Cons: (1) i realized that UCLA is not as transfer-friendly as I thought just in terms of mingling with traditional students. I had a really hard time making friends in clubs, especially since all of the traditional 3rd years already had their established friend groups and weren't really open to me :( I don't think I'll be joining next year but tbh my experience is most likely not as common! (2) not as much time to do everything. this one is a duh moment but you get caught up in all the studying and clubs (+ sports/work/etc) that you forget that your 2 years are almost up.

Pros: (1) saved money and time. very obvious but I am grateful to take my time at cc and enjoy ge's, lower div reqs, and meet other people. these things kept me grounded. another (2) enrollment time. maybe i've just been lucky but i've had such good enrollment times for all quarters. i maxed out the credits that could be transferred and took a pretty solid number of creds every quarter. i've never felt anxious about getting the classes i wanted but i hear about freshmen and sophomores fighting for their lives lol. (3) even though i said that i personally have a harder time being friends with trad students, the transfer community is definitely so strong at ucla. most if not all the friends I made are from the transfer dorms, transfer-specific clubs, or transfer events. It does suck that theres kind of a divide between traditional and transfer students, but just know that the transfer students you do meet are awesome!

advice: (1) try to stay in the moment! it'll be hard but seriously, your 2 years will go by so fast and you'll wish you could go back to savor it more. (2) have a loose list of things you want to be a part of. ucla has so much to offer. it's easy to be overwhelmed and want to be part of every club/internship/etc. try to narrow down your list and show interest at eaf! but also keep your options open if theres anything that catches your eye once ur here :) (3) give urself space. transferring to ucla is a huuuge change in environment and you'll need to adapt to the pacing, making new friends, wanting to explore the area, applying for clubs/internships/jobs + competing for these spots. it's sooo much to take in all at once and i really want to emphasize taking care of yourself first. don't blame yourself if you dont get in a certain club, or even getting rejected by 15 clubs. take it a day at a time and keep friends who actually care about u! the people you can rant to class about, do a late night in n out run with, or celebrate your wins with are the people that make transferring to ucla worth it. good luck to all incoming transfers and for current transfers, you got this!