<p>of course everyone’s experience will vary and so cc maybe isn’t the best place to ask, but part of what I was wondering was: is the general atmosphere at ucla happy, healthy, outgoing, etc? cuz i know most campuses have a general atmosphere of happiness, unhappiness, or indifference, i guess. people say uc davis’ atmosphere is friendly, laidback, etc. and i haven’t visited ucla when it was in session so i dunno. i visited usc when it was in session and the atmosphere/students seemed very happy but perhaps a bit too peaceful for my tastes. so is there an overall atmosphere at ucla regarding happiness, activity, etc? do people walk around looking depressed, in their own head, not talking to others (like they say it is like at berkeley lol) or do they seem happy, upbeat, friendly (like was my experience at usc)?</p>
<p>^^^ I think you answered your own question, well didn’t answer, but explained why noone here can give you the answer you want.</p>
<p>“everyone’s experience will vary” = just like everyone’s opinion… come visit and find out for yourself</p>
<p>well i definitely will come visit again, but everyone’s *experience<a href=“i.e.%20their%20individual%20experience,%20if%20THEY%20personally%20are%20happy”>/I</a> will vary, is what i meant. but it seems like most would be able to agree on the overall atmosphere, even if their experience doesn’t fit into it.</p>
<p>I will repeat that the general atmosphere when you are walking around campus is happy, upbeat and outgoing. I am a parent but have visited many times when class is in session. I wouldn’t say people walk around like they are depressed. I visited USC as well when school was in session (while still doing the college visits with my daughter) and I would say the student bodies are very similar.</p>
<p>As I said the weather is great, warm and sunny most of the time and that has an effect on people. There are thousands of students at UCLA outside enjoying a full social life, going out, going to the gym and are still getting great grades. Those people are not on College Confidential. They probably don’t even know it exists!</p>
<p>UCLA isn’t for every one. Some who have posted here that are not real happy might have been better off at a small Liberal Arts School where it is easier to make friends are not fall throught the cracks. My older daughter is more shy and never in a million years would she have wanted to go to UCLA, no matter how well known it is. She is finishing up at a small LAC where professors come to her house for parties, she can visit them at office hours without any problem and can walk from one end of campus to the other in 15 minutes. I think that it is possible that the people that are not happy might not be happy at any school if they stay in their room all the time on the computer or maybe they chose the wrong school. Finding the right “fit” is important. Just because UCLA is a great school doesn’t mean it will be great for you.</p>
<p>The students I have seen walking around, as well as all my daughter’s friends are happy and up beat. When you get admitted visit again and see for yourself. You don’t need to make any decisions until you are admitted right? You have all of April to visit again and decide. Good luck.</p>
<p>thank you! that was really helpful, and it’s great to hear. :)</p>
<p>but i gotta say:</p>
<p>“There are thousands of students at UCLA outside enjoying a full social life, going out, going to the gym and are still getting great grades. Those people are not on College Confidential. They probably don’t even know it exists!”</p>
<p>well i’m a really happy and upbeat person but i still post on CC!! 
but i agree…when i’m in college i probably won’t have the time or need to go on here anymore, though i might occasionally come back to help prospective students. :)</p>
<p>I LOVE UCLA! best choice i ever made :)</p>
<p>I’m pretty damn happy with my experience here. Although i do spend a decent time on “teh interwebz” I’m deeply involved with the ultimate frisbee team, a student-led consulting group on campus along with all kinds of other college type shenanigans (tailgating, partying, etc.) All this while balancing out bioengineering (I’ve done well enough to only have 4 classes to graduation with 2 quarters to go in my fourth year). It’s about how you apply yourself really, but I’m a pretty type-A personality that gets along wit people.</p>
<p>I’m a 2nd year and I like UCLA, too. I like it because it really does have many opportunities and then it’s mainly you that decides whether or not you want to go for them. (I kind of think I’m involved on campus and I have a social life, too. Don’t want to say too much to keep anonymity 
and I get good grades.) For instance, there are tons of research opportunities here compared to many other schools, and people can get started in research at a relatively young age and be sitting and listening to seminars by leaders in research of their respective fields alongside other graduates, post-docs, professors, etc. and critiquing and suggesting things to add to their work. Also, I’m a south campus major, but with enough persistence and such, I’m able to get involved with working on things in the Broad Art Center. And then, it’s also very possible to get involved in the greater LA community, too. I was trying to get involved in a prominent publication w/ its main “offices” in LA, but I didn’t try hard enough probably b/c I wasn’t persistent and aggressive enough - I don’t think I would have enough time for it anyways though ): Even though it would be reallly cool if I got involved in it, sigh. If you really want it, be aggressive and persistent and then you can get it. You just have to put yourself out there. At UCLA, I feel that there are so many things that I want to do yet there’s not that much time ):</p>
<p>So, it really depends on you. I’m not really an outgoing person either, but if I really want whatever, I’ll do my best to get the opportunity to do things I’ve always wanted to do and try.</p>
<p>There’s always so much going on at UCLA, though.</p>
<p>Excor-I don’t know if you were kidding or not but SO many kids were really sick at UCLA this quarter and no one was quaranteed! Many missed mid terms and quizzes. The Ash Center did not tell the kids they had swine flu because then everyone would have had to be isolated, very disappointing for the kids protection, they just gave them masks, said stay away from people and gave them a not to stay out of classes for a week. D went to Ash and then got tested at home and had swine flu! Oh well, luckily she was able to come home since it was Thanksgiving break. Other than that, D loves UCLA and Westwood and everything about her college experience at UCLA.</p>
<p>Yeah, the illness thing is pretty serious.
Last quarter, Spring 09, my roommate got sick, then I got sick (not sure if it was from him). I got extremely sick that I didn’t want to go to Ash fearing they would isolate me; it was also finals week. So I “studied and took” the finals feeling like my head was gonna explode…</p>
<p>^ Yea, it’s ridiculous how widespread the sickness gets. This quarter, I first noticed my roommate get sick, then I got sick, then my suitemates got sick, and even a certain someone who might be reading this post got sick… Strange thing was, we had different symptoms. </p>
<p>Lol, during my Arts&Arch10 midterm, everyone was all coughing, and there was barely a moment where there actual silence so much our professor kept making fun of how old and sick we sounded.</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s annoying when you’re trying to take a physics midterm, and pretty much everyone around you is coughing and sneezing.</p>
<p>I’m a 4th year and UCLA is okay, probably not the best school in the world. It’s what you make out of it. A lot of first years are stuck in the dorms and it gets really old really fast. Overall I’ve enjoyed my time here. Having said that, it’s a school that will beat you down and rough you up. I’ve worked hard and made my way to the top and get all the perks possible, so it’s okay now. But I’d hate to repeat freshman year!</p>
<p>Pretty much every north campus major I know is happy (until senior year when the job hunting starts). Pretty much every south campus major I know is depressed from the decimation of self-esteem that accompanies the end of every quarter. Depends on who you ask, but on the whole, I’d say people are a little above neutral, towards the happier side.</p>