The University of California - Los Angeles

UCLA is a great place- BEAUTIFUL campus. The whole Westwood area is gorgeous. Aesthetically, i give it an A. People are friendly and beautiful [read: many pretty girls]- perhaps because they're so approachable and laid-back. I could see why so many people apply here and want to come here. I am a girl and I admit some girls here are really hot. Resources here are also great. I love going to the Powell library and sleeping on their comfy couches while studying.

However, I really feel like a number here. It's true. The whole faculty-student relationship is really impersonal. No one will spoon feed you anything here. It's a get-up-and-find-it-yourself environment, which is probably good training for you in the long run out in society. It's tough to get good grades here, esp if you're in the science-y departments-- all the pre-med folks are in there-and obviously, they're all pretty smart and motivated. But UCLA has one of the best medical/science programs so I guess it's not a surprise [our hospital ranks number 3 in US]. I think the difference between Berkeley and UCLA is that students at Berkeley have good studying habits. Students here tend to procrastinate a lot. That's not to say that people here are dumb though. They're smart, but have social lifes as well. Bottom line: it's a well-rounded university in many aspects from sports to academics with well-rounded students.

1st Year Female -- Class 2007

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Individual Value: C

UCLA is a great place to get an undergraduate education. The diversity of course offerings allowed me to complete my major and a minor while having plenty of electives to take in fields such as film, psychology, and cultural studies (mostly Italian). The school is strong in many fields and the profs/classes reflect this. the oldest part of campus (the quad) is beautiful and inspired me on many occasions...

4th Year Male -- Class 2003

Education Quality: A+, Individual Value: B

UCLA is arguably one of the most well known schools in the world (no joke). It's also the most applied to school in the nation (46,000 applicants for the Fall 2004 term). The school has its ups and downs. As a computer science major who has transfered from the community college, I went from an easy going chill environment, to an extremely competitive grunge atmosphere.

The engineering department is superb, but pretty tough to do well in, especially computer science. I'd say the majority of computer science courses are in a way that no matter how hard you study, it wouldn't matter because the best you can do anyway is probably getting a B. Once you realize this, it isn't so bad, you just become apathetic and devote your time to other things besides studying (because you know it's a lost cause).

What I dislike about UCLA is the seemingly decreasing diversity on campus. If you look around, you'll barely see any Mexicans or Blacks on campus anymore (sharply contrasted from about 5-10 years ago). Fees are being increased, sometimes seemingly in a toned down way. For example we had about a hundred new top of the line computers installed in a brand new computer lab and I later found out that we were being charged an extra $28 per engineering course because of this. The sports teams also suck as well (especially football).

Girls wise, UCLA isn't so bad, but just don't look for any nice ones in engineering. I'd say almost all the girls in engineering are ugly, with maybe one or two exceptions of course. If you're looking for hot girls, go to North campus and you'll find a bunch (North campus is the part of UCLA where the liberal arts majors have classes). Oh yeah, UCLA is situated right in Westwood. It's an awesome place filled with lots of shops and restaurants. Westwood is basically an extended part of UCLA, and by the way, it's EXTREMELY safe. I've gone out alone late at night (3 am and sometimes later) without worrying about crime.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2004

Surrounding City: A+, Collaboration/Competitive: F