University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

The academics here are great. But the students here are spoiled little brats that are largely propelled into these positions by their class. The ones that do merit being here, came for the wrong reasons. Not enough students anywhere go to college to learn. Many come to get a good job, many come to figure out what they want to do, but most come "because it's like, what you like do after high school. You like, go to college." Westwood is definitely a college town, and if I had 15 dollars to buy a panini I'd be able to enjoy the little shops and cafes here. But I don't, so keep that in mind too. The students haven't grown out of high school - they flock in groups to go anywhere. You often see students panicking about whether they will be able to eat a meal because they have not yet found somebody to go with them to a dining hall. If you are an insecure worm, you will be at home. Otherwise you'll range between amused and annoyed on a daily basis.

The best thing at UCLA is the positive environment emanating from the students, faculty, and campus itself. Everyone loves being at UCLA, whether they teach, work, or learn there. The school has an interesting history and we have lots of pride in our school. The campus is huge, as is the size of the student body, and size of classes. People love UCLA, whether they go there are not. I am so happy to go to this school!

UCLA is perfect. Its a small campus (area-wise) with a big campus feel. It has the perfect location, nestled between the 3 B's (Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Brentwood). We are the most widely recognized university in the nation and we get the most applications every year. When I tell people I go to UCLA, everyone is impressed, because not only is UCLA a dream school, it is also one of the top schools in the nation, recently labelled one of the "new ivies". The campus has everything you could ask for: shady hills to sleep or study on, beautiful buildings, numerous libraries, all the food chains you could imagine (except mcdonalds), and the second best dorm food in the nation (to a culinary school). We also have the largest student union in the nation, including our own apple store, shoe store, market, bookstore, and clothing store. On campus, there are countless places to hang out, but the favorite seems to be Kerckhoff Coffee House, home of amazing coffee and the highest grossing Baskin Robbins in the nation. However, alot of people like to go out of UCLA to really hang out. Another thing that makes UCLA unique and even more perfect is Westwood. Westwood is the ideal college town: 10 minute walk from campus, home of pinkberry, snowberry, Bj's, noodle planet, enzo's, cpk, the greek store (for all our sorority & fraternity needs), victoria's secret, bebe, chili's, cvs, and the all important diddy riese (home of the $1.25 ice cream sandwiches!). Besides all that, it is also a safe town (which is why all the USC kids drive all the way across LA to come hang out there...seriously). One of the things about UCLA that makes it so fun is the amount of school pride. A day never goes by where at least a quarter of the campus isn't wearing UCLA attire or colors. We have so many spirit events, especially before our big game against USC in the fall. Having so much spirit really unites the campus and makes it one big blue & gold experience.

UCLA is a very prestigious school, both here and abroad. I feel that it is one of the few universities that you can mention in another part of the world, and people will know what you are talking about. When people from my area find out that I go to UCLA, they are usually pretty impressed. The campus is pretty large, depending on how quickly you like to get around it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes to get from one side of campus to another, but there is lots of great architecture and even a sculpture garden to make the walks more enjoyable. Things are a lot more relaxed on North Campus, where the social sciences and humanities are. South Campus is the territory of all of the competitive pre-med science majors. Being a double major in sociology and psychology, I have spent some time in both sides of campus, but the university also encourages well-roundedness in your studies and meeting people with different educational interests through the general education courses you take here. UCLA is located in Westwood - it's almost like UCLA's own little town, with four one-screen movie theaters, dozens of restaurants, and some stores like bebe and Anne Taylor. It's a pretty relaxed atmosphere. UCLA shares a rivalry with USC and during football season, you can see the school spirit. Although football has never been my thing, it's still fun to have some competition with the other "neighborhood" university. This has resulted in all kinds of pranks between the two, such as when USC poured red-dyed laundry detergent in one of our fountains that ended up flooded Franz Hall, our psychology building.

I feel UCLA is one of the top ranking schools in the country and the opportunities for success that are offered here is immense. Although we have a large student body, it does not conflict in anyway with the daily activites of being a student. I feel UCLA has built a repuation for itself as one of the west coast "Ivy League" schools and it feels great to tell people that you go here. It makes them feel that you are ranked among the top prosects in the country. UCLA is definetly a college town because Westwood is host to an immense amount of student attractions and events. There is never a dull moment in this area! In my opinion, this school has immense school pride considering we are also one of the elite athletic schools. Our rivalry with USC is second to none. The administration and faculty here are excellent and each class leaves you with a much broader sense of the world. Overall, I feel UCLA gives everyone an equal opportunity to achieve high goals and at the same time provides the student with a thrilling and adventerous journey.

People get worried about such a big school. I certainly was. The truth is, UCLA is its own city. I came from a small high school where everyone knew each other, the teachers were personable and friendly, and spirit was kept on the DL. At UCLA, I have had a very different experience, and I couldn't be more grateful. College is supposed to bridge a gap between one world and another. Being in a big place allows you to find communities and use your own resources. Probably the main difference between the pre college and world and the post college world is that no one hands a lollipop in real life. At UCLA, I've been able to go out and find my own lollipop in a safe, encouraging environment. The school seems smaller than it is when you be yourself and go out and DO yourself...if that makes sense :) Honestly, UCLA has no weaknesses. Yes, here we go, another Bruin who likes to brag and say NOTHING bad about his school. The truth is, the only complaint that continues to poke my side is parking. Parking at UCLA blows. It's like trying to talk to Buddha about the quadratic formula; your needs simply won't be addressed. Other than that, UCLA caters to all. Bruin plaza has been host to experiences I'll never forget, like a mock wedding for a gay couple (just months before the California Supreme Court legalized it!!!), a mindblowing birthday party for Israel, a performance by someone who, in my mind is the next Marvin Gaye, etc. If you mass thousands of people who are smarter than you who then devote their every day to helping you experience something bigger than yourself, you will get my school.

UCLA is a bubble environment within LA, but it's my bubble and i love it. it's got a big administration and it can be easy to get lost. they hype up the honors department, but the honors counselors are awful. if you need academic advice, go to your departmental counselor - the english one, at least, is great. living on the hill is a lot of fun, there is always something to do. for freshman i'd recommend the basic residence hall dorms, because it's easier to get to know people. suites can be a little more isolated, but they're fine for second year when you've established a social circle. the dining halls are amazing. the restaurants aren't as wonderful, but they're still extremely convenient - during rush hour they can take forever though, so if you want breakfast before class, be sure to go early.

One of the most exciting moments of your life will be to get a letter of acceptance from UCLA. In itself, that is a celebration. Acceptance into UCLA, one of the most difficult schools to get into in the nation, is an achievement in itself. Now, take your letter, step right up. See ["North Campus'] beautiful architecture - enough to inspire films, poetry, and endless stories and anecdotes- a lifetime's worth. The sprawling City of Los Angeles, a contrast to the land-locked UCLA university-state, with has no other choice but to go up, into the sky, with futuristic post-modern eye-sores [typical of "South Campus"] that despite their sombre, curve-less, strange looks are an indispensable asset to humanity. Live in the University Housing, confused blocks of brick, mortar, concrete, steel, and stolen copper piping: the best years of your life!! Cheer for the home-team with eight-thousand eight-claps, play a friendly game of football (all kinds!) with the kids from across town, and crush them utterly! Sit by the pools filled with beautiful people, play in the green-grass parks (so common here, yet the rarest of sights in this city of gray, brown, and black). Bike around the ample ways, up and up hills whichever road you choose: work some leg, build up that muscle! Rush or don't rush to class; go or don't go to office hours: you're a man (or woman) now - no more someone-else waking you up in the morning, serving you breakfast, driving you to school. Yet it's all here for you! Counselors, professors, friends, guest-lecturers, random-hook-ups, the-love-of-your-life: opportunities! This is not where doors open for you, this is where you find that there are more open doors than you possibly thought there could exist. Fiat Lux! Let There Be Light! Even amongst the darkness... Walk around Westwood neighborhood, the famed "university town" within a giant, conglomerated University Town, with its artificially-designed "picturesque" boulevard and streets, its over-priced restaurants and designer shops - a meme of the general, so-called "Greater" Los Angeles suburbia. Walk around to see the million-dollar houses, whose inhabitants can't wait to leech off the students' woes - parking, parties, pricing, and other petty things; see the decrepit private housing complexes that cost an eye and a leg, that leak rusty water from half-century-old pipes; see the spiring condominiums, a vestige of over-priced housing booms (that no student can actually afford). Walk down Westwood Boulevard and learn both how rich and how poor you are, all at the same time: give an In-N-Out burger to the homeless man playing the Blues for a "donation"; give a double-take glance to the thousand-dollar faux-fur coat in the window. Buy useless things at exuberant prices, like fruits and vegetables, like organic-probiotic-non-fat-herbicide-free-raised-by-bears-in-the-forest soy milk. Buy, buy, buy, until you faint from shopper's fatigue. Don't forget the hats, and the hoodies, the mugs, and the bumper stickers, the "university mom or dad" license-plate-holders - don't forget that the copyrighted corporate logo is spelled "Ucla", not "U.C.L.A." Accept no imitations.

Of course, at the mere mention of UCLA, I can impress many people, but thats not why I chose to go there. It's a great location in terms of centrality in the Los Angeles area. I'm a local, so I can accurately say that anything worth visiting in LA is of decent distance to the campus. The neighborhood is lovely, though the homeless population seems to be slowly creeping up - sometimes the homeless hang out on campus and that can be some what of a nuisance. Students on campus have an enormous amount of pride - my boyfriend, who isn't a student at UCLA, once noted how many people were wearing or carrying some sort of UCLA gear. The campus is laid out on a hill, so the trek often involves some sort of climb, but its a great workout! The campus is beautiful though and often, on a sunny day, I find myself sitting down outside Royce and taking in the views. Another minor bother are the large amount of outside groups on campus; from the campus tours for prospective students to the various field trips for local students ranging from pre-school to high school, the campus is almost constantly full of wanderers and revelers.

UCLA is a fairly prestigious school, on the West Coast anyway, so I generally get very good reactions when I tell people I go to UCLA. And, for the most part, it lives up to its potential. But, because it is so big, and it's public, there is a lot of bureaucracy to deal with on a regular basis. They make it very difficult to do anything "official". UCLA is essentially a bubble filled with other little bubbles. When you live there and go there ful time, you get the impression that nothing else exists. Then, when you start to find a group to fit into (like jocks, or theater people), you start to feel like only that exists. Then, even though it's such a big school, it starts to feel like a little town where everyone knows each other.