The University of California - Los Angeles

While there are faults with UCLA, it offers a fine example of what a university should be. First of all, it is true that you will not be held by the hand and led to anything here, and that includes office hours. You have to be very assertive and proactive here to succeed. However, the resources are here. Unfortunately, I think that most students will go through their UCLA experience completely oblivious of the fact that they have the world at their fingertips.

Yes, the price is fantastic for what you get here at UCLA. Honestly, I'm not particularly wealthy, but I'm getting by. I don't doubt that I could have managed a private, but I don't think it would have been as affordable at all.

Professors can and will suck, but that is unfortunately the case at all univerisities. Some people teach to research. Most of my professors have been vibrant, caring, interesting people. But, you have to be a vibrant, caring, interesting person too sometimes to succeed in life.

There is a wide variety of thinking here at UCLA, from very conservative to very liberal. Go on the message boards and you will see that there are (in no particular order) Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, Socialists, Communists...everything under the sun. Is it as charged as Cal? No. But, the sometimes apolitical atmosphere certainly lets one assess many different views.

About the aesthetics...UCLA is beautiful. Period.
I'm not a party nut myself, but I seem to find that most people find parties when they want one. Anyway, to sum it up: UCLA offers a lot, spoon feeds little.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2005

Scholastic Success: A+, Individual Value: B+