<p>So, I'm considering UCLA, but I've heard a lot of bad things about cliqueyness of students. People have told me that the student body is very cliquey, and many minorities there will have nothing to do with white people.</p>
<p>Is this true? As someone who comes from a very cliquey high school and doesn't want a repeat experience, this would be good information to know ...</p>
<p>UCSB is a better choice for you, maybe.</p>
<p>Are you Asian? :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Nah, I'm white. But at my high school, many of the minorities are very exclusive and obsessed with their ethnicity, especially the asians. (not all of them, of course, but maybe 90%) And I don't mean simply proud of their heritage, that's fine, but actually verbally racist towards people outside their race. I know it's not a "PC" thing to say, but at my school it seems that the whites/Europeans are more accepting than the minorities.</p>
<p>It's really annoying to have to deal with. While I definitely want to go to a diverse college, I don't want to have to deal with the same types of snobs that attend my high school.</p>
<p>So, how is UCLA in this regard? Is the social scene really stratified by race like I've heard, or are people more accepting and open to those outside their ethnicity?</p>
<p>Sorry to hear that your high school was that way, but UCLA's cliques are quite similar to what you described. Walking east on Bruin Walk you can see that there's a lot of ethnic groups of varying degrees of exclusivity, and even some ethnic groups predicated on two or three degrees of exclusion (e.g. Asian-American Christian Fellowship, Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association, etc.) Outside the cliques people are fairly open-minded, though, and don't care about race or ethnicity. In my opinion, the racial cliques take a back seat to the political-spectrum cliques on campus (divestment from Sudan, the war in Iraq, affirmative action, protests over Coca-Cola, etc.) :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Actually, most of the cliques are religious based than ethnicity-based IMO.</p>
<p>What protests over Coca-Cola??</p>
<p>I was sooo happy to find out that our campus is not a 100% pepsi campus. However, I rarely can eat at Ackerman.</p>
<p>Anyone seen the "orientation video" on The Mike and Ben Show? (UCLA=Mainland China) :-P :rolleyes:</p>
<p>^Ucapplicant05, sometimes I'll eat in Ackerman just because they've got coke to drink. :) So you're not along in your feelings.</p>
<p>the protest over coke is about the sort of mysterious deaths in thier factories in columbia... at least thats was i could gather as they passed me on bruin walk the other day... and i think there was a story in the daily bruin the other day about it.</p>
<p>Hmm didn't see anything. And I always go through Bruin Walk everyday.</p>
<p>Racial tensions? I guess they're there, but I was a member of Nikkei student union, and I ain't Japanese folks.</p>
<p>I also did some time with the Muslim students, and I'm a crazy Jew, so what does that say about tensions? (Probably nothing, I know.)</p>
<p>Dude, no more Coke at UCLA? Good! I prefer Pepsi anyway. But when is Taco Bell coming back, dammit! I want to get a chalupa when I stop there in April!</p>
<p>Taco Bell has been back for the entire year. They just have a very limited menu and they'll be moving around since The Cooperage will be remodeled.</p>
<p>Didn't you walk past the Coca-Cola protesters performing mock executions of union workers in Bruin Plaza at noon last week? :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Not unless UCLA relocated to Japan. :p</p>
<p>cliqueyness really varies i'd say. some are really into their ethnic, religious, etc. background and find being at a big university to be a plus because they can make friends with those who are similar to them (an opportunity that they probably previously did not have). others think UCLA is great because of the diversity (of all kinds) here and the opportunity to make friends with those outside of your own background. </p>
<p>i dont see any racial tensions whatsoever... well on second thought, when it comes time for student government elections, the 2 main coalitions are (improperly?) labeled as "white frats" vs. "culture clubs."</p>