<p>When I went on the housing tours, I liked the plazas way more than the halls. However, I've heard that since not as many freshmen live in the plazas, freshmen sometimes get housed with upperclassmen and don't make as many close friends. Also are there even freshmen floors in the plazas?</p>
<p>My son was in a plaza two years ago. Everyone had told him to go for a “hall” because they were more social, but in the room draw he ended up in a Plaza. There were a lot of freshmen on the floor, it was VERY social and he made a lot of friends. He lived in the same plaza one floor up the next year and had a great year as well. He said it is the luck of the draw, some plazas or halls are very social and some plaza or halls are not. I think all halls/plazas are mixed with freshmen and upper class. Lots of upper-class students pick the halls because they are cheaper.</p>
<p>As a freshman, you’re entered in the housing lottery, and you can get paired or tripled up with anyone–another freshman, a sophomore, junior or other. I suspect UCLA Housing tries to put freshmen together though for the sake of compatibility. There are no floors specific for freshmen. People on your floor will be diverse. Don’t expect to just make friends without any effort, even if you get a residence hall. Sometimes a good RA will help facilitate the friend-making process by organizing and hosting cool events, but some RAs don’t care about your social life and will let their floors become quiet and antisocial. In that case, that’s what floor government is for. You won’t be socially doomed in a plaza unless you decide to stay inside your room all day. It’s entirely possible to be social and make friends on a plaza if you look for it.</p>