<p>Hey guys! I am an international student who is going to attend UCLA in the fall. It is going to be my first year and I have a few questions about housing:</p>
<p>I was offered a place in De Neve plaza triple even though a plaza was my last choice. I will be staying in evergreen or fir. However I haven't read good things about them. These are what I have read are they true?:
I have read that; they are far away from campus compared to other buildings. That the rooms aren't as good as the ones in other buildings. The internet connection is slow. That it is not social and that you can hear a lot of noise from other rooms.</p>
<p>Now, I really like the fact that I have a private bathroom, but I would rather have more friends. I know that plazas are not as social as halls. Do you know whether mostly freshmen live in EF, or is it not social at all? I don't know anyone who is going to attend UCLA, and want to have a good experience and don't want to be lonely. Should I request CAR to move to a res hall or another plaza such as Rieber Vista? (Are there a lot of freshmen living there or not?)
Thank you in advance</p>
<p>You can also hear a lot of noise from residence hall rooms.</p>
<p>My son lived in De Neve (Acacia) his freshmen year. His hall was quite social and he made a lot of friends. I was under the impression it was a lot closer to campus than others, but really all of the dorms are in the same general area.</p>
<p>De Neve EF is only marginally further from campus than the other De Neve buildings are. It might be an additional 1 minute walk. De Neve EF is a lot closer than Rieber Hall, Rieber Vista, Rieber Terrace, Sproul Hall, Sproul Cove, Courtside, Delta Terrace, Canyon Point, Saxon, Hitch, Hedrick Hall or Hedrick Summit. Bottom line? Any De Neve is closer to campus than than other residence building. If you’re heading towards North Campus, then the places in Sunset might have an advantage, but marginal. Complaining that De Neve EF is far is like complaining that the TV is too far and you need a remote when you’re sitting a few feet away from the couch. Purely convenience. Another perspective: All the De Neve buildings are together. De Neve Acacia is the closest dorm to campus. Any statement that De Neve EF is far from campus is poorly referenced. Sure, it might be the farthest De Neve building from campus, but De Neve as a whole is the closest to campus.</p>
<p>There is nothing inherently bad with De Neve EF. Horror stories will come from people with bad floor experiences and roommates. It should be obvious that these factors change every year, vary among all floors, among all buildings. Still yet, sociability is not independent of the individual. There’s no reason why De Neve EF should be any less social than Rieber Vista. It’s the “I’m stuck in a dead building” that breeds misconceptions and prejudice against a building. Most all dorms on UCLA are fabulous, including De Neve EF.</p>
<p>Wireless Internet at UCLA has been pretty bad. The best times in my experience was in the dorms in the summer preceding my first fall quarter. Wifi as a whole is not very reliable. An Ethernet cable for the computer will fix that. Wired Internet is great and very fast. Invest in a long Internet cable if you want reliable service.</p>
<p>You can hear neighbor noise through the walls of any dorm. De Neve EF doesn’t suffer from a unique noise problem. The problem isn’t the room. It’s your neighbors.</p>
<p>De Neve EF is neither exclusively first-years, nor is it exclusively fourth-years. There will be a mix. Nobody can tell you what kind. Appreciate all your floor residents and you can be friends with anyone regardless of year. If you want friends, don’t rely on close living quarters to be the answer.</p>
<p>De Neve EF is a good place to live, but it is only what you make of it.</p>
<p>Social is valuable. Bathrooms are an option.</p>