This week at Her Campus HPU, we partnered up with Her Campus UCLA President Lindsay to find out what life is like at her campus compared to ours. Here is what she had to say.
Her Campus: What is your favorite part about your school?
Lindsay: I love the vibe on campus in that it’s very sunny and cheerful. There is a lot of school spirit because of our sports teams like basketball and football. It’s alos academic so my classmates take their work seriously, but we’re also in Los Angeles so the beach and Hollywood are only 30 minutes away.
HC: Do you go to the beach a lot (as is a stereotype of living where you do)?
L: The beach is only a 50-cent bus ride away but I don’t go that often. I often stay in Westwood, which is our college town. I study at cafes here but I try to go to the beach once per quarter maybe, if I can. Santa Monica beach is also not very swimmable so it’s really just for the view.
HC: Why did you want to attend UCLA?
L: My parents are from California but I grew up in Washington state, so I wanted to try a new place, but one that was still sort of familiar. UCLA has a great student newspaper and a great location, both of which were important to me.
HC: What is one thing you didn’t know about UCLA before attending that you wish you knew?
L: I didn’t know that certain AP classes in high school would have actually allowed me to not take some of my general requirements. All of my AP science classes went to waste, but had I taken AP economics, Spanish, statistics and psychology, all of them would have counted towards direct class requirements at UCLA.
HC: What are you excited about with HC UCLA?
L: I love that HC UCLA allows me to gain marketing, social media, and writing experience. Nationals partners with brands a lot and the chapter is really in control of our own content both on social media and in articles. It’s very freeing and gives us real experience.
HC: Is your campus open to the public or is it only students that are allowed to walk around there?
L: It’s open to the public! We have a lot of tour groups come through, alumni who come back to visit, neighbors who walk their dogs, and Los Angeles tourists. It’s pretty secluded though and the roads only go around the campus, not through it, so it’s still safe even though it’s open.
HC: Is there a lot of school spirit when it comes to games? Do many students attend these games and show off their school spirit?
L: Yes there is a lot of school spirit, especially for basketball and football. We have a Den Pass that students can purchase to attend football at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena and basketball games at our home Pauley Pavilion. There are thousands of fans and often times celebrities come, too – I’ve seen Jessica Alba, Chloe Grace Moretz, Shaquille O’Neal and Taylor Lautner at our games.
HC: Do you feel like with a large campus, you are able to get to know your professor and vice-versa?
L: It’s definitely difficult, but mostly because I’m very busy with clubs so I don’t get to attend office hours that much. If you go to office hours, you can talk with professors one-on-one, but yes in a large lecture space it is difficult unless you make an effort.
HC: Is UCLA what you expected it to be like when you first came?
L: For the most part it is, yes. I’ve become more desensitized to the excitement of Los Angeles and college as time wears on of course. But I expected it to be a challenging school with cool opportunities, good weather and a chance to broaden my worldview, and it has done that for me. I would say that I wish I met even more people while I was here – I found some nice friend groups and kind of stuck with them.
HC: Do people know each other on campus or is it spread out?
L: I think it’s the perfect amount. We have about 40,000 students, so when you’re walking to class you see a lot of people you don’t know, but you will always see someone you do. Walking through Westwood I can see acquaintances on the sidewalk, in class, on the bus, in the grocery store, etc. But I don’t know everyone, which I like. You can kind of get away with a bad hair day once in awhile.
Be sure to head on over to UCLA’s chapter page to see what we had to say about our campus!
Photo courtesy of Lindsay.