University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

UCLA is one gigantic competition. If you thought it was competitive to get INTO UCLA, just wait till you get there and try to survive. You may ask, "Well, isn't that just life? Isn't one always having to prove oneself to get ahead?" To that I will say yes and no, you argumentative douchebag. Yes, it is important that one uses the college experience to learn how to present oneself in the best way possible, so as to make the best impressions in all situations. However, it is unnecessary and downright tiring to be constantly forced to prove your worth to satisfy people you know to be not worth your time anyway.

The best thing about UCLA is the diversity and the academics. Next quarter I'm taking a class with General Wesley Clark!!! How col is that??? UCLA is HUUUUUGE, but thats a good thing and bad thing. It might take you a while (maybe a whole year or 2) to find out what you are into, or find some friends, or discover good professors, but once you do, UCLA is a great place. When I tell people I go to UCLA the usual response usually has to do with Asians and the difficulty of the school and people assume I'm smart. If I am stuck on campus, I usually spend my time at 1 or the numerous north campus coffee houses. They are relaxed, play nice music, and I always run into a friendly face. There are south campus spots too, but since my major is north campus, i dont go south. South is also relatively ugly compared to N. campus. Westwood isnt really a college town. It is really expensive and the bar, late night scene isnt so bumping. The biggest "scene", I guess is the nook of apartments around UCLA or the dorms. I guess frats are a thing too, but not my thing. I have no opinion of administration, except that getting classes is a bitch the first 2 years and there is always a lot of red-tape if you need to do something. BY FAR, the biggest controversy was the tazering incident last year. There is a ton of school pride, especially whenever UCLA plays USC...the entire campus gets really into it and there are decorations and you basicaly cant hide from it. Its difficult to pin down one experience, but I have had certain professors an classes that will stick with me forever. Also, freshman year welcome week was a blast. The most frequent complaints havbe to do with freshman and sophmore diffulties in enrolling in classes. Also, lecture size and overall size in general. Also, there are a lot of bad, boring, research-interested professors at UCLA...you have to know how to avoid them.

The best thing about UCLA is the love you will develop as you make your way through college. One thing I'd change: parking! Even though the school is pretty large, since it's a public school, you get to meet the people you want to meet, and you're not constantly bumping into people. People are proud that I go to UCLA, and think it's a big achievement. I spend most of my time in classes, in a computer lab, or at the library when I'm on campus. We have an awesome college town - we're right next to Westwood Village, which is a wonderful array of stores and restaurants that students can go and enjoy. UCLA's administration helps - I'm in a separate school (school of engineering) so they are very specific in helping you out. The biggest recent controversy on campus was probably last year with the tasering situation in the library. There is SO much school pride at UCLA, it's outrageous. No one on the west coast can beat what we have. There are a lot of traditions here at UCLA that everyone takes a part of, but nothing unusual. Experiences I will always remember is being at the USC v. UCLA football game and when we beat them 13-9. THe most frequent student complaints are that classes fill up fast when you want them the most.

I would want more people i can relate to. People are impressed when they hear I go hear sometimes

Not to sound so general, but the best thing about UCLA really is that it’s so well-rounded. I would challenge you to find another school that features such a high concentration of academics, athletics, social life, and networking. The size of the school is actually a huge advantage; more students means more interests, and it’s guaranteed that every individual will find students with similar goals. Once you realize that size translates to diversity, it’s very easy to make the school feel as small or large as you’d like, as we’re large enough to offer resources to support the smallest groups. If pressed, I’d change the distance between the apartments and classes, because to get from one end of campus to the other requires a good 25 minutes, which can be a pain if you’re running late. Something I didn’t realize until getting here was the reputation that the name “UCLA” carries; it’s very impressive without being unapproachable. Honestly, the only thing I find myself complaining about is the length of time it takes to walk to campus, as it’s so large, and the residential part of campus is really separate from the classrooms. But, I’ll also be honest, the 20 minute brisk walk also often serves as my excuse for exercise. A major selling point is the area—as it should be. Westwood sets the bar high for “college town”, with shops and restaurants catering (sometimes literally) to the collegiate lifestyle, both in their prices and hours. It’s a convenient and comfortable town that adds to the “home” feeling of campus by eliminating the pressing need for a car and creating an environment outside of the immediate campus that students can still feel connected to. Every UCLA student feels a sense of ownership over Westwood, relying upon it as much as it relies upon us. The campus itself boasts an impressive set of buildings and common areas, and the sort of brick and ivy ambience that I think a lot of West Coast schools lack. I like that there’s enough of a variety of spaces to spend time in, like coffee shops if you enjoy noise and company, or quiet lawns if you like peace and quiet. You never quite feel as if you’re on your own, though, which is a comfort to me although it might be an oddity for some. Thankfully the weather not only accommodates but encourages me to spend gaps in my schedule outside, on a bench or a lawn catching up on some reading or napping. It’s not uncommon for students on campus to feel very at home, comfortable enough to fall asleep in such a public place—is it the anonymity afforded by such a common-minded but large public? I’ve never experienced any problems personally with the administration, but if there’s any area in which the size of the school might get in the way it would be the bureaucracy. Like any formidable administration, though, it’s just a matter of doing a little research ahead of time and making appointments with those you need to reach. Undoubtedly the largest recent controversy was the Taser Incident. (A student was tasered in the library, by campus police, after refusing to cooperate, and the event was caught by a student cameraphone, causing an outbreak of debate over police brutality and student rights). I think the biggest problem resulted from the flood of gossip that prevented many of the students from getting a clear picture of what actually happened. I was fascinated, if not extremely surprised, though, by how quickly a spectrum of opinion appeared—and on Facebook, of all places. I saw a flood of groups formed to discuss the incident, half of which supported the actions of the police and half of which called for their reprimand. Personally I found myself torn; I do like to know that the campus police take security seriously in a city where crime and danger can be pervasive stereotypes, but the response seemed alarmingly disproportionate, and that kind of display was a sobering reminder that campus police are, in fact, regular police, and not necessarily there to accommodate student comforts. Undoubtedly the majority of school pride stems from our athletic program, and feeds off our crosstown rivalry with USC, but such pride and rivalry can only thrive in a place where there’s more to be proud of than simply sports. I’m extremely proud of our basketball team and it’s reputation, to be sure, but I’m also proud—and I feel my fellow students are too—of other equally impressive things that make up the blue and gold, like our campus, our library, our band, our school paper, and above all our academic reputation. Again, it’s all about our well-roundedness; there’s something at UCLA for everyone to be proud of, not just the all-star athletes. Our school pride goes beyond most. The most unusual thing about UCLA is its versatility, resulting directly from our size, because there’s no single point about the school that stands out from the rest enough to define us. We don’t necessarily specialize in anything, because we seem to specialize in everything—which makes UCLA a better place for the student who isn’t done exploring yet. There are plenty of places you can go if you’ve got a specific interest, places that cater directly and singularly to those interests, but there aren’t many other places you can go to explore everything. Because of this diversity, I think the right people end up here, i.e. the ones who haven’t made up their minds yet and want a place to do it. Many students come here because UCLA allows for such a wide spectrum of possibility, and we come here with very open minds, which are difficult things to disappoint. I do hear a lot of complaints about the enrollment process, and the difficulty of planning a schedule or getting into specific classes. Unfortunately, this is one of the drawback to a school of our size; space can be limited. But this can usually be avoided by some planning and foresight, such as designing multiple possible schedules and perhaps simply emailing a professor—they are very good about responding, and usually very quickly—with questions about enrollment capacity or waitlists.

The worst thing is how big it is- like not necessarily the size, but how the school doesn't care about you individually. You get stuck in a ton of red tape and bureaucratic runarounds to do anything and no one remembers you or cares. I really like going to school here anyway because I like my classes and I have met a lot of people I really like. There are a ton of people I totally hate like all the assholish sorority/frat people bein' gay all over the place. I guess that's ok though because we can make fun of how dooshy they are. We are a lot cooler than them. Also there aren't a huge amount of fat people here which is great. Well there are a lot of fat sorority pieces of shit but hey, what are you going to do?

UCLA, is well, in Southern California. We enjoy great weather (which seems really important to most of the students here, who are extremely sensitive to clouds or rain) and a lovely campus with plenty of bright green grass and large trees. UCLA is also located in LA - so there is always plenty to do - if you make the effort. If you like stalking stars, they are reportedly seen at the Whole Foods Market, or the Starbucks, or you can always attend a movie premiere because many are held right here in Westwood. There are always movies to go watch, whether you enjoy the mainstream or the obscure. There are plenty of restaurants to try out and bars/clubs to go to. Hollywood is not that far away, and neither is Universal Studios. Driving around to get to these places is one of the biggest problems though. Parking spots are expensive (and so is gas) and the traffic can be atrocious. UCLA is huge. It is the most applied to school in the United States, and as a consequence, you tend to end up being your 9-digit student ID number. In addition, instead of mingling, the students tend to fall into smaller cliques or join student groups (more often than not arranged by racial background) so there's not much interaction. Moreover, the campus is geographically divided into South and North campuses, which also creates bubbles and does not make mingling easy. UCLA students generally have a lot of school pride. We like to support out phenomenal basketball team and go to sporting events with a blue wig on, or apply blue and yellow paint to our bodies to show school spirit. We also like to remind everyone that we're the first establishment to have 100 NCAA titles and celebrate it at every basketball and football game. Others, who don't care for athletics much, show their school pride by boasting about UCLA academics, which is less subtle but no less effective (my roommate does this).

UCLA has so much to offer simply because of its sheer size, and there are endless oppurtunities no matter what your interests are. Of course, classes are also huge, which can also be a disadvantage, and oftentimes professors seem only interested in their research, and not in teaching. UCLA has a big name- both in the US and across the world. Los Angeles is a great city, and Westwood offers a nice area of movies, restaurants and of course, Diddy! UCLA has an amazing athletic program, and students are more than proud to be able to say that they are a Bruin. Support at football and games are amazing, and students show their pride by wearing school colors and sporting "BEAT SC" tattoos, among other things. UCLA has tons of traditions and I'm proud to participate in them each year. The rally and bonfire for the USC game, undie run, and Blue and Gold week are just a few of my favorite memories and things I look forward to every time they come around. Something interesting about UCLA's campus is its layout: north campus is almost entirely devoted to humanities (and the FIlm/TV school as well as the Theatre school). South campus houses the science labs and engineering buildings.

Best Things: The opportunities and James Franco attends here... studying while being outside all year round. I would change: it's a commuter school and empty on the weekends Too Large. Impressed! Good balance of social and academic. Kerckhoff Coffeehouse, Wooden Center. What college town? Administration: don't even get me started. Red tape is the name of the game. Get used to lines, the run-around and inefficiency. Controversy: Diversity Crisis, Dental school cheating, Taser incident School pride: Yes but it's fragmented--so many different groups of people. Unusual: There are steam tunnels underneath the school, movies were filmed on our school. Playboy tour buses meet at the Anderson business school Most Frequent student complaints: Class enrollments are hard, walking up the hills, professor outreach, meal swipes don't work on campus.