What is UCLA really like...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In term of ability to get the classes you want, size of classes, being taught by professors versus TAs, and social life,, is it frat heavy? do kids live in dorms after freshman year... any and all insight would be appreciated. I went to a small college where we built community quickly and naturally in the dorms and I never once had a TA, so the possibility of sending my DD to a university with 33K undergrad is a strange new world to me.

it is like going to school in SE Asia…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In term of ability to get the classes you want, size of classes, being taught by professors versus TAs, and social life,, is it frat heavy? do kids live in dorms after freshman year... any and all insight would be appreciated. I went to a small college where we built community quickly and naturally in the dorms and I never once had a TA, so the possibility of sending my DD to a university with 33K undergrad is a strange new world to me.

it is like going to school in SE Asia…

LA and California is hugely Asian. If you are from DC, the large Asian population may feel shocking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In term of ability to get the classes you want, size of classes, being taught by professors versus TAs, and social life,, is it frat heavy? do kids live in dorms after freshman year... any and all insight would be appreciated. I went to a small college where we built community quickly and naturally in the dorms and I never once had a TA, so the possibility of sending my DD to a university with 33K undergrad is a strange new world to me.

it is like going to school in SE Asia…

LA and California is hugely Asian. If you are from DC, the large Asian population may feel shocking.

UCLA Undergrad:
35% Asian
22% Hispanic
6.5% Black
25% White

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In term of ability to get the classes you want, size of classes, being taught by professors versus TAs, and social life,, is it frat heavy? do kids live in dorms after freshman year... any and all insight would be appreciated. I went to a small college where we built community quickly and naturally in the dorms and I never once had a TA, so the possibility of sending my DD to a university with 33K undergrad is a strange new world to me.

it is like going to school in SE Asia…

LA and California is hugely Asian. If you are from DC, the large Asian population may feel shocking.

UCLA Undergrad:
35% Asian
22% Hispanic
6.5% Black
25% White

Then it is good that California prides itself in making their Universities match their Population Profile….(NOT)

39.4% Hispanic
34.7% White
16.1% Asian
5.7% Black

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In term of ability to get the classes you want, size of classes, being taught by professors versus TAs, and social life,, is it frat heavy? do kids live in dorms after freshman year... any and all insight would be appreciated. I went to a small college where we built community quickly and naturally in the dorms and I never once had a TA, so the possibility of sending my DD to a university with 33K undergrad is a strange new world to me.

it is like going to school in SE Asia…

LA and California is hugely Asian. If you are from DC, the large Asian population may feel shocking.

UCLA Undergrad:
35% Asian
22% Hispanic
6.5% Black
25% White

Then it is good that California prides itself in making their Universities match their Population Profile….(NOT)

39.4% Hispanic
34.7% White
16.1% Asian
5.7% Black

International students supplement a big portion of UCLA's budget and subsidize the cost for California residents. Cutting those students would really, really hurt. Be careful about your ask.

[Anonymous]

DS took a good look at UCLA. He’s in a CA dual enrollment honors program for his senior year. Perfect high school stats, great ECs, straight As in honors DE courses and did not get into Cal or UCLA but was accepted by the rest of the UCs. He could stay in CC for another year and apply next fall. As he’s met the requirements for UCLA honors TAP his odds are really high..75-80% that he would get in. He could simultaneously TAG to one of the UCs as a back up. (Cal is iffy because his CC isn’t TAP to Cal. Cal really holds back its CC spots for fgli, URM, non traditional students etc. If he had 80% odds to Cal he would do it. He’s crushed about Cal.)

For UCLA he did not like the overcrowding. It’s not just the triples, it’s lines everywhere. The dining halls are crowded. The gym is crowded. The library and any spaces to study are crowded. He’s an extrovert / introvert who also needs a break from people. Traffic in LA is a nightmare. Public transportation is a mess.

He decided not to give up freshman /sophomore year by doing the transfer route. Chose UCD over the other UCs because it aligned with his major, and internship goals. It is public transportation and bike centric. He’s lined up a volunteer position in Sacramento already, found a roommate and will likely get a double and hoping the heat in May/June doesn’t kill him. He said it was really hard to decide because UCLA is so prestigious but he really doesn’t want to go there. Since his dream school (Cal) is unlikely to want someone with his background he decided to stop looking at college as a dream and choose based on what he wants to be after college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In term of ability to get the classes you want, size of classes, being taught by professors versus TAs, and social life,, is it frat heavy? do kids live in dorms after freshman year... any and all insight would be appreciated. I went to a small college where we built community quickly and naturally in the dorms and I never once had a TA, so the possibility of sending my DD to a university with 33K undergrad is a strange new world to me.

it is like going to school in SE Asia…

LA and California is hugely Asian. If you are from DC, the large Asian population may feel shocking.

UCLA Undergrad:
35% Asian
22% Hispanic
6.5% Black
25% White

Then it is good that California prides itself in making their Universities match their Population Profile….(NOT)

39.4% Hispanic
34.7% White
16.1% Asian
5.7% Black

Well you need to look at the system as a whole versus just one campus and look at admitted numbers which are slightly better than attendance numbers (no idea how to link a source chart here), but a quick google shows they admit more Chicano/Latino than Asian, I guess Asians are just more likely to accept their spots? The UC system does not consider race in admissions so its always going to be tough for them to get it spot on.

2023 Total UC System-wide admissions offers:

African American 5%
American Indian 1%
Chicano/Latino 38%
Pacific Islander <1%
Asian American 34%
White 19%
Declined to State 3%

[Anonymous]

As long as you are comfortable with 600 people in your lecture, having to buy your classes you want, and competing with chinese cheating rings, it's a great choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In term of ability to get the classes you want, size of classes, being taught by professors versus TAs, and social life,, is it frat heavy? do kids live in dorms after freshman year... any and all insight would be appreciated. I went to a small college where we built community quickly and naturally in the dorms and I never once had a TA, so the possibility of sending my DD to a university with 33K undergrad is a strange new world to me.

it is like going to school in SE Asia…

LA and California is hugely Asian. If you are from DC, the large Asian population may feel shocking.

UCLA Undergrad:
35% Asian
22% Hispanic
6.5% Black
25% White

Then it is good that California prides itself in making their Universities match their Population Profile….(NOT)

39.4% Hispanic
34.7% White
16.1% Asian
5.7% Black

Well you need to look at the system as a whole versus just one campus and look at admitted numbers which are slightly better than attendance numbers (no idea how to link a source chart here), but a quick google shows they admit more Chicano/Latino than Asian, I guess Asians are just more likely to accept their spots? The UC system does not consider race in admissions so its always going to be tough for them to get it spot on.

2023 Total UC System-wide admissions offers:

African American 5%
American Indian 1%
Chicano/Latino 38%
Pacific Islander <1%
Asian American 34%
White 19%
Declined to State 3%

At UCLA 7.7% of undergrad students are international and many, many of those are asian. That shifts the numbers significantly.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of wonderful colleges and universities in the U.S. and internationally that are equipped to provide your DD with an amazing undergraduate experience.

None surpass what UCLA has to offer.

[Anonymous]

UC uses proxy measures to achieve diversity of backgrounds which include race. I would not say though that UCs are overly Asian or that it would be shocking to someone from the DMV unless you live in area with no Asian students. If your kid is going for engineering or premed then he or she will be in classes with mostly Asian students at most top and mid schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of wonderful colleges and universities in the U.S. and internationally that are equipped to provide your DD with an amazing undergraduate experience.

None surpass what UCLA has to offer.

How competitive is your kid? Kids have to hustle, fight, and compete for every one of those amazing offers and even the basic things. Cheating is rampant and stress is high. If you have the personality to enjoy that then it’s great. If an undergrad degree is your end game and you just want the diploma, you can chill out more and just watch. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UC uses proxy measures to achieve diversity of backgrounds which include race. I would not say though that UCs are overly Asian or that it would be shocking to someone from the DMV unless you live in area with no Asian students. If your kid is going for engineering or premed then he or she will be in classes with mostly Asian students at most top and mid schools.

It was shocking to my Hispanic kid from Texas…..Yes he is in Engineering, but 80% of his classmates are Asian….Not sure how is this is good for the state…..Please dont start with “that is how it is in Engineering”….no it is now….my other kid is a Junior at Michigan….same Engineering program….Asians in his program are less than 35%…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My experience is that the study body segregates based on identity so people hang out with people like themselves. It's not a cohesive community.

I think this is a weird comment to make about UCLA specifically because I've never been in a community where this isn't the case (my college, my jobs, church, my kids' schools, etc). It's human nature for people to segregate based on identity. It is very hard if not impossible to get authentic mixing of cultures and races on any sort of large scale.

I'd attended a smaller university before UCLA and students of all backgrounds joined groups and socialized based on interests. There were dance groups, outdoors clubs, chess clubs, triathlon clubs, etc. At UCLA, every group started with identity and not interests. Even lab partners wouldn't speak with each other if they weren't of the same background. I found it super weird.

Even student elections were all about getting other students of your religion/culture/race/heritage to turn out to vote for the candidate of the same background to push resources towards those students groups. It was super divisive.

Gee, I wonder where all these students learned to make EVERYTHING about identity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My experience is that the study body segregates based on identity so people hang out with people like themselves. It's not a cohesive community.

I think this is a weird comment to make about UCLA specifically because I've never been in a community where this isn't the case (my college, my jobs, church, my kids' schools, etc). It's human nature for people to segregate based on identity. It is very hard if not impossible to get authentic mixing of cultures and races on any sort of large scale.

I'd attended a smaller university before UCLA and students of all backgrounds joined groups and socialized based on interests. There were dance groups, outdoors clubs, chess clubs, triathlon clubs, etc. At UCLA, every group started with identity and not interests. Even lab partners wouldn't speak with each other if they weren't of the same background. I found it super weird.

Even student elections were all about getting other students of your religion/culture/race/heritage to turn out to vote for the candidate of the same background to push resources towards those students groups. It was super divisive.

Were you a transfer to UCLA? How recently did you attend?

I was a graduate student. My experience is that UCLA undergrads had never had another college experience and would accept everything as normal. They didn't question that professors were unavailable, there was zero advising or that many classes were impossible to get into. They also didn't question things like shortages of lab supplies. I had another college experience to compare to and I was routinely astounded what UCLA students accepted as normal.

UCLA consistently rates extremely high in student satisfaction, retention, etc. compared to the kind of schools that PP seemingly believes provide more resources. And many Bruins, myself included, study abroad or were transfers and thus do have some basis for comparison. There's a large discrepancy between the online kvetching about UCLA (large classes, scheduling, etc.) and the actual student experience, which is generally very positive.

That said, the UCLA grad students in my department seemed miserable. They convinced me not to seek a career in academia. Speaking of which, in the history of DCUM, has a grad student ever given a favorable review of the undergraduate experience at their school? It doesn't seem like it.