r/SMC

it's my first year be nice 🌸

Has anyone else submitted there Fall semester SAP appeal and also not even have it looked at yet?

I submitted mine two weeks ago and it still hasn’t been reviewed yet by the financial aid committee and I only appealed to get FWS and student loans. And I only had to appeal due to me being over the maximum timeframe.

Hey past/current smc students. I recently have a chance to drive a car and will be commuting to the main campus this fall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. My drive is about an hour and twenty minutes from where I live to campus mostly by bus and metro train.

I heard the parking situation can be pretty rough because some students can't park or tickets. Since this will be my first time driving in, I want to figure out what to expect before the semester starts.

Which structures are the easiest to find a spot in? What time in the morning does campus parking usually fill up? If you have any good tips, warnings, or backup plan recommendations, I would appreciate the help!

Thanks!

Idk if this is a stupid question but I get anxiety about the dumbest stuff and I feel like I should double check. So for some of my classes it says the start day is 8/31 but the meeting day is a certain day of the week. When I start school does that mean I show up no matter the meeting day or I just do the work on canvas. (Hybrid class)

Omg… never in my life have I met such an egotistical, rude, selfish and impatient person. The worst combination ever. I had to call Admissions to check on my application process as it’s getting really close to the start of Fall. She’s always, ALWAYS is the one who picks up. I can tell from that 👩🏻🐶 -y voice that she has. The first time I called her, midway through explaining my situation, she decided she was done and hung up on me. And if you know anything about the hotline and Qless, you would know the pain of having to rejoin the queue and wait all over again. The second time the next day, I called again to explain my situation, midway through talking she interrupted AGAIN and transferred me to International when i’m a US citizen????????? She thinks she understands the situation fully, but how can u when u keep interrupting me🤬I had to rejoin the queue AGAIN. This whole time I’ve been so patient and respectful. Despite the countless rude interactions, I’ve just ignored it. Also, I found out I’m not the only one and found several reddit threads complaining abt this alma lama. I’m just so pissed. Pls SMC, do something about her. Why do you have someone who is clearly unhappy w her own life, let it affect the experiences of SMC students? We don’t need her.

I’ve never posted on Reddit before, so sorry if my wording is awkward!

I graduated high school this year with a 4.95 weighted GPA and was very involved in leadership, volunteering, and extracurriculars. UCLA was my dream school, but I was waitlisted and ultimately didn’t get in.

I’m starting at Santa Monica College this Fall 2026 with about 30 UC-transferable units already completed through AP and college coursework. Four of my college classes were taken during high school (12 units total), and I received 3 A’s and 1 C. The rest of my units are from AP credit.

My original plan was to use UCLA TAP, but because of the updated TAP requirements, I won’t be eligible since I’ll only be attending SMC for one year. My plan is to take a full course load at SMC during Fall 2026 and Spring 2027, reach the 60 transferable-unit requirement, and apply this Fall 2026 to transfer to UCLA for Fall 2027.

I’m currently considering Sociology as my major, but I’m still trying to figure out whether that’s the best option for me.

I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has transferred from SMC → UCLA, especially without TAP:

• How realistic is transferring after only one year?
• How much does not having TAP hurt my chances?
• What should I prioritize during my year at SMC?
• How important are GPA and completing major prep compared to extracurriculars, internships, leadership, etc.?
• Is Sociology a good major choice for UCLA transfer?
• Are there specific SMC classes/programs or things I should take advantage of to strengthen my application?
• I missed the Fall deadline for the SMC Scholars Program, but I may be able to apply for Spring. Would that still be worth doing?

I know UCLA is extremely competitive and there are no guarantees, but I really want to make the most of my one year at SMC and give myself the best chance possible.

If anyone has gone through a similar situation or successfully transferred from SMC to UCLA, I’d really appreciate any advice! Thank you!!

I swear the parking permits in the last year were not more than $30, or were they? This fall semester they’re $50 😀

Now that im cleaning out my room, I've noticed how much unessary things I was required to get for a class that I'll never take again. It got me thinking and I wanted to see if anyone else had some stories.

Does anyone else get scared to use their fasfa money? For all this time I have kept it in a HYSA because I feel like I might need to return it someday. I have used some but I am easily able to pay it back just want thoughts on it since it is basically just sitting in a hysa for the past year I been here.

Hi guys! I’m a freshman at SMC and I’m have 5 classes, communication st 35, English C 1000, sociology 1, and psych 19 which is a hybrid class, but before I bought all my stuff I was wondering what types of notebooks I need? I know some classes are picky so should I get wide rule, college rule, composition, or just a 5 subject notebook? Or do I just wait for a syllabus and get whatever?

Is anyone here Queer and pursuing STEM?
I’m interested in creating a club for queer people in STEM, though ik creating a club isn’t that easy.

However if a school club doesn’t work, perhaps meeting outside near campus would work?

If anyone is interested please let me know!

I’m a freshman for this fall semester, majoring in econ, What should I buy?
And if you have any other tips for first class, please let me know!

I’m just curious if there are any other gender studies majors here? What schools are you looking at transferring to? How long until you transfer?

I’m nonbinary and queer and I’m majoring in gender studies. I’m applying this fall for transfer for next fall (2027). I’m deciding between SFSU, CSUN, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, and UC Davis.

I am taking a hybrid class in the fall and I’ll be out of town for the first day of in person class because I have to help my brother move into college… I understand that this isn’t a medical or like a good excuse

My question is will I be dropped? Or is there anything I can do

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Hey everyone

I'm an incoming freshman starting at SMC this Fall, and I’m looking for anyone who might be commuting from the Norwalk area (or nearby cities like Downey, Cerritos, or Bellflower) to campus.

I'd love to set up a carpool to make the drive down the 105/110/10 a bit easier and save some money on the commute.

Here are my details:

* Days on campus: Tuesday and Thursday

* Time arriving : Need to be on campus by 9:20 AM

* Time leaving : My class ends on 1:30 PM

* Driving situation: I currently donot possess a driving license but I am learning how to drive ( got the learners permit )

I’m more than happy to split the cost of gas and an SMC parking permit.

If your schedule aligns even partially or you're interested in teaming up, please shoot me a DM or drop a comment below.

Thanks, and good luck with the Fall semester.

I have a hybrid class, i’m not very sure what that means. It’s says arrange hours do i pick those hours? or does the professor pick the hours?

Last semester I barely passed MATH 2 (C-) and didn’t really get a hold of the content taught by the end of the semester. Due to personal circumstances, I was extremely late in my submissions, so I just studied the exams’ material the day before each exam.

This Fall I will take MATH 7 and was wondering if you guys could share some tips on how to catch up with the content so I ideally get an A and don’t fall behind the schedule again.

Note: I do enjoy math, the problem is that I couldn’t dedicate enough time to it last semester. This semester I will have enough time, though.

I had to submit an SAP appeal for Fall and I was just wondering if anyone else had to do this and if so, how long did it take to hear back about it?

Before you guys say to contact the financial aid office and ask, just know I tried and it’s damn near impossible to get ahold of them (IFYKYK). I would just like a quick answer from anyone that is or was in same position, please and thank you.