<p>I’m trying hard to decide between Oberlin and UCLA in the next couple days. I love everything about UCLA, except I’m looking for the progressive, activist-y, “alternative” people that go to Oberlin. I know they don’t make up a large percentage of the UCLA population, but is there a strong “indie” community on campus? I really want to go to UCLA because of the location, size, and newspaper…I know it’s a gigantic school and that all different kinds of people go there, but I’m looking for a larger community of Berkeley-ish, hippie or hipster students. Will I find it?
Thanks!</p>
<p>UCLA has a very relaxed student body with open minds. You’ll find people with similar interests with you here, but, based on my experience, nobody really cares. Mostly, students ignore activists.</p>
<p>Well activists come in different shapes and sizes.
I mean animal activists and pro-animal-testing activists will not get along just because they’re activists. No point in being an activist just to be an activist…or being progressive for the sake of being progressive.</p>
<p>Plus, choosing one school over another just because it has a greater population of hippies doesn’t sound very wise to me…
And it’s Los Angeles… lotta interesting people period.</p>
<p>Of course! Both schools I’m considering have fantastic academics and programs I’m interested in, so I’m trying to figure out where I’d be happier socially. I didn’t mean to sound pretentious or anything, I’m just curious about whether I’d find people with whom I have stuff in common…
Thanks for the help so far. Any other insight?</p>
<p>^ I don’t think you need to only be around people who think like you to be happy socially. In fact some diversity is generally a good thing.
For me, I really enjoy meeting people who think differently and have different opinions.</p>
<p>Believe me, I know…I go to an incredibly diverse, urban, public high school. I’m just looking for people I can work with politically. I’m really politically active when it comes to social justice causes like labor rights, and it would be nice to know if there’s action on camps. And of course I’ll have friends with different interests and from all different backgrounds (I do now–most of my friends don’t fit the description in my first post), but it’s nice to have people to go to concerts with, and to talk about the same books with, etc. </p>
<p>Okay, I don’t usually have conversations online and this is getting kind of off topic and pointless…it’s cool if we disagree. Thanks anyway.</p>
<p>Oberlin has a nude cycle ride through campus…if your into that go for it 
If not UCLA >>>> Oberlin…btw ask this on a neutral forum 
not UCLA sub forum to get some unbiased opinion :p</p>
<p>Honestly, it all comes down to you… there is always that one college that you’ll love a LITTLE bit more.</p>
<p>Well if you’re wanting to get along with people politically I’m sure you’ll find plenty of people who hold the same (or very similar) views as yours at UCLA. If you’re the hippie/activist type (which is implied by your post) then maybe not AS many people will be like you at UCLA as they would at Oberlin, but there should be more than enough</p>