have smaller class and the ability to get the courses they need when they need them.

Let's be honest. They are not great in-state. The price is right for in-state. And the name is great on the diploma. But the student experience sux.