University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

Here's your chance: Say anything about your college!

Karina

The campus atmosphere is very unique at UCLA. Overall, the campus is friendly and it is easy to go up and talk to someone.

Katya

The weather is incredible, the environment is collaborative and supportive, the students are diverse and extremely smart, the professors are the best in their fields, and the opportunities feel endless.

Yvette

It is a very competitive school, you can tell by the caliber of students when you attend your first day of school.

Kendall

UCLA has an incredible student population, with people all over the world that push each other to be more intelligent and more involved. Of course, this large school has more school spirit than almost any other college in the nation, but the thing I love most is the type of people that are admitted here. I am surrounded by passionate, brilliant individuals with a desire to succeed. In classes, people don't settle for being average or taking on a minimal work load. Students at UCLA strive to be the best they can be.

Eric

You feel at home.

Chiamaka

It has an essential group fo almost everyone.

Andrew

There is an incredible amount of diversity, and people around are caring enough not to make those differences barriers

Emily

We have an extremely rigourous academic program as well as a very good sports program. We have the most NCAA titles of any other school.

Kari

There are so many different types of people that attend UCLA. You get to meet really incredible people from all over the world with lots of differnt background and experiences.

Jennifer

It has a fantastic reputation and one of the best psychology programs. I was fortunate enough to be taught by many talented professors and learned a great deal during my time there. The students were hard-working and a joy to be around. The campus was one that you were happy to go to everyday and was the perfect learning environment. The location in Westwood was exactly what I was looking for. It was close to the city, beach, great restaurants, art and culture.

Stephanie

It is a research institution, meaning that 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} or more of the faculty at this school are currently or prospectively working on research an investigative studies. For that reason, there is a lot of innovative and breakthrough knowledge and information within the university, and the students are so blessed in that there are opportunities for them to work with the faculty on studies and projects for their research, which give the students a leg up in their prospective fields of study from the research and lab experience.

Jenny

The education comes at a lower cost, but is superb education nonetheless.

Ryan

The most unique thing about my school is the location. There is nothing I cannot do at the University of California-Los Angeles. With Santa Monica less than five miles away I could be at the beach in less than half an hour and be at the center of Hollywood in the same amount of time, if there isn’t too much traffic. I could also meet people of many different nationalities as Los Angeles is the Mecca of cultural interaction. Many schools that I considered had only one or two of these features, but only UCLA had them all.

Joseph

UCLA has a fantastic social environment in which one can truly find him or herself while fully enjoying all of the incredible opportunities available both in the UCLA community and the greater Los Angeles Area. The UCLA community is much more open-minded and friendly than schools of comparable academic intensity. A vast majority of UCLA students, both current and future, have a unique sense of belonging and community at UCLA which I believes stems from the fact that every day spent at this school is a day spent in paradise.

Brittany

Ucla offers students the opportunity to reinvent their future. As I walk the stairs every morning, the beauty of Ucla reminds me that I can become anything I set my mind to. I wanted to become a business leader, but with their amazing medical field, I realized that I wanted to double major in business and biology. I am inspired to creating a world of endless possibilities: becoming a leader and helping others.

Sophie

University of California, Los Angeles is the most populated campus out of the UC schools with the smallest amount of land. While this may seem like the school could become crowded and unorganized, I disagree. This school is very organized. There are many classes that are offered and I hear very little of students not getting into classes they wished to get into. My school is also very conscious of its wastes. This can be difcult for a school with such a large population but it continues to be environmentally sustainable in many ways.

ricky

No matter what you are interested in, there will always be a group of people who share your passions. Despite being such a large campus, you can still build meaningful connections with fellow classmates.

Afshin

Great balance between academics and social life. Best location ever. Very diverse.

Elizabeth

I feel that what is unique about this campus is the people and even the experiences. I feel as if I would have gone to another college, I would have not met the same great people I did here. This college is different to what I'm used to at home. There is such a huge diversity that I enjoy. I love that I have friends from differnent races and cultures. It gives me a feel of the world.

Rebecca

UCLA's energy on campus is certainly unique. I have visited over a dozen universities, including public and private schools in California, public and private schools in the Midwest, and private schools on the East Coast, and no where have I found the same energetic, inclusive sense of community that UCLA has. The students and faculty are passionate about ensuring all succeed academically, socially, and professionally, and place a strong emphasis on helping others at UCLA, in the Los Angeles community, and worldwide. I have never found such a happy, productive, and compassionate group of people anywhere else.

SHUSHANA

The most unique quality of UCLA is the community’s commitment to excellence. From the students, to the professors, to the alumni UCLA’s tight knit community strives to be exceptional in every possible dimension. Whether a professor hosting an event, or a student is organization a cultural rally, each individual puts in an extraordinary amount of effort to continue UCLA’s dream to strive for greatness. To be a part of such a uniquely dedicated strong willed community was an honor.

XUAN-THANH

UCLA is definitely very diverse and resourceful. I've met so many international students at school that I feel like I'm going to an international school. Also, when I mean resourcesful, there are so many ways students can get help or ways students can find the right opportunities for them. One of the opportunities I've utilized is the internship finder and the research assistant finder. I was able to find many research assistant positions available in my field by going onto the UCLA website. This is my opportunity to explore my major even more.

April

UCLA is very diverse in cultures, ideas, and perspectives. The students take pride in being an over achiever striving for higher education.

Margalit

This school has a ton of school spirit, which was a major draw for me especially since my high school was severely under-spirited. This school is far less expensive than comparable private schools.

Denise

Diversity and endless acitivities and events is what UCLA has to offer. Unlike other public univseities, UCLA has the quality education of a private school. The class sizes at UCLA are larger, however, the caliber staff goes unmatched. UCLA is a great school to attend because not only is it one of the best school in the nation (education-wise) but it also presents students with endless possibilities. There are numerous clubs, networks, jobs, everything. UCLA is a well-wounded university that students from any walk of life would enjoy attending.

Victoria

UCLA is a perfect mix of academic rigor and the whole college experience. The courses and competition are tough and very challenging, and the students here are really smart, but everyone is also friendly and has a social life. Having the most NCAA titles in the country, UCLA also excels at sports. What makes UCLA unique is that it provides the perfect blend of a friendly, well-rounded student body, excellent sports, and a neverending number of ways to have fun and to enjoy college! I love being a Bruin and am lucky to be part of the Bruin family!

Arafiena

It is located in the heart of LA, and is close to the beach, and the city. The location and weather is very unique.

rafaella

the diverse and friendly population, there is a healthy competition of wanting to do well :)

Luis

The school does offer one particualr feature and that is general education clusters for freshman. The clusters are a year long course that fit fulls the student's general education requirements, but more importaly focus on a specific area of study ranging from biology of aging, philosophical thought or the culture and history of the 1960-1970. Each cluster presents students vital information and best of all students get to know other freshman and the professors themselves to help transition into college life.

Michelle

What's unique about the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) is that as a student, you literally have everything at your fingertips. The campus itself feels like a city with a state of the art gym, diverse students, beautiful architecture, and museums. However, living in Westwood allows me to experience city life in the aspects of art, theater, entertainment, and culture. In addition, UCLA is such a prestigious university, that I walk around and feel special to be part of a community filled with brilliant people walking around me. This school feels like home to me.

Tina

The area UCLA is located is amazing and absolutely perfect for me because of my vast and varied interests. It helps me decide what career path I should choose because UCLA offers a variety of majors.

Julia

It's right next to the beach, walking distance to Westwood village, and there is ample transportation to get to Santa Monica.

Akansha

It is closeby, has a very good reputation, and has superb academics.

Lynn

We are located in a city that has a lot of resources; the location is great and we often get a lot of speakers and public figures come here and talk because we're accessible.

Ainsley

Bruin spirit! UCLA is a well-rounded school with cutting edge research and academics and an amazing athletic program. We have Westwood village, Ronald Reagan Medical Hospital, all located in LA.

Emily

UCLA is not only a beautiful campus but the reason I chose to attend this school was because it offered the major I was interested in: Political Science. I also learned about the many resources UCLA has to offered like a program called AAP which offers tutoring to AAP Scholars and scholarships and helpful workshops. UCLA makes a student, especially a freshman welcomed. Even as upper classmen students still have the opportunity to seek many resources they need. All around campus you'll see peer counselors at their tables willing to answer your questions.

Justin

Don't be afraid to leave Westwood. The village has taken a turn for the worst from when I got there in 2002. Nothing seems to be able to stay in business there. But even if it wasn't going down hill, Westwood is like a suburb bubble, you have no idea what you're missing until you get outta there. I implore you to get out of Westwood every chance you get. LA is an AMAZING place that I didn't even BEGIN to discover until after I graduated. Look EAST O' Pioneers! There is an entire WORLD east of Fairfax, and I'm not just talking about Hollywood (which is highly overrated anyway). Don't be afraid of downtown, check out the east side and learn everything you can about the subway and where it goes. You should not ever leave LA or college in LA without experiencing Griffith Park, Hollywood Bowl, MOCA, Natural History Museum, Downtown, Echo Park street food, Elysian Park, Los Feliz independent shops, Boyle Heights' insane Mexican food... I could go on. But please, if you don't have a car, there are MANY buses that will gladly take you away from the Westwood bubble, and if you do have a car.... you have no excuse but your own pathetic xenophobia. Get the hell out and see this beautiful pit we call Los Angeles. A true metropolis for the 21st Century.

Lee

I based much of my decision on UCLA's ability to challenge me personally as well as academically, its focus on fostering diversity, and its research based community who see more career options than simply getting a job upon graduating. I felt that UCLA was more a leader of culture and community and challenged the status quo than other schools I considered. UCLA has breadth of humanity and culture that few schools could contend with and its attraction to top rated students from around the world and top rated professors create an engaged atmosphere that I didn't see elsewhere.

Erin

The environment and well-rounded strengths. UCLA excels in all academic areas, and is based in such a vibrant and important cultural center!

Caitlin

University of California, Los Angeles has excellent academics, good social reputation, amazing environment, and renowned psychology program. UCLA is ranked number 2 in nation's top public universities (US News, 2010). Moreover, UCLA stresses both education and social life of students; when surveyed, most students responded they enjoy life at UCLA. Its campus is not difficult to navigate around and has many beautiful buildings. Some of them were even used in movie settings. Lastly, the realization that UCLA is among the top five schools in the psychology field strengthened my decision. UCLA provides opportunities and bright futures for its students.

Daniel

UCLA is one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen. It is always cleanand well groomed.

Justin

The school really rallies around the basketball team here. The proximity of the school is closest to my house, so it's easy to go back and forth. Also, there are a lot of different clubs and classes that can appeal to absolutely anyone.

Janice

UCLA is very much a research-based university. Because my major is within the biological sciences, the school's emphases matched mine fairly well. Also, of the universities I knew of during the application process, it had the most college feel in my taste, in terms of school spirit, but also something as trivial as the flawless architecture. People line up days in advance to get tickets to the basketball games, and their spirit is infectious. Also, the professors are most certainly experts within their field, and they know what they are talking about even though you may not.

Duane

The incredible feature that UCLA has that is instantly noticeable the second you walk onto the campus is its diversity. The student population is so varied, much more so than most other colleges. The academic reputation that UCLA has was also a strong factor in choosing it over other schools. I knew that getting an education here would be a huge boon for me in the future, opening up so many doors for career opportunities. The absolutely gorgeous campus did not hurt either.

Cathryne

UCLA does embodie thousands of students and classes are in counts of hundreds, but I still get the initmate learning feel of a small class size.

Katherine

Los Angeles is a city bursting with a vibrancy and energy that manifests itself in art, politics, and lifestyles, among other areas, and in being situated in such a place, UCLA adopts that selfsame feeling and regenerates it to students in the form of resources enabling higher education, classes stimulating provoking discussions, and a menageries of subjects to study, to name a few. Outside the school campus, opportunities for exploration and fun abound, from concerts to beaches to museums. Most importantly, in coming and living here, the people and the students too infuse that vivacity into their own lives.

Vanessa

One thing that makes CSULA unique compared to other schools I considered was it's fast-paced quarter system and the fact that you have very few weeks to either make, or break your class grades. Another unique aspect of my school is that the ages of the students range from fresh out of high school, to adults returning from years away from school to get their degrees. I attend class with people ranging from 18 years of age to well into their 50's.

Wendy

What sets my school apart from many others is the fact that it is research-based. That is, many students who attend UCLA attend with the intention of pursuing a degree higher than a Bachelor's. This institution helps scholars conduct their own research in whatever field of their interest.

Stephanie

What is unique about UCLA is that it offers a quality education and has a panel of staff who are among the best we can find. The research laboratories of UCLA are among the best ones in California and it is an exciting thought to be able to study among such amazing professors.

Michael

One unique thing about my school is its location in West Los Angeles, this area allows access to many places in Los Angeles such as Santa Monica, Beverly HIlls, Downtown, and Hollywood. I think this is important the public transit system has allowed me to explore many areas of Los Angeles. I think it is important that student live in an area with a rich historical and cultural heritage, some classes take trips to explore the areas of the city they are studying.