I can’t speak to the Applied Math programs, but my older kid is at UCI with Regents and my younger just committed to UCLA, so I’m happy to share what I know.
Regents at UCI has been great for my daughter - priority registration has given her so much flexibility (at least in Social Sciences) - she added a minor right away, studied abroad for a semester and might end up double majoring (or just taking lots of courses outside her major just because they interest her.). She started with the CHC program but at some point dropped because her AP credits helped meet a lot of GE credits, and she wanted more flexibility to take courses of her choosing.
(I understand that UCLA doesn’t accept APs for GEs.)
I think student life is different at the two campuses so see where your kid thinks they’d be happy. UCI is fairly quiet on weekends - it took a bit for her to get involved. Now she’s very busy with clubs and friends but her first quarter on campus she noticed that a lot of local students went home frequently on weekends.
Housing has been a bit tight at UCI the last couple years, but Regents students have guaranteed housing and she was able to renew her current room in her apartment for next year (yay!). She’s happy at UCI and I think it is a great fit for her.
My younger student just committed to UCLA and is so excited (the sports are a huge draw for him and he loved the campus) despite hearing that it might be a bit more of a fight to get the classes at UCLA.
Both programs will be great and regents at UCI makes it a competitive choice when compared to UCLA. I personally would still choose UCLA 100% for student culture but it depends on what his priorities are.
The past couple of years, several people have shared that they used the Patio app to find roommates. I have no personal experience. I’m just sharing what others have posted.
Move-In takes place over 4 days, prior to the start of the academic year. You will be assigned a specific date and time in late August (depending on what building you are in).
Which are the freshmen dorms and the most popular?do most get the ones requested or is it random luck?
Daughter just got accepted from the waitlist and UCLA so scrambling to get info as we missed Bruin Day !
We are in Berkeley for Cal Day! Bit crazy to pick from such great schools!!
You don’t pick your specific dorm but rather the type of dorm room you prefer — triple (with or without AC), double (with or without AC) in a “hall-style” dorm (rooms with shared bathrooms in hallways) vs more suite-style setups that have bathrooms within the suite. All are priced differently, and the type you get determines which building you might get in. They are all in one place on “the hill” — that’s a fun setup.
As a first year be prepared to end up in a triple in a hall-style dorm. Possibly without AC. But they are fun and that’s how you meet people. And it’s cheaper!
UCLA dorms at the cheapest cost seem like one of the most affordable within the UC system. And you are guaranteed 4 years of on/campus housing, NO other UC has that. It’s amazing. My son has been on the hill for two years (classic triple, no AC last year; deluxe triple this year (deluxe = AC)). Next year he is moving a few blocks away from the hill to an off-campus apartment with one other friend. But there are also on-campus apartments through the university.
It’s bearable most of the year. During hot spells the rooms on the south side of the building are generally more unpleasant than those on the other sides, so there’s an element of luck. You are most likely going to get a non air conditioned triple freshman year.
It’s 100% bearable. I’m in a classic room and found, with a small fan, that the September heat wave was totally bearable. There’s a decent chance (but less than 50%) that you will be able to get an A/C dorm as a freshman. The most common room types for freshmen are: classic triple (no A/C), deluxe triple (yes A/C), and plaza triple (yes A/C AND private or semiprivate bathroom). Some very lucky freshmen get a classic double (no A/C).
After being in the classic dorms (no A/C, communal bathroom, almost all freshmen), I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else my first year. Because almost everyone is a freshmen in my hall, everyone is social and I’ve been able to make many friends I otherwise wouldn’t have. My friends have a plaza triple in another building that’s primarily sophomores and upperclassmen, and there is much less of a community feel. They don’t know a single other person in their building.
tl;dr: best dorms for freshmen are the classics for the social situation/adjusting to college. Also several thousand cheaper.
You can request a Deluxe triple or double or other type of room with AC but you might not get it. But it’s honestly not unbearable except for a few days of the year. Kids have fans — I recommend the WooZoo fan. It’s one of the few items I’ve ever bought that actually kind of lives up to the hype.
I’m a big fan of Cal (have a fun day at Cal Day today!! I’m reminding myself not to drive near campus mid-day as I bring my youngest back from soccer! ) as I live here in Berkeley. But if housing availability and ease and cost is part of your calculus, UCLA wins hands-down. Not to mention dining. UCLA by a million miles. Otherwise both great schools, can’t go wrong!
Adding to @ucla_cs_god endorsement for
the classic triple and hall-style dorms (great prevailing wisdom, imo!) — the communal bathrooms are fine! They get cleaned very regularly and in the end that seems to be preferable for some to the suite/plaza style setup where 1) bathrooms get dirtier, cleaned less often; 2) you may have to wait to shower because there are fewer of them
Don’t be afraid of the Classic Triple! It’s part of the experience
Another high-five for the classic triple. My daughter is a freshman in Hedrick Hall and it’s super social. She knows a bunch of her floormates, they are always in the lounge. She has been fine with no AC—has a Woozoo and a mini fan attached to her bed frame (top bunk). Next year, she’s in a triple plaza — Rieber Terrace — rooming with one current roommate, another friend, and sharing a bathroom with her friends next door. She loves the hill, loves the meal plan and food.
) as I live here in Berkeley. But if housing availability and ease and cost is part of your calculus, UCLA wins hands-down. Not to mention dining. UCLA by a million miles. Otherwise both great schools, can’t go wrong!