Transfer student & dorms???

I know this question has probably been asked a bazillion times, but I’ve yet to find a straight answer. I’m a transfer student who just got accepted into UCLA (!!!) and the financial aid I’m getting is a pretty good deal. However, it only covers tuition (Blue & Gold Opportunity Plan) and like, half of housing. In order to not totally break the bank my first year at a four-year (I’m trying to save taking out loans for my senior year if I can), I have to choose the cheapest housing possible, aka the communal residence halls. And in order to keep the amount of aid I have, I have to live on campus, so no apartments for me just yet.

So I guess my questions would be…

  1. is it common to find transfer students/juniors in the residence halls? Would I feel out of place amongst a bunch of Freshmen?
  2. Do they have a system to rooming based on grade level at all? I’ve heard that certain halls are all-Freshmen, etc.
  3. Are upperclassmen considered less priority when it comes to being able to get housing?

Thanks! I understand that not a lot of people have this experience, and thus, probably won’t be able to answer, but I figured I’d ask anyway.