University of California-Los Angeles Top Questions

There is a lot of truth to some of the stereotypes. UCLA has a very large asian population and there are a large number of students who don't see the light of day too often, but there is a lot to the 40,000 plus student body than meets the eye. Often the students that stay indoors or in the library 24/7 are the ones that do not enjoy their stay here at UCLA, but in reality UCLA has more to offer than I've heard of at most campuses. Most of the students are smart (they did get into UCLA of course) and the competition can lead to a smaller amout of social time, but I've found that most of the students (especially in Greek Life) live by the work hard play hard mantra. We have 100 national championships for sports and although our football team has been weak the past few years we deffinately are not the "less athletic" campus in LA. Our basketball team is amazing and we have championship womens water polo and both men and women's volleyball teams. As you can also tell, the pre-meds aren't just work either. I do research, take enough units to graduate a quarter early from school, I'm taking MCAT's, and I still find time to be the president of a growing social fraternity on campus. The students here are amazing.

To a certain extent.

For most students, the ethnic diversity at UCLA may include a larger asian population than they are accustomed but UCLA manages to be a very diverse campus with such a large population that all types of people are encountered regularly. The partying scene at UCLA is somewhat lacklustre cmompared to other major universities due primarily to the tendency of students to go home on the weekends and the priority given to difficult workloads but, again, due to the large campus community, if parties are desired they can be found.

it is definitely true that we are all sports obsessed, but as far as the people thing, there are all kinds of people who live all kinds of lifestyles so theres always a group for everyone.

The only way you get to see downtown LA is if you either put some major effort into it, or have a car and care to go. Half of the people I know have never been to a club. It is true there are a lot of asians, a lot of "hot" blondes and the like, but that would be true of nearly any southern Californian university. The level of intelligence that is often associated with students usually is true, as it takes quite a bit to get accepted here.

No.

While there are a lot of Asians and blondes, there is a fairly diverse student population; I come into contact with ethnicities that I had little contact with at home (that's not difficult, considering my high school was all white and Asian). We definitely study hard, but we party hard too. And, while it's a competitive university, there is a hierarchy of intelligence and hardwork, just like in high school (not everyone busts their asses for their grades, not everyone drinks).

I am neither asian nor blond but I am definitely nerdy. That is what I love about UCLA. Everyone is a nerd in their own right. We have the athletes that are so dedicated to their sports. We have the engineers that are so dedicated to their academics. We have the theater buffs who would act through the night if they could and you have me, the geography and environmental studies major who loves the environment and her department with all of her heart.

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To a certain degree, yes. I mean, I know we're like 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Asian, so that's not that unfounded of a stereotype. In addition, I know Irvine and SD are even more uneven. As far as the USC thing goes, I mean we don't have the type of private institution aura that SC has, but I really feel that our school pride is more passionate and makes more of a difference than money ever could.