University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

I wish I had stressed scholarships more. Before going to UCLA, I wasn't aware of all the pressure my family would be under due to fiscal issues. Unless your parents are very wealthy or qualify for lots of financial aid, paying for tuition is hard. Because UCLA is a public school, it is strongly affected by the budget cuts- which blindly increases tuition year after year. Ultimately, I just wish I would have applied for more scholarships.

Before coming to UCLA, I wish I had known the level of competition I would be facing from my peers. If I had known this, I would have been preparing for my Fall quarter classes during Summer. This competition may seem daunting, but it will be a wake-up call and will push you to work toward and to achieve your full potential.

Although I loved attending this school, I wish I would have known how competitive the classes are. The courses I took always had several hundred students in them and they were always graded on a curve. Sometimes, depending on the professor, your grade could be curved down and lowered. Also, even though the professors are extremely knowledgeable, they are difficult to approach and sometimes hard to understand int heir lectures.

Plan out your course load ahead of time.

I wish I had known how important it is to explore all of the activities at the beginning of the year and not put all of my time and energy into rushing a sorority. By rushing I realized that Greek Life really isn't for me and because I spent so much time rushing I missed out on becoming more involved in other programs here at UCLA.

Before coming to this school, I wish I had known how little sleep I would get. My older friends told me how much free time they had in college, so I came here thinking that it would be the same. I was in for a surprise when I would actually look forward to getting in bed. The reason I'm not sleeping as much as I anticipated is that there is so much to do at UCLA, whether it be getting involved in campus activities, studying for midterms, exploring the city, or even just hanging out with your floormates.

How quickly the quarter system goes and how much work you have to put in to get an A--even for GE classes.

I wish I knew what I wanted to do before I entered UCLA because then I would have a set plan on what to do after college as well. This would help me out in picking my classes and activities that I wanted to get involved with.

I wish I would have known how competetive classes are here, specially in the science field. Since many science classes are based on a curve students are very competitive to get the highest grade.

I wish i understood the whole process of registering for classes (First pass, second pass).

I wish I had known what kinds of AP classes to take in high school so that they would transfer over as credits here. I would also have wanted to know to be a bit more open minded about different offerings here at school such as the unique activities.

When I started school, I wish that I would have known more about how to work my computer. Throughout my time at school, I have learned how to do many new things on my computer, but it always takes alot of time to figure out how to do something new that I need to do for school. If I had better computer skills before beginning school, it would have saved me alot of time on projects that could have been spent studying.

Before I came to UCLA, I wish I would have know how different college is from high school. In college, you make your own schedule, you are more independent, and you have so much freedom. I wish i would have known that UCLA is extremely competitive and challenging. Every day is an obstacle where you have to continue striving for that career of choice. I came here thinking college would be fun but I never considered how hard it could be. Everyone at UCLA is extremely intelligent and on their way for accomplishing goals for that better future.

Before arriving to UCLA, I wish I had known how much more disciplined I have to be with school, work, clubs, and how to balance personal and family time on a regular basis. I also wish I had known ahead of time how the process of picking classes went because orientation was really stressful. I wish I had known that tuition would increase, without warning, at an alarming rate in a matter of months entering my first quarter. I also wish I had been more informed about the campus, the events, and what special programs the school offers.

My personal feeling is that regrets, which are feelings that the future is limited by the past, are thoughts that are simply not worth having. I believe that what we perceive as mistakes are vitally important steps in the process of learning and self discovery that constitutes life. Frustrations, disappointments, or uncomfortable surprises are like teachers that are there to alert us to our own preconceived notions that limit our ability to accept life and make the most of it. Sincerely, I don?t wish I had known anything before I learned it; that's what makes the journey meaningful!

I wish I had known how to better balance my class and work schedule. Since it was my first time getting a job while being a full-time student at a university, I was not well aware of the challenge that I faced while taking rigorous courses and working about 12-14 hours a week.

That I was less prepared than everyone else, and that if I wanted to really succeed with my math major I needed to work night and day since I was so behind.

How to get to know your professor on a personal level in such a large classroom setting.

I wish I had realized the importance of creating and maintaining social networks with more peers and professors. As I near graduation, I realize that these casual connections are the keys to getting a foot in the door for various career arenas. Furthermore, the pressure for finding a job right after graduation is accentuated by the large amount of debt I have accumulated; had I been more aware my financial responsibilites, and how to save and manage the funds I was receiving, I may not be under such financial stress.

I wish I knew the amount of worked that a student has to put in to get a good grade here. This university's education level is way beyond what I was used to in high school. In high school I was able to just breeze through, without learning much, yet still getting straight A's