Reply to University of California System

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "University of California System"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]I'm going to present an opposite point of view from a parent of an OOS UCLA student.  I heard all of the things that have been stated here before my DC decided to commit to UCLA: it's overcrowded, DC won't graduate in four years, won't get the classes they want, not worth it, etc. etc.  From [b]recent[/b] grads I heard it was an amazing experience that opened so many doors for them and presented them with incredible research and internship opportunities - yes as undergrads.  From my professor and entrepreneur relatives and friends I heard that it was an academic and research powerhouse, and that if DC got in, we should not turn down the opportunity to send him/her there.

Fast forward three years, and even with the pandemic, DC absolutely LOVES every minute they've spent there and is having an awesome undergrad experience.  DC came in with a full IB Diploma, and got 30+ credits (don't remember now exactly how many).  DC will graduate in four years with a major and two minors.  DC says classes are hard, challenging, and classmates are wicked smart.  I have met and spent time with several of DC's classmates and they are all very impressive, including the ones who were third year transfers.  The snobbery here around the transfers from community college is insane.  You have no idea what their story was and why they chose community college to begin with.  Many super smart students had to go that route for various reasons.  DC has incredible opportunities at UCLA and is taking advantage of many of them.  We just spent the weekend there to attend Bruin Family Weekend and attended a few faculty lectures.  There is some genius research going on there and yes, undergrads have access to some of those research opportunities.  We left absolutely blown away by the university.  DC is doing a minor in the business of the music industry and classes are taught by a who's who of big name music folks.  It's really amazing.

As for tuition, well, we have stashed away a ton of money for DC's education and can easily afford it.  But to the PP's claims that OOS tuition is the same as Ivy and other private school tuition, not true.  Tuition this year is around $43K, which is LESS than our DC private high school is this year!!  Ivys and other private universities are much higher - from the high 50s to the high 60s.  I'm not counting room and board, because that has to be paid everywhere.  We think it's well worth it.  We wouldn't have hesitated to send DC to Berkeley or Michigan OOS as well.  DC had all three to choose from and fell in love with the UCLA campus at first sight.  Yes, LA is expensive, but you can't beat the lifestyle.  DC is having a blast, has made a ton of great friends and is really enjoying the lifestyle in LA - beach, hiking, skiing, amazing food, arts, etc.  We are also sports lovers, so attending Bruin football, basketball, hockey, as well as women's volleyball and gymnastics is icing on the cake.

All that said, UCLA is not for everyone.  At times, DC has had a hard time getting face time with an advisor and has had to navigate things on his/her own.  Communication from the school is not always the best and I learn most things from the official parent rep group.  And yes, sometimes DC has had to get on waitlists for classes.  But in the first week of the quarter, waitlists move and DC has always gotten into the classes they have needed.  Also, lots of students attend in the summer in order to get ahead.  Summer sessions are very common and OOS students pay in-state tuition for summer classes. Last summer, DC lived with a bunch of friends and every weekend they organized trips: camping in Joshua Tree National Park, hiking around Palm Springs, etc.  DC had a blast.  Also, it's not for students who need a lot of guidance and hand-holding.  But for smart, self-motivated, ambitious students, it's a great education.  UCLA and Berkeley are not on all the top whatever university lists because of the number of pell grants they give out!  That's just a silly argument.  They are both world-class universities that are recognized all over the world.  And for those here on DCUM who declare that diversity is so important to them, you can't get more diverse than UCLA - in every sense of the word. We have absolutely no regrets writing those tuition checks.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics