University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Jeneice

I wish someone could have told me how to study efficiently for midterms and finals.

Anjelina

You will get less sleep than ever before.

Yvette

I wish I would have believed in myself more, and that I was worthy of attending UCLA. I believed that I was accepted for being a female, first generation college student, single mother, and hispanic.

Gabrielle

This is no fault of the school, but I wish I had known that I could take more classes outside of my major earlier on. For some reason, I thought I was limited because of either time or credits. In retrospect, I could have mapped out which courses I absolutely had to take and when so I could plan to take non-major classes around them. I would have sooner realized my interests in other subjects, and could have double-majored or minored. Sadly, I lacked the financial means to remain another year in order to do that.

Niyati

It is a huge school that takes months to adjust too and be comfortable around your new friends. Also, competition is rough and you will have to work harder than ever to have an active social life as well as academic success but it will all be worth it.

Sue

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Christina

I wish that I would have known that it wasn't that easy to move and find a job.

Tanya

I wish that I had known more about the unit cap and other ways to manage my course load. It has been challenging to try to find someone to explain to me how to effetively plan my classes so as to make the most of my time here, so having more access to that kind of information would have been nice.

Genevieve

I wish I would have known more about the summer bridge program that is offered to transfer students.

Ruiting

1. How important it is to go to office hours, to talk to the professors and teaching assistants and build a relationship. 2. Time management! It is best to wake up and start your day early, so you can get work done. 3. Use the resources provided on campus, such as the counselors, the writing center, tutoring services offered by peers in various subjects, the scholarship resource center, the career center.

Tom

Everything was explained to me ahead of time so there were no surprises as far as the eduaction goes. It was a very pleasant experience and I am very glad that I had attended the University for my Bachelor's.

Amanda

That the sheer amount of people would make it difficult to stand out in class.

Michelle

I wish I knew how to say no without feeling guilty. There were so many extra-curricular activities, social events, sport and fitness options, and fascinating class topics that I became overwhelmed at times. It was great to dabble in everything that was offered for the first year, but as time went on I should have had the confidence to surrender and say, I know this offering is a great opportunity but I want to concentrate on this other thing. The ability to not stress about missing out might have strengthened my connections and confidence.

Rebecca

I wish I would have known that it is impossible to participate in everything UCLA offers. I was thrilled to join Greek life, the fencing team, student government, and a religious organization during my first quarter at UCLA, but soon learned I did not have time to remain involved with those activities and the political, theatrical, and service-based clubs that also interested me. My experience has become a balancing act of prioritizing activities, events, schoolwork and internships, and I wish I would have been able to accept the fact I would have to miss out on some activities sooner.

Sonal

I wish I had known that I would spend years of my undergraduate education at a place filled with such beauty and grandeur. Every time I pass by buildings that are so beautiful and so filled with traditions and history, I am amazed and so proud to study here!

Brian

I wish I had known that this school has extremely competitive classes, since everyone at this school is extremely intelligent and diligent. If I had known this, I would have known to have worked harder and budgeted time more effectively, from the beginning of the year.

SARANG

Overall, I am satisfied with my school. However, I would have been more and better prepared if I had known that the quarter system which UCLA goes by is a way busier and faster than semester system. Also, I also wish I had known that there is large population in one class. For example, I had over 100 students in one of my classes I took.

Austin

When choosing a college there are the customary procedures you complete to familiarize yourself with the place you could be spending the next four years of your life. These can include: guided campus tours, multiple campus visits, online research and even sitting in on a class. The one thing that is extremely hard to grasp however, is what kind of people attend this school; basically will you fit-in in this environment. I wish I could have gotten a better understanding of this before I made my final choice.

Eleanor

I wish that I had know just really how big this campus is and how many buildings there are, otherwise I would not have gotten lost so many times in the beginning of the school year. I also wish that I had know that what other people say about the classes, the campus, and professors are often not true and are based of their biased opinion. I wish I had known that because I listened to their opinions, but now I now that college is not scary, or as horrible and difficult as they made it sound.

Gabriel

I wish I would have known that many people will pretend to be your friends just because they want something out of you and as soon as they get it they forget about you. People have their own agenda at times and say things they do not mean so it is not always the best idea to trust every word that a person tells you.

Denise

I wish I had stressed scholarships more. Before going to UCLA, I wasn't aware of all the pressure my family would be under due to fiscal issues. Unless your parents are very wealthy or qualify for lots of financial aid, paying for tuition is hard. Because UCLA is a public school, it is strongly affected by the budget cuts- which blindly increases tuition year after year. Ultimately, I just wish I would have applied for more scholarships.

Victoria

Before coming to UCLA, I wish I had known the level of competition I would be facing from my peers. If I had known this, I would have been preparing for my Fall quarter classes during Summer. This competition may seem daunting, but it will be a wake-up call and will push you to work toward and to achieve your full potential.

Jennica

Although I loved attending this school, I wish I would have known how competitive the classes are. The courses I took always had several hundred students in them and they were always graded on a curve. Sometimes, depending on the professor, your grade could be curved down and lowered. Also, even though the professors are extremely knowledgeable, they are difficult to approach and sometimes hard to understand int heir lectures.

Logan

Plan out your course load ahead of time.

Jillian

I wish I had known how important it is to explore all of the activities at the beginning of the year and not put all of my time and energy into rushing a sorority. By rushing I realized that Greek Life really isn't for me and because I spent so much time rushing I missed out on becoming more involved in other programs here at UCLA.

Michelle

Before coming to this school, I wish I had known how little sleep I would get. My older friends told me how much free time they had in college, so I came here thinking that it would be the same. I was in for a surprise when I would actually look forward to getting in bed. The reason I'm not sleeping as much as I anticipated is that there is so much to do at UCLA, whether it be getting involved in campus activities, studying for midterms, exploring the city, or even just hanging out with your floormates.

Cerina

How quickly the quarter system goes and how much work you have to put in to get an A--even for GE classes.

Rowena

I wish I knew what I wanted to do before I entered UCLA because then I would have a set plan on what to do after college as well. This would help me out in picking my classes and activities that I wanted to get involved with.

Isabel

I wish I would have known how competetive classes are here, specially in the science field. Since many science classes are based on a curve students are very competitive to get the highest grade.

Ainsley

I wish i understood the whole process of registering for classes (First pass, second pass).

Justin

I wish I had known what kinds of AP classes to take in high school so that they would transfer over as credits here. I would also have wanted to know to be a bit more open minded about different offerings here at school such as the unique activities.

Bethany

When I started school, I wish that I would have known more about how to work my computer. Throughout my time at school, I have learned how to do many new things on my computer, but it always takes alot of time to figure out how to do something new that I need to do for school. If I had better computer skills before beginning school, it would have saved me alot of time on projects that could have been spent studying.

Jacqueline

Before I came to UCLA, I wish I would have know how different college is from high school. In college, you make your own schedule, you are more independent, and you have so much freedom. I wish i would have known that UCLA is extremely competitive and challenging. Every day is an obstacle where you have to continue striving for that career of choice. I came here thinking college would be fun but I never considered how hard it could be. Everyone at UCLA is extremely intelligent and on their way for accomplishing goals for that better future.

Norma

Before arriving to UCLA, I wish I had known how much more disciplined I have to be with school, work, clubs, and how to balance personal and family time on a regular basis. I also wish I had known ahead of time how the process of picking classes went because orientation was really stressful. I wish I had known that tuition would increase, without warning, at an alarming rate in a matter of months entering my first quarter. I also wish I had been more informed about the campus, the events, and what special programs the school offers.

Jaswinder

My personal feeling is that regrets, which are feelings that the future is limited by the past, are thoughts that are simply not worth having. I believe that what we perceive as mistakes are vitally important steps in the process of learning and self discovery that constitutes life. Frustrations, disappointments, or uncomfortable surprises are like teachers that are there to alert us to our own preconceived notions that limit our ability to accept life and make the most of it. Sincerely, I don?t wish I had known anything before I learned it; that's what makes the journey meaningful!

Wendy

I wish I had known how to better balance my class and work schedule. Since it was my first time getting a job while being a full-time student at a university, I was not well aware of the challenge that I faced while taking rigorous courses and working about 12-14 hours a week.

Eileen

That I was less prepared than everyone else, and that if I wanted to really succeed with my math major I needed to work night and day since I was so behind.

Carmel

How to get to know your professor on a personal level in such a large classroom setting.

Kelley

I wish I had realized the importance of creating and maintaining social networks with more peers and professors. As I near graduation, I realize that these casual connections are the keys to getting a foot in the door for various career arenas. Furthermore, the pressure for finding a job right after graduation is accentuated by the large amount of debt I have accumulated; had I been more aware my financial responsibilites, and how to save and manage the funds I was receiving, I may not be under such financial stress.

Khoa

I wish I knew the amount of worked that a student has to put in to get a good grade here. This university's education level is way beyond what I was used to in high school. In high school I was able to just breeze through, without learning much, yet still getting straight A's

Michelle

Before coming to this school, I wish I had known just how competitive students are academically. Throughout high school teachers are constantly warning students to prepare themselves for the workload of college courses and to not expect to be at the top of the class anymore, but I was never too worried about that. As long as you manage your time well and keep your priorities in order, you will do great and still be able to have a social life. It's all about finding balance between class, work, and friends and fun!

Jenny

Expected accumulative progress, expectations from the university, and and understanding of grades and exams scored based on a curve.

Chelsey

I wish I would have checked more in to the majors offered at UCLA; I was really undecided in high school about majors and I wish I would have picked a school that offered a little more diverse majors in business.

Tawny

I wish I had known how much of an impact taking a lot of advanced placement tests have on my enrollment times for classes.

Kaitlyn

I wish I had known how to better manage my time and how to study effectively. Although I already knew of the high caliber of students here, knowing that we are all to some extent in the same situation is a comfort I didn't have before I started school at UCLA. I also wish I had known that self-confidence is incredibly helpful and all you can do is give a class your best effort. All of this I wish I had known from the very beginning.

Linda

I wish i had the opportunity to get more financial assitance for this school. Prior to attending this university, i had few guidance in my high school about the many scholarship opportunities. My high school consisted of only one college counselor, who was at times difficult to reach. I would here about some scholarship opportunities, but I often felt discouraged to apply because i felt that my GPA wasn't high enough or that my family socio-economic level was not good . Now i regret not applying to the few scholarships i knew about.

Chelsea

I wish I had realized a good GPA is good for more than just getting into med school. After I decided not to go to med school I slacked off for a while.

Grace

I wish I knew to GET INVOLVED sooner! There are so many extracurricular opportunities available here, and it's best to start exploring early.

Anadjeet

That the social life isn't really about socializing. It's about being seen and falling into the peer-pressure hole.

Natalie

You have to be more outgoing than usual.