<p>Hello, I am 31 years old and have never been to college. I will be moving to Northern California next year and will go to a community college in the Redding area. I would love to transfer after that to UCLA. How is UCLA for non traditional students? my major worry is housing. I currently live in Oregon where apartments are really affordable. but looking at apartments in LA near campus look expensive, how can students afford to pay $1,500+ for a 1 bedroom apartment? or is there a better option.</p>
<p>Well I’ll admit that there aren’t too many non-traditional students in terms in undergraduate. It wouldn’t be negative, but naturally most undergraduate students here are between the ages of 18-22 (excluding the grad students remember) so given our immaturity, it might just be a bit weird to have a 31 year old man in a history class or something. HOWEVER! aside from that, non-traditional students seem to do fine. I had an elder person (probably mid 30s) doing his Bachelors and he was in my Art & Architecture 10 class. I think it was weird at first, naturally, but after seeing him a few times it was just whatever. Everyone minds their own business here really so that’s really all I can say. It’s not like anybody is going to talk trash about you or anything like that.</p>
<p>In terms of apartments near campus, they’re pretty expensive I admit, but most of us live with 3 other people on average so it’s usually a 2 bedroom apartment, 4 people, and rent is about ~$500 a month per person.</p>
<p>To echo notaznguy, we’re pretty open minded. We, as in the typical college student, meet so many people with such a wide breadth of backgrounds, would tend to overlook your age and perhaps even respect you for it (not to mention some shoulder tapping). Your perspective would be a good addition to the otherwise young crowd.</p>
<p>And most of the apartments I’ve been to have been split between 3 to 5 people, so it’s manageable under most incomes around here. But transfer students get one year of guaranteed housing (only in Delta Terrace of Sunset Village, I believe), so at least you’re taken care of for one year.</p>
<p>If you really want to have your own place and are beyond the years of debauchery [there’s a few complexes like mine in the north westwood village that have non-students], you can drive/bus to campus from the surrounding area where rent is cheaper. There are quite a few neighborhoods surrounding that will work for this.</p>