<p>Hello, everyone.
I am currently finishing school this summer in the UK and was wandering how do you think i'd fare in an american university, namely UCLA.
I'm quite excited about the idea, obviously all the relevant paperwork and forms are all academic unless i decide to go there, and as such i suppose i'm asking about the social aspects of the place and how english people would do haha. I am a fairly outgoing person, love meeting people, keeping fit, fairly driven, like parties, very musical things like that.
So i'd be really grateful if anyone could offer some information on how you think i'd do with regard to settling in, building a friendbase there, living, things like that.
Many thanks & regards
Rory</p>
<p>you will do great here. Accents have quite an effect over here, beyond your stated outgoingness. We’re a generally friendly bunch and you should have no problem finding a group of friends. Fraternities are an option too if you want that experience.</p>
<p>I think that’s the most polite post I’ve ever seen on this forum.</p>
<p>If you’re outgoing, you should be fine. There are three British guys on my floor that I’ve met, and they seem to be doing just fine. </p>
<p>Since you’re international, and British, people will probably be very curious and probably have a couple of questions for you, especially if you have a non-American accent. As far as I know, there aren’t any British-bashings going on, other than maybe a few British slang/stereotypes jokes (the French seem to be the more popular victims), so I don’t really see much concern in making friends or having a social life.</p>
<p>The only things that could irk you about your experience here is <em>possibly</em> the culture barrier. Transportation, laws, taxes, language etc. </p>
<p>LOL. I remember talking with one of my floormates, and he was asking if we had torches ready. We were like, o.0? Why would we need a torch? <em>he holds up a “torch”</em> Oooh! You meant a flashlight. xD</p>
<p>Americans should be less geo-centric. Water closet, torches, etc etc are all accepted terms in English. I like to spell the words ‘colour’, ‘armour’, and ‘favourite’ just to trip Americans up.</p>
<p>Americans communicate with British people fine as long as they learn the differences in the language.</p>
<p>Protip: If a British person asks you for a rubber, they want an eraser, not a condom.</p>
<p>^^ Little things like that just take some getting used to and learning.</p>
<p>YAYYYYY British guys
omg i love ur accent <em>scream</em>
let me know when ur here ;)</p>
<p>^ i have an accent…how about that lunch? ;)</p>
<p><em>thinks of love actually</em></p>
<p>someone is gonna get some tonight.</p>
<p>There are less international students at UCLA than a lot of private universities, I believe. </p>
<p>As a state school comprised of mostly Californians, UCLA isn’t a totally typical American university experience. That’s not a bad thing, but keep that in mind. Schools in New England are culturally closer to Europe in my opinion.</p>
<p>the brits are loved here, trust me</p>
<p>Well, apparently, you can be from anywhere and do well, it all depends on your attitude and personality. </p>
<p>The most important question is how your status as an international student is going to affect your stay here, both academically, financially, and socially. Here is my input as I’m also an international student here (from Brazil, but Asian descendant -_-):</p>
<p>As someone mentioned above, there are really really few international students here at UCLA at least in the undergrad level. It’s around 3%… (and <em>MOST</em> are Chinese who also hang around other international Chinese students, so in terms of variety… it’s really low compared to privates or even community colleges like SMC).
The most obvious reason for this is that there is no financial aid for us here, so UCLA itself is not very attractive for undergrad. After reading a lot of threads here at CC at the international students’ section, I still see that a lot of students can’t attend if they don’t get some sort of merit or need-based aid (which only private institutions can afford to give). </p>
<p>It’s a much better value if you’re going for the masters or doctorate degree, as it will have a more significant weight on your CV than just an undergrad. Where you’re coming from and going back matters a lot. In my case, say I go back to Brazil with a Masters in Computer Science from UCLA, it’s going to put me somewhat ahead of the local competition.</p>
<p>You’re going to find a lot of international students at the UCLA extension, but people there only stay here for less than a year and they’re usually just studying English all day. The other portion of international students are the exchange students that are here for just one year. But most are still on the graduate level.</p>
<p>I don’t want to sound discouraging or anything, but nowadays, UCLA is not a great choice if you have any financial need. I remember for the I-20, last year when I got mine, I had to show a statement of $47K. Now, the minimum statement is $55k which is just outrageous. It will keep increasing forever. I wonder how much international students will be paying 20 years from now, probably around a million dollars LOL.
Just so you know, about 6 years ago, out of state tuition for the quarter used to be almost half of what it is now. </p>
<p>And remember, the US expects (and forces) you to go back to your country after you finish, unless you successfully apply for an Optional/Career Practical Training. If your major is in the field of Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics, then you have a total of 27 months, else it’s just 1 year. You can also continue your academic career in order to stay here. But the problem is that in this economy, depending on your field, the industry finds it a big hassle to process your paper work if you want to stay a little longer. Even if they want to file the paper for you and everything, H1B VISA is still increasingly hard to get.</p>
<p>TL;DR: You’re gonna do fine here, wherever you’re from, it’s up to you. The financial issue is the most important. If you have no problems with it, meaning you can shell out upwards of $220k for the whole 4 years, then no prob. What are your plans after you get your UCLA degree?</p>
<p>Last year, one of my closest friends was a British exchange student. Nobody didn’t love him! He made friends fast, and his accent was absolutely panty-wetting. I think social life-wise, you’ll have NO problems making friends here.</p>
<p>there r lots of international students here. i don’t know what you’re talking about lol</p>
<p>most of my friends are international, and I always meet new international students. Also I meet lots of exchange students. I guess it depends on who you meet, the ppl u hang out with etc. they are usually in competitive major</p>
<p>Oh, lovely, a British guy! Please come, I’ve been dying to hear that sexy accent. ;)</p>