University of California - Los Angeles Reviews

"The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a one-of-a-kind school. On top of top-notch academics, UCLA offers the perfect social and cultural environment to provide for a formative experience for all who choose to attend. UCLA has something for everyone. There's a robust STEM culture, excellent film program, great sports atmosphere, and so much more. While I have only good things to say about the professors, I think the real benefit comes from the students. Anyone who is able to gain admission to UCLA is not only a bright individual but also a value-add to every social environment. There are hundreds of different clubs and student organizations, as well as various other communities to join. Further, UCLA is located on prime real estate in Westwood of West LA. The campus is perfectly situated in a central location acts as the ideal base for exploring everything else that Los Angeles has to offer. I can't recommend UCLA enough; it was objectively the best time of my life in every way.Read Less"

"I loved UCLA! I went to school there from 2017 to 2019 and enjoyed every second. I attended the school to earn a degree in psychology, but I left with so much more. The coursework taught me to think critically about what was happening around me, I met great people, and I got to live in LA."

"I greatly enjoyed my time at UCLA. It was an experience filled with opportunity, and I feel that there was something for everyone to enjoy. Socially, the school was incredibly diverse, reflecting not only the diversity seen in major cities but a true diversity that is found in California and only a few other states. Academically, the professors were generally intelligent and engaged in teaching, and several respurces were available to fuel your own advancement."

"I have enjoyed going to college and gaining valuable knowledge. I have met with wonderful students and professors, and they have influenced me to become better. Not only do I gain valuable skills, I get to network and have the best time of my life on campus."

"Loved my time there, it was so much fun and i learned a lot. I made a lot of close friends who I am still close with to this day, I built a great social network, I also managed to land a career in the exact field that I was looking for without any issue"

"The environment and resources available is definitely great. The students and social groups were hit and miss but overall good. Dorms are not bad but finding a place nearby if you choose to can be challenging. Professors need a discerning eye as some are amazing while others can be hindering or lacking. Not being afraid to turn down a class that does not fit you early on is definitely a beneficial skill to have. There are ton of opportunities available if you scope them out. All in all, put in the work and choose wisely of on the available resources to you and it's a fulfilling experience.Read Less"

"I enjoyed the time I spent at UCLA. I think there was a lot of variety for students from clubs, research, internships, activities. UCLA feels like it’s at the heart of everything from the location, which is so convenient to surrounding areas and the city to the heart of academics where you could create connections and use them to move forward in life. I also have to give props to the dining hall, workers and the cleaning staff who always kept the areas, the bathrooms, everything so clean and the food so delicious. My year we were number one in dining Hall food in the country.Read Less"

"My experience at UCLA was nothing short of enlightening. As a transfer student, I was worried I would not get as much of a college experience as a traditional 4-year student, but I was definitely proved wrong. In my 2 years, I was able to be a lab assistant in a lab, join multiple clubs, hold multiple jobs, attain multiple internships, and complete a minor that lead me to my career and a job offer straight out of college. UCLA is truly as prestigious as they say it is."

"I attended this university as a transfer student and I encountered several challenges with adjusting to the faster schedule of classes, while having little to no connections with others. It's hard to feel like a part of this campus when you feel like everyone else has entered clubs, established networks, and taken opportunities you wanted. I spent two years feeling like I needed to catch up to everybody else's pace."

"My experience at UCLA was overwhelmingly positive. I found a great balance between the academic rigor and social environment. The campus was beautiful and the food was consistently excellent. I gained a lot from my coursework, though the large class sizes were one of the biggest drawbacks. Overall, UCLA provided me many opportunities that I remain grateful for to this day."

"I had the blessing and the privilege to attend the one university that I would call my dream school. UCLA was a great experience, where I was surrounded by beautiful brick architecture, diversity of culture, and some of the most brilliant minds in the world. I cherish my time there, and it will forever be a highlight of my life."

"If I can give this school 0 stars I would. THE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. First off, as a Sociology major.There is NO DIVERSITY in this campus. Students think they dominant than others, just because they come to this university. Absolutely RIDICULOUS!! You have to fight for your classes, your given First or Second Pass. To register for classes. Being a senior and yet still I have a Second pass date to register for classes, making me fall behind and getting the worse timing classes."

"Terrible experience for my first graduate program in this country. I am an international student and this school left me with bad taste. I was looked down upon by both students and program staff for my language fluency and my job. Professors are overrated. Every professor has their own personal agenda and is there to look for their own career. Some professors are flirty. Beautiful people get an easy pass and more marketing and personal branding opportunities. The staff lack ethics and integrity. Shameful for a public school! They teach topics that are of no use to the real tech. world. We are students trying to make a break into our careers and the MBA program does not give us the necessary tools for us to go into the world with confidence. There is no career help or guidance too. Once we graduate, professors and alum staff drop us like hot potatoes, which says a lot about the culture. If a student speaks up, they get targeted and the door is shut on their faces - meaning, they will not get any more help, guidance from the over-rated professors, who think they are Gods. Please ask the alums. Go to a private university like USC. You will be treated better.Read Less"

"My experience at UCLA was nothing but positive. I loved everything about it: the culture, the location in the center of Los Angeles, the beauty of the campus, the people, and the high quality education. I majored in mechanical engineering. I was tough! This is not a school or a program for those looking to cruise through school. You need to work hard your entire time you are there. UCLA was on the quarter system. The great part of this system is the variety of classes you took. Every year, you had three sets of classes not just two as with a traditional semester system. The downside of this system was that you constantly felt like you were studying for a test. With each quarter only 10 weeks long, your first midterms could be as early as three weeks after classes started. UCLA is a very large school. My number one piece of advice is to make it small. Join a club, go to sporting events, generally just find people you enjoy being around. For me, my outlet was a student engineering project organization. This program became a second educator for me. Supplementing my intense theoretical studies in engineering school, was the Society of Automotive Engineering and their Mini-Baja project. I learned real world applications for all the theory I was learning in class. I learned how to machine, how to weld, practical applications of stress analysis and most importantly how to work in an engineering team, a skill critical to success in a professional environment. Leadership and teamwork is critical to success outside of a school environment and the combination of in-class theory and practical training through engineering projects has helped me to become the successful professional I am today.Read Less"

"I attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and majored in Psychology and minored in Education Studies and Chicana/o Studies. I will first start off with UCLA in general. UCLA is a beautiful campus with many coffee shops to do your homework in. One of my favorite things at UCLA was the facts that libraries become open for 24 hours during finals week! This is helpful if you can't concentrate at home/dorm/apartment. UCLA also offers a free laptop loaning program for students for a certain number of hours. You need the laptop for a little longer? Renew it online! One thing about UCLA is that it also runs on the quarter system. This means you have classes for 10 weeks only. It goes by pretty fast and I personally prefer it over the semester system (which feels like an eternity to me). The services that you get at UCLA are pretty dependent on the program you are in. Advisors in the Education and Chicana/o Studies departments were very sweet and helpful! They created an environment where you can always ask them questions about your schedule, minor/major classes, and advice. On the other hands, advisors in the psychology department were always busy. Sessions were 15 minutes only.Read Less"

"UCLA is a wonderful school that is committed to making significant strides in the field of research. This school is very academics driven and you will definitely put work in. This school is not a walk in the park, but the skills you learn through your classes are something you will take with you for the rest of your life."

"UCLA is one of the top Universities in the world and offers a variety of courses that allow students to discover their true passion. I initially went into UCLA as a pre-med student and after taking some of the pre requisite courses I found myself in agony. Thankfully, UCLA offers great guidance counselors to help students figure out the right path for themselves if they aren't on it initially. I also highly recommend UCLA's AAP program. AAP offers free tutoring to those who are registered to it, as well as an entire community that will be by your side from the start of your degree to the end. I enjoyed every moment of my undergraduate studies there and could not think of a more diverse and stimulating college. In addition, the campus holds little to be desired as it has gorgeous architecture and sculpture gardens and fountains to name a few.Read Less"

"UCLA is an exceptional school filled with phenomenal students. Sometimes, however, that can make one feel really small and insignificant. Everyone there was valedictorian or at least in their Top 10. Everyone there had UCLA as their dream school, or their backup school because they had their sights set on Harvard or some other Ivy League (me included--I wanted to go to University of Pennsylvania). With everyone being so smart and trained to study well already, it is common to feel like a small fish in a big pond. I took both "north campus" (Humanities) and "south campus" (STEM) classes, so I feel as though I have a pretty good idea of the entire campus (with the exception of specialized majors like the Arts or Engineering). With that said, each class and professor varies. Most professors are incredibly tough graders and expect you to understand everything much quicker than maybe one is ready for--but that does not mean that they're bad professors; as a student a couple of years out of undergrad, I realize that UCLA is tough on you so that anything in the real world (work, graduate school) is so much easier than it is for others. Honestly, I had an awful time at UCLA. It is hard to balance classes, a social life, work, lab, and extracurricular activities. I was frustrated and depressed at times. But now that I'm out and about to start a new master's program, I feel so well-equipped for whatever the program is going to throw at me. I have been working as a lab manager/research assistant for the past two years, and even that job came to me much easier than I thought it would (and from what I've been told, I have been one of the better lab managers for this professor over the last 10 or so years). This school is extremely competitive, but it will really kick you into gear to make sure you can do anything once you're finished. In hindsight, I really appreciate everything UCLA has done for me.Read Less"

"The years I spent at UCLA are still some of the best years of my life. I was lucky to have studied there when I did, when Dance was still part of the World Arts and Culture Department. The faculty was filled with brilliant, inspiring people, the students I had classes with were very smart. I enjoyed the balance of competitive and fun/relaxed environment. There was always new and exciting things to do at UCLA."

"This was the best school that I have ever attended. UCLA's system of delivery worked perfectly for me while I was living in Japan. There was a nice balance between papers, quizzes, lesson plans, and technical assignments. The professors were top-notch, professional and always available. I worked hard on my assignments but I still had time for my job and family. I found the interaction between the students and the professors to be fascinating."