We are from the Midwest. Our son has made his decision and is very excited to be attending in the Fall - Herb Alpert School of Music. We are trying to figure out how much Bruin Bound is geared more toward those still in the decision process vs critical to attend for incoming students to be well-informed. Will there be other opportunities to get a similar experience/the same info before orientation. Tours for the 8th are full and we’re having trouble getting decent flights. The music school does have their own events on the 8th - intro from dean, program specific info session and a lunch on the green that we hate to miss but getting there on such short notice will be a challenge. Any thoughts on the value of attending Bruin Bound if decision has already been made? We self-toured in the Fall and could visit in the summer if needed. Thanks for any thoughts.
How big is the entire freshman class at UCLA? I’ve also heard that some big lectures are at full capacity and kids are sitting on the ground? Also, wow, 4 years guaranteed housing, what exactly does that mean-do juniors and seniors live in apartments owned by the university?
A post was merged into an existing topic: UCLA Class of 2026 Waitlist/Appeal Discussion
UCLA Housing question: My son is filling out the housing application and wondering what is the best on campus housing for him. He’s not sure if UCLA will match him with TFT students or not. Also is it best to have double, triple OCH and which dorms might be best for Theater kids. Thank you.
Almost freshmen get triples no matter what you ask for. Best strategy may be to make newer triples top choice instead of any doubles. My daughter is a freshman and she is in a classic triple (her lowest rated choice) which is basically the same room I had when I went to UCLA 35 years but I only had 1 roommate. She was upset at first but once on campus she really loves it. So not that bad. Returning students already applied and received housing for next year and she has a double hence why all Freshmen have triples. Triples are not as bad as it appears to be.
They don’t assign roommates by major but you can find people on social media and ask to room together. They also have a questionnaire to fill out to group people together with similar interest when assigning rooms. It’s a luck of the draw and usually works out. You don’t really know until you live with somebody. They are options to change if situation is truly untenable.
Freshman are only allowed triples. You get to rank the dorms in terms of preference but it’s not guaranteed. Kids aren’t grouped by majors typically.
Yeah its gonna be hit or miss.
If you are unsure, attend Bruin Bound events. Anything after that is just generic campus tours. They do a great job at the events, although on a smaller scale cause of COVID when it used to be just Bruin Day.
Here are some official UCLA Bruin Day youtube videos (older but a good idea of what you’ll see):
(2) UCLA Bruin Day - YouTube
(2) UCLA Bruin Day 2013 - YouTube
About 6500. Only the big GE’s that everyone takes (GE’s are not major related classes btw) tend to be as huge as you are thinking. The largest lecture hall can only accommodate 350ish people. Most of everything big is 220 or less. 60% of all classes are less than 50 people. I have never sat on the ground or seen someone sit on the ground unless they wanted to sit in the front row for some odd reason.
4 years of guaranteed housing is nice but in practice, most students move out of the dorms by 2nd or 3rd year. The majority of Westwood apartment are privately owned so your lease will not be via UCLA.
@steven_karlin @thunder52 @carina_m
UCLA housing does it by an app. It does not matter when the app is done as long as you submit by the deadline. You get to choose roommates or go random. And you can preference type of dorms. Remember you can get any dorm you want as a freshman as long as its a classic triple or plaza triple usually haha.
It is because other dorm types and doubles and singles are usually taken up by current students. A handful of those types exist for freshman but you’ll usually find that your neighbors will be older and have their own friends already. I highly highly highly rec that everyone opts for a classic triple. Not only is it the most social and has mostly all freshman, its also the cheapest (parents rejoice). The social aspect of a classic is great and its a good place to adjust to college. Classic triple all the way.
For those worried about the lack of AC, it only affects the first couple and last couple weeks of school. Westwood is close to Santa Monica and the ocean keeps things breezy. I never even used my fan most days.
Go to whatever school she can get the highest GPA in (plus GPA in the med school pre req courses). Between the two, UCLA will be the better option. The medical research at UCLA is also top notch. Having DGSOM and Ronald Regan MC within walking distance (legit 10 min walk from the dorms) is a huge plus. Cal may require ubering etc to get that kind of clinical experience.
Opt into the UCLA waitlist and best of luck!
Let us know over here on CC if you have any questions! Those groups are more geared towards committed students. Parents should prob avoid the student groups and join the parent ones. Just a pro tip to avoid embarrassing the kid. Once they are in college they’ll need to and should be managing their educational stuff on their own.
That’s quite appropriate. I am a member of the UCLA parents 2023 group for my son who joined in 2019. It’s a great group and it makes total sense to admit you in once your kid commits. I recall the discussions back in2019 were with respect to hotel bookings and meal plans etc. None will make sense for parents of kids that has not decided.
As time progresses discussions change…we were talking covid and off campus housing in past couple of years.
I have seen some parents post about students graduating in 2.5-3 years already and how to book hotel for their commencement!!
It gets over so fast!
How I wish I could become a member of parent group 2026!
I dropped off my S at the flixbus stop today for the bus that travels from bay area to ucla, took my applicant daughter with me. She wishes she takes the bus next fall to college, rather than us drive her to Berkeley! How I wish this all comes true!
We totally love UCLA!
No questions about that …thx for your reply…she drafted the commitment letter already and is highly motivated. It’s pretty clear after talking to most people that Berkeley poses significant challenges as opposed to UCLA for someone who plans to apply to med school.
Thanks - I would never dream of trying to join a student group! I was referring to the parent group, but found that they only permit parents whose kids have actually committed, not those who are deciding.
Thanks so much - makes sense.
In our experience (our son is currently a first-year student, living on the Hill), pretty much all freshmen get triples regardless of how they ranked their options. I’m sure that’s not always true (especially if you are an athlete or something else special), but it’s by and large the case. Expect to get a Classic Triple (no AC) and then be pleasantly surprised if you end up in a Deluxe Triple (triple with AC and just a little more space than a classic triple, all of which were designed to be doubles but have had 3 kids crammed in them for years). He didn’t care much about AC last year, so I think he ranked Classic Double first and ended up in a Classic Triple. It’s been fine – there aren’t that many days where you are dying from the heat and everybody has a fan. He’s already lined up to have a Deluxe Triple next year with one of his friends he met this year and then either a random third that UCLA assigns or maybe they will somehow find a third. I’d say most second-years are still living on the hill and then it starts to vary. Housing really has nothing to do with majors, but if you wanted to find another TFT student to room with, you can work that out and go in together in terms of how you rank the rooms. Welcome to UCLA!
I don’t know how the new “Bruin Bound” events differ from what was offered last year as a virtual “Bruin Day,” but I’m sure if you are already decided (Congrats!), you’ll be fine. Our son pretty much knew he was coming by the time the virtual “Bruin Day” events rolled around, but he did log on to participate in a few sessions that were really helpful, including an information session hosted by the marching band that I think helped put him over the top to try out for that – best decision ever as being in marching band has been the most important part of his social life this first year. Hopefully your son could participate in some virtual events? I’m betting that all the rest isn’t that important and he’ll catch up as soon as he’s in Westwood in September.
How does my daughter sign up? The link on events doesn’t work. She did receive a working link for another welcome event from the Latinx community. But we cannot find the Bruin day sign up. Please help
Any idea when Alumni scholarships come out?