University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

Most schools in the top 50 are good schools, decide what you like outside of class first, then what you want to study when you're there, what you want to study changes, life outside of class stays the same more often than not.

Go to the campus and if you don't get the "I am home" feeling, then it is more than likely that this school is not right for you. Parents, don't push your kids to go to a place that they don't love. Students, don't always look at prestige or distance from your home. Also, let yourself become a part of the campus and don't be afraid to join the fun or reach out to fellow students to make friends. But don't lose sight of your goals and keep reminding yourself that you are running to win, to graduate and have a beautiful career ahead of you. Try new things, step out of your comfort zone and don't be afraid to live out loud. But remember, college DOES end in 4 years (average), so have all the fun you want, but keep in mind that you will have to face the real world and that time lost in college can not be made up later on.

Avoid preconceived ideas of schools and your own needs. Research, but don't overanalyze (unless you're very picky). Figure out what you want, but be flexible and open to changing views.

College is what you make of it and choosing the right school for you also depends on what you plan on doing while you're there. Before choosing a school I recommend writing down your academic and social interests. The next step is narrowing down schools via collegeboard.com. Then visit the campus and take a campus tour, but don't stop there. Afterwards walk around by yourself and talk to students. Sit down on campus and people watch. Then ask yourself, ?Can I see myself here?? Once in college, I recommend getting involved in extracurricular activities like joining a sorority/fraternity, joining a club, and taking advantage of school events like plays, concerts, and guest lectures. These are all activities that stimulate your social, cultural, and academic life and have personally helped me make the most out of my college experience. A thing to remember is that nothing in college is permanent and if you are unhappy with the college you are at then transfer. I transferred because I did not know what I was looking for in a college until I was actually there. My decision to transfer in combination with my campus involvement has positively affected me.

College helps shape individuals in finding out more about who they are, what they are capable of, and what they can do in their lives. Pick a college that will provide numerous resources and tools that will help students to not only succeed academically, but to build life experiences through a variety of clubs, organizations, events, and study abroad programs. Do not be afraid or intimidated in trying different things or pushing new ideas. Much of college experience is trying and learning while succeeding, and at times failing, but even in failing, one gains through that experience. Do not set limitations, but branch out in exploration of unconventional things with a wide perspective. One must grow a deep appreciation and passion for the school by making it their own by discovering all that the school offers, and using it to the fullest advantage. There will be many moments of laughter, tears, mistakes, successes, fun times, scary times, and all of these with a growth in intellect and maturing as a human is part of college; these must be embraced, and it is up to the student to take and build off of what has been laid out before them.

Finding the right college can be a complicated process, but the most important thing to remember in searching is to choose a school that has an enviroment that mostly fits your personality and beliefs. While a schools reputation is important, the social culture is also equally as important, and there is no way to find that out than to visit the colllege on a regular school day. Walk around on your own, talk to the students, observe the student groups, or perhaps take a nap under a shady tree. You will know if this is a place you can call "home", (at least for the next four years). The important thing to remember to make the most of the college experience is to make friends, utilize all the resources college offers, both academic and extracurricular, and remember that college is a time to grow, discover who you who you are and meet other people with same like minded interests. I think once you graduate, you realize that what prepared you for the most "real world" is not what you learn in the classroom, but what you learn from the real life experiences of going to a great college.

I would tell students and parents to really research all your options. If the student really wants to go to a certain college but their parents disagree, make sure the student will be able to assess the positives and outcomes the student will get from that college experience. It's important to take your parent's advice but the student needs to remember that this is their life and their choice to make it. There will always be many difficulties along the road, but just keep focused on your goals and you'll do fine. Also, make sure the student does as many scholarships as they can, because then you won't have to ever pay for your education. Education should be free but you just have to find the right connections and scholarships to lead you there.

When selecting a college to apply to make sure that you visit the campus. If you can, do this more than once and while a tour might be helpful, stop by the campus by yourself, take in the atmosphere, talk to students, and make sure you try to make at least one trip during exam season. After you have gotten beyond the first-time glamour of visiting a college campus, you will be better equipped with knowing where you want to attend and the school that will accomodate your social, intellectual, and scholastic level. Once you get into college, make sure you start your first day understanding that it will be much harder and more rigorous than high school, it is easier to get distracted, and grades are more important than ever. Hopefully as you begin to make your mark on the world, you will schedule some time for fun because the college experience, environment, and people combined make for a unique world and the wonderful exploratory stage in your life. Enjoy college, talk to professors, they are often nicer and less intimidating once you meet them, and be prepared to embark on a wonderful journey towards your development.

Find a college that is right for your children. Make sure that they enjoy everything about the campus including the location, faculty, people, classes offered, and reputation of the school.

I think that visiting a college before officially deciding to attend is a great idea. Since the next four years of your life will be spent at the college of your choice, it is important to get a feel of what it would be like to be a student at said college. It would be a good idea to sit in on lectures and ask other students what they think and how they like the school. Fresh from high school, students may want to leave home to out-of-state institutiions to get away from their parents but that may not necessarily be the wisest decision. It is important to be on your own but also important to realize that college is a transition into adulthood, a learning process for everyone involved. In college, I think students should try to do things for themselves more (i.e. laundry) and slowly learn to become more self-sufficient and parents need to learn to let go. It is also important to keep an open mind and to realize that it's okay to agree to disagree with other people's views.

To find the right college for you, make sure you do your research. Use websites like fastweb.com to get an overall sense of the campus. Once you're narrowed it down to a few schools, go check out the campus. Get a feel for the atmosphere, as well as the students on the campus. Afterall, these may be your classmates! If you can't make it to the campus, read as many student reviews as you can. Once you've selected your perfect school, make sure you look for scholarships! Stressing about money will definitely not help your college experience. Once you finally start at your dream school, make sure you know how to balance your academics with your social life. Too much of either is never a good thing! GOOD LUCK!

Visit the school Experience it for a few days ask other students

Do a lot of research before you decide to go to a college. Think about what classes you want to take carefully.

Start early in your search for a school. Begin in the 10th grade. Do your research. Visit your high school counselor for information. Ask around, talk to your teachers, go to libraries. If you narrowed your choices, then go and visit the campuses of these schools (not only once but two or three times) prior to your junior year. Find out if the school you are interested offers what you may be intrested in as a major. Also if it offers week-ends orientation for prospect students. DON'T Wait until your senior year to begin looking. To make the most of your college experience do apply to live on campus at least the first year. It is vital to make acquaintences. They will help you in your later years of college (providing information on classes, professors, majors etc.) I regret that I commuted my first year of school. But I chose to dorm my Sophmore Year and I'm having a blast.

I am convinced that there are two things which are crucial when it comes to to deciding on the right school - a knowledge of yourself and a knowledge of the university. If you do not know who you are, then you cannot possibly recognize a school that is right for you. Do you work well in small environments, or do you enjoy being in the midst of a large number of people? Do you prefer life in rural settings or in the heart of a city? What do you want to do with your life? And with the answers to those personal questions and more, it is crucial that you VISIT the school and experience student life firsthand. Walk the campus and sit-in on a class. Stay with a friend to become acquainted with dorm life. Speak with professors, counselors, and students. Explore the surrounding area. You might happen to settle on the right school by luck. But if you have knowledge of yourself and of the universities you are considering, then the chances of finding that school that is uniquely suited to your personality and your life are all that much greater.

Visit the campus!

make sure you have a social life too

To the student: you have to know yourself and the character of the university and the surrounding area in order to make a good match. Things change, and you will likely not realize what a place is really like until a couple of years later, regardless of any advice people give you.

The student's posession of self awareness of the importance and necessity of education, as well as insertion of a clear goal before attending a college is crucial to student's success in their college life. To be an educated person means to take into account different perspectives of variety of social groups and persons and integrating those differences in one's knowledge basis, thereby allowing fabrication of informed, suitable choices and decisions. A student must respect other fellow colleagues and professors, and must be willing to learn new materials, social and academic, by interacting with other people. In the course of such endeavor, a clear-cut goal set before the student's entrance to a college institution is critical in guiding himself/herself to achieve personal affluence. Whether or not a student reaches that goal is irrelevant to success, since it is virtually impossible to grasp exactly what the student wants before entering a college. I hope that a college education will provide grounds to achieve insight as to see what kind of options the student may have after college and that the student is able to integrate those options to set a more definitive goal after graduation.

Each person/student will get out of their college experience exactly what they put in. Although a school may provide certain areas for you to succeed, areas for your social life to flourish and a nice enviornment for you to stay, your experiences are built upon how you engage yourself in these surroundings. If you do not work hard for your education, you will not be educated. If you do not go out and seek people to meet or get to know, you will know no one but yourself. Each college provides a different situation for each person. You must first discover what is important to you personally before choosing which college will benefit you in the way in which you choose. Life is about the choices we make and how we are effected by those choices. College is one of the biggest choices to make in your life. Treat it as such.

Nice school. Convenient Surroudings

Word hard and have a satisfying social life, you dont want to regret anything

make friends. get help. have fun.

I would advise students to try and pick the college that would be the best fit for them. Try to visit the schools you are interested in and do your research on what kind of programs, courses, and clubs they offer. College is a once in a life time experience and everyone deserves to be at a college where they can flourish. It doesn't matter the name and repuation of the school. What matters is that you make it the best experience for YOU! To make the most out of one's college experience I would say be open to new things. Try to meet new people, talk to professors, join clubs, try things you would never do before. College is only four years and it goes by really fast. Get the most out of it while you can!

Know that mostly everything you learn in college are actually important. Pick the school that you feel most at home with during your visits there.

As words of advice, I would encourage all students to explore their interests and opportunities because UCLA has so much to offer. Do not let negative criticism stop you from doing what you want to do. As clich? as it sounds, college is only 4 years and once a lifetime, let?s not have regrets. When choosing the right college, I always say costs shouldn?t be a primary factor in choosing a school. The way I see it, even if you have to take out student loans, it will teach the student early on a little about financial responsibility. The interest rates and terms are typically favorable. With that in mind, I?d say the best way to choose a school is by looking at which school provides the best social and academic opportunities during their tenure as a student and what to opportunities are available post-graduation. Basically, in America, we?re a land of opportunity, so I?d say choose the school that maximizes it. If I have learned one thing about decision making, cost and benefit analysis is pretty effective method.

Take your time and choose carefully because you're going to be stuck there for four years of your life, minimum.

Definitely visit the campus and get a feel for the students attending to see whether or not you would be happy there, do not go based solely on the rankings.

One of the best pieces of advice I recieved when I was leaving for college is that you can go to school anywhere, but you should always "end up in that place where you want to be." UCLA gives me opportunity to grow as a person and move towards goals that I have for my future. Only in Los Angeles am I able to go to school, work, and meet people who want to not only learn for the present but also for the future. I am given ample chances to intern and attend classes without being overwhelmed. The people I meet become friends that I love. The more time I spend at UCLA I see that I don't need to worry about ending up "somewhere where I want to be" because I'm already here in Los Angeles.

One important thing a high school student should do before applying to a university is to visit that prospective university. Knowing about the university and its surroundings will influence your final decision. Also, have fun in college. No matter where one ends up , they can have a great college experience. The key is to not limit one's self upon reaching college.

You definitively need to visit prospective colleges before attending. Visiting the campus gives you an idea of your fit at the campus. I do not recommend selecting a college merely based on its ranking, once again, overall fit is very important to student happiness. Make sure that prospective schools have the extra curricular activities that you are interested in (be sure to be involved in leadership positions too). Look for a school with a lot of school spirit - you don't want to go to a college where everyone hates it and wants to transfer out. You don't need to go to the college that all your friends are going to - you will make friends very fast if you live on campus. I really recommend living in dorms, at least for a year. Your resident advisor (RA) and the rest of the on-campus staff are very helpful, which is important if you have never lived away from home before. Also, you will make a lot of friends in the dorms, which helps in your adjustment to a new place. Apartments tend not to be social at all.

Choose the school that's best for you. Figure out what important qualities you desire in a school and select a few to visit. Don't just look at the information the school gives you. Talk to current students. Find out their opinions on the school. Ask yourself if it feels right for you. Once you've chosen a school, take time to figure out what you want to major in. It is far more important to enjoy your studies than to please someone else's expectations. Choose something that you love or leads you to a field of study you love. Find a campus group to get involved with. Visit many at first, and pick a few to stay with throughout your time there. These groups can be a great source of friendship and community. Lastly, live on campus as much as you can. Living in the dorms is part of the experience at many schools - don't miss out! If your school is one that has an active sports program - take advantage of it. Get student tickets and attend the games. School sports can be a great part of the college experience. Don't miss out!

Take cost into account, but don't let it be the determining factor. Had I done so, I would probably have come here, and been the worse for it. You can't put a price tag on life experience or academic interest. When you visit the campus, don't just check out the quality of the facilities or its proximity to home, but decide whether or not its a place you want to spend four years of your life. Also, if you're looking at a large public school, look into the programs that allow you to take smaller classes, since those are often the most rewarding, as the teacher developes a stronger bond with you.

Find whatever choice works the best for YOU- even if you have the option of going to an academically better school, if it is a poor fit it will keep you from reaching your full potential. Even though you still might succeed, being happy with your school helps you be happy with yourself, have a supporting social network, and work harder. Doing well at ANY school and then going to a good job or grad school is far better than underperforming and being unhappy at an academically-esteemed undergraduate program. In addition, the career market is changing so that what you do while in school, and not necessarily the quality of the school you attend, is a greater influence on the jobs you can get afterwards. So if you fall in love with a campus or feel like you'd be socially happier at a less-prestigious university, then follow what will make you the most you can be.

study1111

Visit the campus and get a good feel of the campus and the people. The mistake I have made is that I chose the school based only on its reputation. I would also suggest a smaller school. Mega schools like UCLA are so big that they become very impersonal. In my opinion, I believe smaller schools would have provided a better environment for a healthu, wholesome experience for personal development. UCLA's school culture lacks good character and is a carry over of high school behavior. Not much rrom for intellectual and spiritual growth.

Visit as many universities/colleges as possible and find current undergraduates who will let you shadow them for a day so that you can experience that universities/college's learning atmosphere.

Visit the campuses you're applying to - the first-hand knowledge you get through this process is absoloutely invaluble in making a good decision.

The most important part of finding the right college is, when you go to visit colleges, actually being able to picture yourself there. There might be a ton of schools that have amazing reputations or many good qualities about them, but if you feel uncomfortable or out of place there, you'll likely be miserable during the time you're in college. To make the most out of your college experience, try to take advantage of all the opportunities that are presented to you; you'll meet a lot of new people, so don't let chances to build lifelong relationships pass you by . Remember that most of what you'll learn comes outside of the classroom rather than in the classroom; enjoying your college experience usually outweighs getting absolutely perfect scores in everything.

Establish a college fund when they are young.

Dont' just think about the names or the popularity of the college or university; think about what your kids really want to do in his/her future life first.

RESEARCH

It's hard to determine what the "right" college would be for a person - every school is different and every person is different. I suggest taking campus tours before you apply and also talk to the alumni. To make the most of college, remember that you need to have fun too, not just study all the time. This is the time when you're on your own for the first time (meaning, if you have the option to dorm, definitely do it) and where you'll make some life-long friends. Also, look into all the resources the school offers and take advantage of them (i.e. study abroad, internships, IM sports, etc.)

Go to private schools.

When finding out its important to visit and research the professors that you'll be working with so you get an idea of who is ideal to work with. it's also good to stick around for an even to get an idea of social life. once there, i think it's important to be around all the time to get the most out of the experience., after all it is a big commitment and there might be all kinds of resources that might allow you to spend as much time as possible there.

Visit someone who currently attends the University you are considering. It is important to see what life is like on a day to day basis, and ask questions about academics, the social scene, athletics, etc. Know what you are getting yourself into-- college should be the best four years of you life. On a side note, it is all what you make of it. You alone determine your academic success at a University, and you decide on the type of people with whom you associate.

The student should find a school that fits them the best, and not be so focused on rankings and how popular the school is. In the end, it's better for a student to be comfortable and happy in the place where they will spend 4 years. Cheers!

The college experience is meant to make you the person you will become as an adult. I would just advise that the student selects the school where they will have the most fun while learning the real world skills that their career require. Finding a balance of fun and eductation is very important because college is not just a place to learn but it is also a place to grow, live, and a life changing experience. Work hard academically and grow as much as possible in the intellectual aspect, but always keep in mind that college is so much more than that.

When I graduated from High School, I felt like a complete failure because out of all my friends, I was the only one attending community college. It turns out, going to Saddleback Community College was the best life decision I have made to this day. Community College gave me a second chance and the opportunity to learn, work hard, get involved, and go on to better places. When I got accepted into UCLA for my Junior term, I couldn't believe I was going to a school I had ONLY dreamt about going to. If you put your mind in the right place, ANYTHING is possible. The best advice I can give to parents and students is to take your time. Don't rush into a big university if you're not ready. Just because your friends are going doesn't mean it's the BEST choice for you. Do what you feel comfortable with, be completely 100 percent positive about the school you're attending, and most importantly, when you make your final decision, be sure the programs, the faculty, the students, and the social life fit your every college desire! These are the best years of your life!!!!!!

You don't have to go to college.