The University of California - Los Angeles

The only "bad" thing about UCLA is its size -- if you can't handle a big school, don't come here. Personally, I love the bigness and I use it to my advantage.

1st Year Female -- Class 2009

Education Quality: A+, Faculty Accessibility: A-

The key to this large university is to get involved socially and academically to make the community seem much smaller and less overwhelming. I am currently a fraternity brother, and a I also participate in three engineering organizations to help my professional career. This university definatly has plenty of opportunity to do just about everything.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2008

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Faculty Accessibility: B

UCLA is a huge, diverse, reputable school in the best, glitzy-cool area of the most diverse, one of the biggest, happening cities in the world. Thing is, even if you NEVER leave campus, you're in what is essentially, a city that has more activity than most places.

*WithIN* the city that is UCLA, you have the opportunities to do everything and anything your heart desires: eating great foods from all parts of the world (inside and outside like when the culture clubs cook on Bruin Walk.) taking nice walks, reading the second(?) most widely read newspaper in the city (Daily Bruin) while admiring natural scenery, chasing squirrels, visiting art exhibits, protesting, counter-protesting, going to one of the literally billion club meetings, hearing interesting, famous people speak, watching new rising star bands perform, rooting for future pro-athletes/olympians at whatever sport happens to be going on from basketball to gymnastics, watching *world class* theatre, dance, spoken word, and music for a discounted price, party hopping on frat row, shopping for books, clothes, even brand-name cosmetics at the store(s), sleeping in your dorm, hanging out with your floormates in the lounge, listening to jazz bands play at Kerckhoff coffee house on Monday nights, taking a bus into town, rock climbing inside the Wooden Center, taking yoga classes at Sunset Rec, playing video games at the arcade, going to Powell media library to watch some obscure movie from the 40s or even an old video of a ballet just because you're a nerd and you felt like it and its available, finding about the cheapest rates for study abroad trips at the student travel agent office in Ackerman, research with professors, network at the Alumni center, going to mass at the Catholic center, finding jobs through what seems liek monthly career/internship fairs, and of course, studying...learning, taking classes of your choice...and stuff LoL.

Gosh and if you're deathly ill and need world class medical treatment. you never have to leave campus because of Ashe Center and its pharmacy, and not to mention UCLA medical center LoL.

This is not to say I've done all this. It's just to say I realize it all exists (and I know there's more that I just don't know about) and that's what makes this place so great. You're not given a small bubble wrapped package and expected to make the most of things. You're given a WORLD to live in, constantly explore and discover, and in the process you do what everyone can do at any college: learn things about yourself, figure out your direction in life etc... What sets UCLA apart from other schools though, is that you have an infinite amount of opportunities to do hands on, real world stuff without even having to set foot outside the campus. Just the students alone, and the diversity of backgrounds, viewpoints, etc...represented on campus expose you to so much.

Here's the thing. You're at this huge, crazy, place, and all its opportunities are waiting, but they don't seem to just jump out at you and aren't necessarily immeidately visible. So what do you do. Yes you'll get SOME guidance, esp. your first couple of weeks (and during orientation and stuff you'll get a tour and some tips on how to do well.) but from then on, you're on your own. What you want your experience to be is fully up to you. If you like the school big great, if its too big to you, then there are so many ways to make it smaller. You want to get involved in a club? Read fliers, check out websites, there are ALWAYS people tabling on bruin walk as long as its not raining, ask people questions! Need counseling? Find out about where to go and who to go to. Again, ask people, look it up online, etc... And then there's all the cliche: go to office hours (one can't stress enough how helpful that can be.)

As much as I love it here, I can also see how someone can feel lost or unhappy. (its not an easy thing though, there IS enough guidance and info given to you once you enter the school that set you on the right path so its your choice to take it or leave it.) You do have to be aggressive yes in finding things, very proactive, but there are a LOT of nice people willing to point you in the right direction and a lot of ways to find your way around. I don't believe in the "you're nothing but a number at UCLA" crap. You aren't. You're entire application was read and talked over, you were accepted for a reason and its up to you to make the most of your time here, get involved, and make the impact you want to make.

I'm not trying to say UCLA is this perfect la la land happy place where everything goes your way. There are definitely a few negative things. You'll have those classes you'll hate, the professors that bore you to death and aren't so helpful (um this happens at ANY COLLEGE!) you will have to be aggressive when it comes to enrollment time (esp. if you don't have priority) because you're not always guaranteed a spot in the classes you want. There's also a lot of debate about how some people qualify for priority (like if you're a minority and in AAP and don't do anything else like extra work etc..you automatically get it and some people find that unfair. At least I do.)

But EVEN STILL, there are lot of ways to curb this stuff. I find that a lot of people who hate their classes hate them because they chose something they're not interested in or just because it sounded like an easy GE. TRY ENROLLING in classes that are the slighest bit of INTEREST to you, and if say there are no interesting science GE's that are available one quarter, then try taking an arts GE that actually IS interesting instead. Go to bruinwalk.com to read professor reviews, talk to other students about their experiences, and try your best to avoid the super bad professors.

And yeah, if you're failing school, you won't necessarily have counselors knocking at your door to help you UN-fail, because heck, unlike private school, nobody's all that dependent on you for money. Yeah, there's more reason than "personal love and care for you" as to why private schools don't want a student to fail out. One less student, means one less paying...customer or client shall we say. Its all a business attitude. Public schools don't have that concern, at least not to that extent.

All in all I feel very spoiled at UCLA. UCLA costs 22,000 dollars a year if you're not on financial aid and an in state student, which is practically less than half the price of some places that can't even give you a 1/3 of what UCLA can. (ahem like a school halfway across town and yeah, even lil old ivy leagues don't COMPARE.) Other little things people might take for granted is the fact that there is always construction: yeah its annoying, but constant construction is a good sign, that the school is always trying to improve and develop itself. Also I feel the school's priorities are in the right place. Luckily UCLA already has a worldwide reputation and great image for academics, athletics, arts, culture, and the like---but it's not just worried constantly about artifically going up in the rankings and advertising itself. (it doesnt need to) It cares about its STUDENTS. As populated of a school UCLA is, by next year, you're guaranteed FOUR YEARS OF HOUSING, and the new dorms are pretty nice! And at least, here, off campus housing isn't a nightmare because the area isn't bad. That's something meant to be appreciated. (at USC for example, the dorms suck, the food isn't half as good, off campus housing is scary, and you're not guaranteed 4 years even though you pay your life's savings.)UCLA rules and its completely up to you how you take advantage of the infinite amounts of things it offers. But if you do take advantage of things, I guarantee, you will get more out of this school than at any other school...anywhere.

1st Year Female -- Class 2009

Education Quality: A+, Faculty Accessibility: A-