University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

The hardest part is signing up for classes. With the budget cuts, smaller and fewer lectures means that students can't be sure that they’ll have their perfect schedule because many classes will fill up even before their designated enrollment time. As a freshman, unless you have lots of units from AP credit or community college classes taken while still in high school, you’ll have the least priority. I have taken some classes with some professors that I did not plan for nor liked according to reviews; however, I ended up enjoying some and meeting my best friends.

Budget cuts have plagued UCLA and the other University of California schools. The cutting down of staff and curriculum combined with increases in tuition costs are asking students to be willing to pay more for less. The quality of my school has unfortunately dwindled before my eyes. The budget cuts have made enrollment in classes more stressful as students struggle to get into their needed classes due to cutbacks in course offerings. However, I believe that when the economic crisis is over, UCLA will overcome this.

The worst thing at school might be the construction that never seems to end. UCLA is always under construction and sometimes hearing the drillings and breathing in the dust can be problematic. In addition, the school is located in Westwood, and parking is a hassle. The cost for one day of parking, I believe has gone up to $9. In addition, the cost of tuition has gone up about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} this year!

too competitive segregated according to races. hard for students who look hispanic, such as myself

Classes are too big and there isn't enough individual attention. Some teachers are more focused on their research than they are on their students.

Having only four years to sample the wide, enriching variety of curricula and activities.

The worst thing about my school would be the housing situations. I am paying for college for my own, which means I have already taken out many student loans. Housing alone costs 10,000 dollars a year, and that's if you are sharing the room with two other students. The building is literally falling apart. One morning part of the bathroom ceiling fell on a girl while she was in one of the stalls, and the windows aren't sealed so the wind blows right through them. I believe the college should make housing more affordable.

The worst thing I can say about my school is the number of students and how there appears to be no individual attention you can receive from classes or social situations. There is a saying that you feel "like a number" here, and I didn't believe it until I came here. People are generally open to you, but you realize that most people form their solid core of friends within a couple of weeks and it is more difficult to make friends if you aren't outgoing or put in the right situation.

The worst thing about UCLA would have to be the hills. Having to walk becomes a bit tiresome but eventually it's easy to get accustomed to. Other than this, UCLA is a fantastic institution to attend.

I have realized that there is a great disparity in the quality of the professorial staff at the university. During my last quarter, the first and worst, I was taught by quite brilliant people; however, they failed to effectively "profess" what they knew and were to teach. Moreover, the professors were hard to reach and inapproachable outside of the classroom. In contrast, this quarter, I have what I believe to be the best of the teaching staff. Therefore, I question what the university's standards for employing one in the teaching staff is and why this disparity exists.