University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

Describe the students at your school.

Khanh

Very socialising.

Jocelyn

Greek, international, mostly from California.

Elizabeth

My classmates are all incredibly studious and goal-oriented people.

Christina

Every single person in my class is ambitious, motivated, well-rounded, and, most importantly, friendly.

Andy

Intelligent, ambitious, and friendly individuals who are all excited about the prospect of making this world a better place.

chloe

Asian

Patricia

My classmates are devoted to learning and friendly.

Kari

They are all really hard workers and great study buddies!

Catherine

Create a need for what you can do, not what you want to do. Tailor what you want to suit the version of yourself whom you're capable of becoming. Never accept a conceivable version of yourself as the last version of yourself because there is no endgame, but take it as a start. Dreaming from Point A to Point D will keep you from touching base where it matters most. Don't wait to do it later, do it now. Do it when you can, not when it's convenient. Nothing is ever convenient, nor is it constant.

Soz

The people sitting alongside me in class are some of the most motivated, dedicated, intelligent, and diverse people I have ever met.

Elizabeth

Due to the rigor and pressure of 'curved' scores, many students will keep to themselves.

Tanya

They are enthousiastic about the classes but sometimes feel overwhelmed by the work load.

Anthony

My classmates are of the species homo sapiens, and have been observed displaying associated behaviors such as working for a living but not living to work, studying hard for the final but slacking for the midterms, laughing much and sleeping little, exercising well while eating heartily, and many other characteristics that only prove how difficult it is to describe such a diverse and multi-faceted student body in just one sentence.

Fidel

Different personalities.

Amy

As I said in previous questions, there are various kinds of students here. But typically everyone is nice and hard-working.

Hannah

They are smart and driven.

Lisa

You can find every kind of person in every single class.

Alexandra

My classmates are driven, hardworking, and incredibly motivated individuals who aren't afraid to pursue their passions, make use of every opportunity that comes their way, and make their dreams a reality, continually striving to be the best that they can be and challenging others to do the same.

Emily

When in such large lectures it is hard to characterize my classmates; they range from dedicated and attentive students to those who slack and sleep through lecture.

Elaine

My classmates are amazingly brilliant and passionate people.

JuYoung

To me, my classmates are diverse, intimidating, and distant. First, all ethnicities over the world are in the classroom, distinct in color, fashion, or language. They also represent the most prestigious students all over the world. This intimidating fact keeps me on my heels in academics. Lastly, the diversity and intimidation combine to create a distance or wall between my classmates and me. Everyone moves only move to the extent of his or her comfort zone, which is created within the first few weeks of the year. Not many people are up to making random friends.

Jessica

My classmates are eager, dedicated and stressed.

melissa

My class mates are very engaging and participate in class discusssions. All students at UCLA I believe strive to do their best and be successful. Although competitivness runs rampant among STEM majors I feel most students are helpful and willinging to share their notes and aid. My class mates are usually always willing to start study groups or study together before large exams. I generally get along well with classmates and enjoy their opinions, despite the few ignorant students who are class, race and religiously insensitive.

Joe

He is so free that he does whatever he wants to do.

Peng

Since UCLA is a great and large university, you can easily find someone like you to become your friend! People are friendly and really warm-heart here.

Margalit

My classmates are fun people who are focused on doing well in their classes and are always willing to assist each other on homework and projects.

Diamond

Some are nice and some only care about themselves and do not like to help.

Whitney

The student body, again, is incredibly diverse - there are representations of nearly every cultural and social group, and students as a whole are very culturally/socially/politically aware and active. The campus vibe in general is very laid-back and chill.

Cynthia

this school is seriously so huge with such a wide range of personalities, heritages, and socio-economic backgrounds that I think everyone would find a niche that they fit cozily in. My understanding of others has increased dramatically since entering UCLA. Through my dance team, sorority, and clubs on campus, I've met so many people with different backgrounds- definitely an experience I would have been deprived of if i went to a small private school or stayed in Illinois. What do students wear to class? the fashion here on campus is pretty representative of the diversity on campus- you may see someone wearing sweatpants and a baggy t shirt sitting right next to someone wearing a belted dress and heals in a lecture. Although I personally am not into politics, a lot of people I know are, and there are clubs for supporters of each party. There are debates held on campus that anyone can attend. Like i've said before- you get what you give at this school, so you need to take advantage of all the free events (cause boy, are there a lot of them).

Michelle

The student body is very diverse, but you definitely do see a lot more Asians and White students on campus. UCLA prides itself on inclusivity and diversity (especially up in the dorms where the majority of freshman/sophomores live), so there's a student organization for everything: race, religion, LGBT, interest, health, philanthropy, community service, etc. You make the best of your experience, so if you want to get involved, then you must be willing to put yourself out there and find those student groups that suits/interests you best. These groups can develop into your circle of friends and become the group that you hang out with the most. The diversity at UCLA also gives you a chance to interact with a wide range of other students; most people here are very friendly. Students here come from everywhere, but the majority are from Norcal and Socal.

Naomi

The classmates I have had the pleasure to know are obviously smart, but in addition to that, they are eager to learn and are very curious, they are willing to help each other and work as a team, they are not afraid to ask questions and seek help for themselves, they work hard, they play hard, they make me laugh when studying becomes stressful, they keep me focused and motivated, and most importantly, they are sincerely great friends to have.

rafaella

bright and unique

brian

Diverse, obnoxious but friendly

Iffat

Class mates are quiet students who do not answer or question in general.

LEQUYEN

My classmates come from diverse backgrounds that broadened my knowledge on other cultures and enhanced my sensitivity and tolerance to differences in our society.

Cerina

A diverse group of people, many of whom are from different walks of life than yours, and some who share the same interests as you.

Lisa

My classmates were extremely helpful; they were open to discussing class material and creating study groups during exam time.

Michelle

They are nice if you are nice, but if you don't really get out and introduce yourself to people, you will find yourself very lonely. People are nice! Go and talk to them.

Justin

UCLA is called the most diverse student population in the country, which is especially appropriate being that Los Angeles is the most diverse city in the country. And much like the city in which it resides, this would be an advantage if it wasn't also deeply segregated. Every single ethnic group has a corresponding extracurricular club that in effect (and probably not intentionally) divides the student body into hundreds of fragmented sub-groups organized around ethnic identity. There's a South Indian Dance and Culture Club, there's a Central American Heritage Initiative group, there's an Afro-American Evangelical Christian Ministry Step Dance Ensemble, there's a Mandarin Only A/V Club... in other words, a lot of student life centers on race. UCLA as an institution and as a student body is obsessed with race and ethnic identity. Not that this is unusual for a school or negative for the student body, but as an example, a true disadvantage comes when I go to the most diverse school in the most diverse city in the country and by the end of it I only know white poli-sci majors from San Luis Obispo. The great advantage of attending an extremely diverse campus comes from the social and intellectual contact and discourse between groups and people of differing backgrounds learning and exploring together. In practice, this is not how it actually works here. There is not significant contact between these groups. This is only natural considering most of them have nothing in common with the other groups enough to sustain any meaningful contact. For example, you're not gonna see the Bruin Republicans and the Arab Student Alliance playing ultimate frisbee at Drake Stadium. This fragmenting is probably due to the fact that UCLA is a large school with a large student body and people tend to form micro-groups within any organization that large, and those groups tend to organize around race/identity. I understand the need for this sub-grouping, but it is a shame, because I believe that at a campus this large, to the detriment of all students, this is really just auto-segregation. An interesting glimmer of hope; there are TONS of courses offered on this very thing. Students of all backgrounds are encouraged to take early chicano lit or subjects in Sub Saharan Economies of the 20th Century or a variety of super unique courses that bridge the gaps between cultures and local histories, and it is in these classrooms and study sections where the real discourse occurs. Unfortunately, I've found that many of the students here are too involved in their own ethno/political club activities to give a shit about intellectual discourse. Others of course are the super driven type that make everybody else feel like they need to do the readings again. In summary, MOST of the student body here is HIGHLY annoying and fragmented into thousands of ethno-special sub categories completely tangential to academics, intellectual discourse, or other cliched constructs of what is now known in America as "college life."

Caitlin

The classmates in my lectures are all very serious when it comes to academics and education; however, they also know how to manage their time wisely because they are able to factor in not only study time, but also social and relaxing time as well. It is because the students at UCLA understand how to intelligently manage their time for both education and non-education activities that they are able to maintain their superb grades in class, thus, leading UCLA to be one of most wanted universities in the nation. According to UCLA 2009 admissions, more than 55,000 applied.

Erin

Classmates on my campus are hardworking, determined, social, and unforgettable.

Daniel

My classmates are very smart and dedicated to their studies.

Sana

cut throat, nearly all pre-med!

Natalie

Attending a university where students are on the quarter system, it is more difficult to build relationships with other students because by the time everyone gets to know each other it's a new quarter and your classes change: along with your classmates. If I was asked to describe the way they behave, then I would say that many students are dedicated to their studies, but there are the rare few who are disrespectful and talk during lectures. When students are disrespectful in class, it is hard to focus and affects one's learning experience.

Sarai

MY CLASSMATES ARE YOUNG MINDS WHO ARE SEEKING KNOWLEDGE, SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE TOMORROW.

april

My classmates are the most diverse group of people and I could not be more happy.

William

Competitive and Respectful at the same time. This is a public, university and you have to pull your end to get the attention of the professor or TA. When you come here, you realize that classes have this thing called discussions where people who just say the most obvious thing will get full credit in discussions. If you are more quiet or a more creative thinker who takes time to develop their thoughts, then you might not feel comfortable. Most students are helpful, but there is an obvious sense of independence as students strive towards their career or social ends.

Ivan

Students attending UCLA come from a wide variety of backgrounds and everyone seem to enjoy their time here, while still maintaining a strong work ethic.

Briana

Its Minnesota nice, but Minnesota fake. People are friendly here, but very insincere.

Emily

My classmates are highly motivated to receive good grades - even if it means staying up all night to study.