i decided to make this thread because i'm bored and to help stem the creation of 3450963938475 new threads asking about the different housing options. i'll try to be as complete as i can.
read and judge for yourself which option/building is better, because that is all personal preference.
*DISCLAIMER* - the following are just generalizations, and are largely dependent on individuals that will be living on your floor as well as you yourself as an individual, so YMMV.
RESIDENCE HALLS - Dykstra, Rieber, Hedrick
-regarded as most social of all housing
-communal bathrooms
-huge floors where you can meet a lot of people
-people generally keep doors open, etc
-older buildings
-location: dykstra is closest to campus, rieber is in the middle of the "hill", and hedrick is farthest up/away from campus of the three.
-price: least expensive housing option. triple < double.
HIGH RISE PLAZAS - Rieber Vista, Rieber Terrace, Hedrick Summit
-slightly more quiet than res halls, but more social than regular plazas because of their layout (big building, large floors)
-shared or private bathrooms, which contribute to the quietness since people arent forced to leave their room
-slightly larger rooms
-buildings are fairly new: 2-3 years old
-location: vista and terrace are in rieber court, about midway up "the hill". summit is in hedrick court, furthest up "the hill"
-price: shared triple < shared double < private triple < private double < shared single
PLAZAS - De Neve, Sunset Village
-quiet and less social due to smaller, segregated floors and buildings. sunset a bit more secluded than de neve, since a lot of traffic goes through the de neve court due to the dining hall and cut through to gayley (apartments).
-shared or private bathrooms
-room size depends, but generally slightly larger than res halls
-location: de neve is closest to campus, sunset is a farther walk than rieber (depending on where you're coming from) but no hill to deal with.
-price: same as high rise plazas
SUITES - Saxon, Hitch
-regarded as most quiet and most secluded
-near-apartment style living: you get your own living room and shared bath. no kitchen though.
-location: across the street from rieber court (saxon) or hedrick court (hitch)
-price: same as high rise plazas
**AGAIN** - just because you get a suite doesnt mean you're socially doomed, and just because you get a res hall doesnt mean you'll make tons of friends. it all depends heavily on you and the people around you.
ROOM TYPES
-triples have 3 people, doubles have 2. obviously
-triples will have one set of bunked beds, and one lofted bed with the third desk and closet under it
-every student gets a bed, desk, shelf, and closet.
-shared triples/doubles in plazas share a bathroom between two rooms. so you will be sharing with 5 other people (total of 6) for a shared triple and 3 other people (total of 4) for a shared double. all shared bathrooms have two sinks, each with a mirror and medicine cabinet, as well as one shower and one toilet. shower and toilet are in their own separate little sections with lockable doors. private triples and doubles have a one-room sink, shower and toilet, like your bathroom at home with just one locked door for the whole bathroom. plaza bathrooms are cleaned once a week by housekeeping.
-communal bathrooms in halls have several toilet stalls, shower stalls, and sinks in each bathroom. some shower stalls may have a separate changing section, some may not. it depends on hall.
CAR REQUESTS
-you MUST accept your assigned offer before you can submit a CAR. DO NOT DECLINE YOUR OFFER or you will be dropped from on campus housing and will need to get on waitlist/peition to get back in.
-CAR is submitted online via housing website
-you can submit a CAR if you want to switch, but obviously not guaranteed
-basically someone would need to want to switch out of or decline their offer for the dorm you want to switch into to make space available. they will try to accommodate everyone's request, but obviously that is not possible.
-to get specific roommates, both should submit a CAR putting roommates as top priority. be prepared that they might give you a completely different or more expensive hall that you might not want in order to accommodate your roommate request. again, not guaranteed.
-if your CAR doesnt get approved, theres an open transfer period later on. the open transfer period lets you switch between rooms/floors/buildings if you can find people that are willing to switch places with you and/or your roommates
MEAL PLANS
-11 cub, 14 Blue, 14 Premier, 19 Gold, 19 Premier
-meal periods: 7a-11a, 11a-5p, 5p-10p, 10p-12a, 12a-2a.
-14P and 19P gives you all your meals for the quarter and lets you swipe multiple times per dining period (so you can swipe friends in to the dining halls or get a sandwich and a smoothie at bruin cafe, etc)
-11C, 14B, 19G gives you swipes for the week (11 or 14 or 19). you can swipe once per meal period only.
-most people have 14P or 14B. if anticipate going home every weekend, think about 11C or 14P. if you plan on being here all the time or mostly all the time, 14B will be best and cheapest, though you can upgrade to 14P if you want more flexibility. if you are a true morning person and will wake up for breakfast every day even if you have like 10, 11, 12 o'clock classes, then get 19G/19P. i'd recommend 19P if you're thinking about getting 19 meals, because it will be easier to use ones that you miss (and you'll probably miss a lot)...
FURTHER INFORMATION...
-the housing website is your friend.
www.housing.ucla.edu
-the Ask Housing link has answers to MANY frequently asked questions. and if the answer isnt there, they have live chat at certain times if you have a more specific question. and of course you can ask here on CC.
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