University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

the best thing about UCLA are the resources and the fact that if there is anything you want to know, you can learn about it here. here i feel like the world is at my fingertips, the sky is literally the limit. i would change the kind of uppity us and them thing that there is going on here, people don't really like to acknowledge it much less talk about it. minority students are marginalized by the other students, and also people here aren't very friendly. i think its a bit too large, everything they say about UCLA being impersonal and huge is true no matter what anyone says, you really have to find some good friends and stick together and make your own community. when i tell people i go to UCLA they are excited and they want to ask me all about it, its flattering. when i'm on campus i spend a lot of time in the cafes in between classes, the food here is good! Westwood is completely dominated by UCLA, i think its endearing, as students we get a lot of respect around town. there is A LOT of school pride, we here are very big on our sports teams, and i think pretty much everyone sports a UCLA T-shirt or sweatshirt, i know i do. i think a big complaint is the walking distance, i live in the dorms and it takes me a good 20 mins to get to class every morning, and the walk back is all uphill!

The campus is really great and has a ton of resources for students. Westwood is kind of a college town, but is usually frequented by middle school and high school students as well, so it isn't really an exclusive college town. At the same time, it's right in the middle of Los Angeles, which is basically the best place in the world.

wow, thats a lot of questions...ok, here it goes. UCLA has one of the largest work hard, play hard populations I've ever seen. The average GPA of men in fraternities is higher than the all men's average on campus, which is a testement to the students ability to balance work and play. If I could change one thing I would want Greek Life to get more involved with positive community portrayal and public relations. I want people who have never thought of going Greek to go Greek and those that don't to appreciate the work that fraternities and sororities do for the UCLA and Los Angeles communities. I don't really have a comment about the size of UCLA, there are 40,000 plus undergraduates but you normally dont have a problem seeing people you know around campus. When you tell people you're going to UCLA most people are impressed and happy for you. Some people look down on it as a public school and those that go to Ivy Leagues might feel it's a little beneath them, but when they're stuck studying 24/7 and no one knows how to have fun at their campus they better not complain to me. As a freshman and sophomore most of my time was spent in the dorms or in class. I would study in the study lounges on the floor that my dorm was and I would attend parties and whatnot either in the fraternity house or dorm rooms. Junior year comes with upper division classes that are both challenging and inpirational. I spend a lot more of my time in the library now because I finally found that I study better their without distractions. The academic side of campus is split into "north campus" and "south campus". As a science major most of my classes are in "south campus" where as the humanities and all the BA students can have their precious "north campus". Westwood is an AMAZING little college town. If you have a car and can afford the parking, bring it, because LA, Hollywood, and Santa Monica are just a short car ride away. If you don't have a car or don't want to spend an hour looking for parking, don't worry at all. Everything in Westwood, from the super market, to the starbucks, to the bars, and Chipotle is all walking distance. Also, unless you really want super cheap rent, most of the apartments and all of the fraternity houses are just off campus and all within a 10 min. walk which means you never need a DD and you never need to worry about driving under the influence (not that anyone does that) The town is super safe (although there are quite a lot of bums) and UCPD is very college student friendly (so as long as you're not carrying an open container or throwing up in the street they wont bother you). The councelors at UCLA are phenomenal. Meet with one soon and often to sort out any problems you need. There are a lot of students though, so just be patient and courtious and they will work wonders for you. I don't know much about the rest of the adminstration. Biggest recent controversy on campus was probably the tazering incident in our library. You can probably find it on youtube.com UCLA has tons of school pride. I think the very best evidence of this are the UCLA basketball games. We have a section called "The Den". To get into these floor level seats you need to camp out from the day before the game and stay throughout the night to get your seat saved. You also MUST wear a blue den shirt or a UCLA baketball jersey. For the UCLA vs USC basketball game you usually need to camp out two nights in a row. This section is one of the most exciting and loud fan sections in college sports. I will always remember my sophomore year, Fall of 2006, when UCLA upset #2 or 3 USC at our home field, the Rosebowl. We had played like crap all year and the USC game is our biggest rivalry. They had beaten us about 9 years in a row (before that streak started UCLA had beaten them about 9/10 years in a row)and were shooting to make it 10. They needed to win to go to the national championship. We played AMAZING defence and upset the lowly Trojans 13-9. We tried storming the field because it was absolutely amazing, but we don't own the Rosebowl, we rent it, and they had crowd control police with tear gas stopping us from charging the field. I will always remember that. The people that complain the most often are ones that usually don't get out enough. Some people get into UCLA just because they work hard, not neccessarily because they are really intelligent and they need to stay in and work harder than most students. They often complain that the course load is intense (which it is, we have to learn a class in 10 weeks compared to the 15 of semester schools) and they don't have enough time in the week.

Looking back at UCLA, I don't think I would change anything about the school itself. I spent most of my time at Kerkhoff Hall because that's where our television station was located as well as the school paper, student government, and other school organizations. That's the 'working hub' of the school, you're likely to always find people doing something there anytime day or night. The biggest recent controversy that I can think of is the tasering incident last year. There is a lot of school pride, especially during the annual "Beat SC Week" on campus, which is the lead up to the big football game with USC.

UCLA is a campus that offers its students almost everything. UCLA has arguably the nation's best athletic program, an idyllic campus located in Westwood in Southern California, beautiful weather, prestigious academics and a vibrant campus community that looks after both current and future needs of students and alumni. Due to the large student population, groups can be found for almost every niche from cement-canoe engineering projects to club sports. The community on campus is enchanced by a relatively compact campus (it is the smallest of the UC system) and localized residential area that allows friendships to be nurtured seemlessly. The dining-hall food is particularly spectacular, often rumored to be rated the best in the nation, and based on personal experience, is much better than any other college food sampled including all rival UC schools. The only thing UCLA does not provide is relief from the traffic in the surrounding LA area which is particularly frustrating but rarely encountered as most students have all they need in Westwood. UCLA offers a little of everything and for the outgoing student it is a treasure-trove of options that can all be explored but might be intimidating for those less-inclined to take initiative themselves. At times dealing with such a large university can be confusing and daunting, but the campus has many programs in place to aid the overwhelmed student.

Our school is huge, but after a year or so, it seems so much smaller. You'd be surprised how often you run into people you know, or how connected everyone is, but at the same time there are always new people to meet. I would consider this one of the best things about UCLA. Plus we have Westwood Village, the perfect place for food, drinks, shopping, and whatever else you need.

There are a ton of great opportunities associated with being in LA - movie previews, big-time speakers, anything you want, if you're willing to commit to it. I think the big size is great, it provides you with countless options with regards to academic, social, and personal life.

I love the diversity, and the many opportinities that's availiable to students.

UCLA is the perfect size, because while there are almost 30,000 undergrads, you find communities in dorms and in student groups that make the campus feel smaller. But it's more exciting to be surrounded by tons of people. Westwood is a good college town, with Bebe, American Apparel, Victoria's Secret, etc. and plenty of good places to eat.

The best think about UCLA is the diversity. There is something for everyone and the balance between academics and fun is just right. THe one thing that bothers me is that sometimes it is difficult to find helpful counselors when you need help. It seems that even when you take the time to search out help, the people you meet with know even less than you do. I have definitely had to learn how to rely on my own resources and those of my peers because of the lack of help from UCLA counselors. When I tell people I attend UCLA it is with a sense of pride and it is obvious that many are impressed by my academic accomplishments. I work at the coffee house on campus and this is where I have found a home away from home/dorm room and I love it.