As college commitment season is upon us, I wanted to help out some prospective students and share some of my favorite and least favorite things about UCLA! I will say that I absolutely love this school, but no school is perfect, and there are definitely some things about UCLA that I wish I could change. But just in case you don’t realize it through this article, CHOOSE UCLA! It was seriously the best decision I have ever made, and there isn’t a piece of me that regrets it, imperfect as it is.
We’ll go ahead and start off with some favorites!
- work hard play hard mindset
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This is my absolute favorite thing about UCLA. It is so fulfilling to be part of a community that is so dedicated to doing well in school, being involved in the community, and entering the workforce, but simultaneously knows that work isn’t everything, and that having a fun lifestyle along with the hard work is so necessary. And the play hard can look like anything you want! For me personally, that looks a lot like going out with friends, going to the beach, and exploring LA. But for others, they can have a completely different idea, and that’s totally valid! The most important thing is the emphasis that UCLA students put on having a good balance, and being surrounded by that has done wonders for me, both academically and socially.
- The school spirit
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One of my favorite things to tell people about UCLA is that everyone who goes here is really proud to be a Bruin. It’s basically impossible to walk through campus and not see someone wearing UCLA merch, but it’s so much more than just that. The UCLA community is just so excited about all things UCLA, from athletics (football games at the Rose Bowl are SO fun) to campus events. I genuinely love this school and being a student here so much, and having all of my peers around me feel the same creates such an awesome community that I am so happy to be a part of. It’s just so fun to be around so many people that are as excited to go to a school as you are, and UCLA is exactly that community.
Original photo by Maia Hull - The campus
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Seriously, the UCLA campus is gorgeous. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t one of my favorite things or one of the reasons I wanted to go here. Sometimes, when I’m walking through campus on the way to class or a meeting, I break into a smile, because it’s so beautiful and I’m so grateful to actually be here. It really does prove true that being in a pretty place puts you in a better mood, and UCLA is great at doing just that.
Brooke Sagun - there is always something going on
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If you come to UCLA, I swear that you will not be bored for one single minute. Between school work, extracurriculars, campus events, and social life, there is always something to do. Rather than being bored, more often than not, I feel like I’m having to choose between two things because I can’t be in the same place at once. The campus is so lively, and there is always something new to try and new people to meet (and because the campus is huge, you will probably meet new people everywhere), which makes it so exciting. And on top of this, LA is a huge and bustling city, and there are basically an unlimited amount of new places to go.
Now we’ll move on to some of my least favorites!
- enrolling for classes sucks
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Sucky enrollment is probably a complaint that you will hear from every single UCLA student. You get randomly assigned enrollment slots based on the number of units that you have completed, and inevitably, a class that you want will already be full by the time that your slot comes up. It happens to everyone, every quarter, and it’s honestly just a fact of life here. But there are always other class options, and although rearranging a class schedule sucks, it is always doable.
- The dorms are probably the smallest rooms you have ever seen
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My freshman year at UCLA, I lived in the infamous Dykstra Hall, which is one of the main residential buildings for freshmen on The Hill (which is where all of UCLA’s dorms and dining halls are located). I honestly can’t even convey how tiny this room was, and I had two other roommates as well, so it was three of us just cramped into this small little space. Everything just feels cramped, and you literally have to play Jenga all the time when it comes to organizing your stuff. But, it’s honestly part of the college experience, and it was pretty funny to show my friends from home who didn’t believe me when I said it was the smallest thing they’ve ever seen (they always believed me once they’d seen the photo).
Original photo by Maia Hull - clubs/orgs are competitive (you will be rejected from something)
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This is another thing that UCLA students complain about all the time. There are so many organizations across campus, and so many opportunities to get involved in anything that suits your fancy. BUT, the large majority of these orgs require applications (and sometimes not just applications, some have coffee chats, multiple rounds of interviews, etc). It honestly can feel a little ridiculous sometimes. And it is also super disheartening to get rejected from something that you really wanted to be a part of. But I will say that after being rejected from every single thing that I applied to my first quarter as a freshman, it really does get better, and now I am a part of multiple organizations (some of which rejected me the first time I applied!) that I truly love, and am proud to be involved in. But there will always be that one thing that just really hurts (I’m looking at you, campus tours), and it honestly does suck, but becomes easier with time.
Unsplash - There are lines everywhere
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In case you didn’t know, UCLA is a HUGE campus. We have over 30,000 undergraduate students on campus, which means that things are going to get busy. From waiting in line for food at the dining halls to waiting to use a machine at the gym, there is going to be a bit of a wait. And although this can be super inconvenient (I have complained about it many times), people are always respectful and try to be as fast as possible.
Original photo by Maia Hull
Overall, this school is not perfect, but no school is (and complaining about the flaws can be a great bonding experience). But UCLA is truly something special, and the favorites are always going to outweigh the least favorites for me. And just to reiterate again, CHOOSE UCLA! I promise that you won’t regret it.