pixiedanzer

maybe it's the brentwood school.

yeah and no kidding about harvard westlake! "oh Berkeley is my safety" ~ words of a harvard westlake friend of mine that's headed to Brown.

an6le

I go to a very superficial high school in Orange County, CA. My one expectation at UCLA is mainly to pop out of that bubble, and meet people of different interests and backgrounds. Materialism and shallowness were the central themes of my high school, which made my high school experience a living hell-hole.

I'm pretty shy when it comes to meeting people; I have a hard time opening myself up to others. Pretty much all of my expectations once I'm at UCLA are all up to me, whether I choose to meet others or not. Hopefully all goes well =)

kfc4u

"My one expectation at UCLA is mainly to pop out of that bubble, and meet people of different interests and backgrounds. "

yes that will probably happen. the backgrounds and interests of UCLA students is so diverse and so varied, so you'll find many different types of people. however, you will also find those who are still have a sense of materialism. that's a complaint from some people, that some of the UCLA students are too influenced by nearby hollywood.


"maybe it's the brentwood school. "

i was thinking about that too. i also thought about beverly hills but they send more than 2 students a year. harvard-westlake is just insane. basically any of their alumni who go to UCLA are probably on some type of scholarship. but you won't find many of them here. berkeley is the lowest most of them want to go to.

darkling

"also note that you have to earn a pure A for a 4.0, because an A- is a 3.7, a B+ is 3.3, B 3.0, B- 2.7, etc. some classes are also curved."

ouch.

SoccerRef

The best way to make UCLA a truly enjoyable experience is to get involved in as many groups that interest you as you can. The possibilities are nearly endless, from clubs to political organizations to student government to the dorms/greeks (including intramural sports) to volunteer organizations such as (a particular personal recommendation of mine) UCLA UniCamp, which since the 1930s has sent student volunteers to be counselors for inner city kids during multiple week-long sessions at its campsite in the San Bernardino Mountains.

UCLA is massive, both geographically and in terms of the student population. It's quite possible to go through life at UCLA as an isolated commuter student; don't do it.