<p>I'm visiting UCLA for the first time tomorrow and I need some advice on how to make the most of my visit. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to reserve a housing tour, so I only got a campus walking tour at 2:15 p.m. What places on campus will be open for me to check out, and are there any particular things that are recommended? This will be my first college campus tour, so I'm not sure what I should do outside of the little campus tour itself. I want to get the best feel for the campus as possible to help me in my decision (full-ride UCSD vs. UCLA vs. Berkeley EECS) I'm majoring in electrical engineering, if that helps.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Oh, also, do I need to check-in anywhere or anything (Since I had to RSVP through my acceptance page, I'm guessing that it isn't an open tour)? Can I just bring my school ID as proof?</p>
<p>-take photos of students trying to get to class
-obscure walkways so students have to dodge you to get to class
-ask to cut in front of students in line in the coffee house because zomg the tour is in 15 minutes. </p>
<p>not that you would, but seriously? spring time= zoo time at UCLA, and all of those things happen too too too much. </p>
<p>that said, im not sure but i think you just show up to the kerckhoff lobby before your tour time. i could be wrong so check the website, but im pretty sure that's how it goes. </p>
<p>i highly suggest wandering around on your own before/after the tour to get a better feel of the campus outside of the stuff they show you. maybe walk into westwood to get a feel for that, too. or hike up bruinwalk and see where the dorms are.</p>
<p>everything will be open, considering it's a typical monday. i don't think easter monday will affect things too much?
the walking tour will hit all the basics. after that, do some exploring on your own. go into some of the classroom buildings, and by late afternoon you might be able to find a couple empty classrooms to get a feel for what they're like. try haines hall if you're in north campus, and if you're in south campus and feeling brave check out MS/Boelter. i know you'd be a south campus major, but you should get a feel for north campus as well and see how they differ. also, go into powell library. i'm not sure if the tour goes IN or not. just poke your head in a few buildings! no one is going to kick you out of them. IF you get lost, a handy tip is to navigate by the fire escape diagrams on every floor (also a good way to find your classes at any school) :)
also, try some on-campus food: ackerman has a bunch of things, but there's also luvalle commons in north campus or the bombshelter in south. also, if you have time, just wander. see what seems interesting, and meander to places the tour didn't take you. ride up the boelter elevator to the 9th floor, go out the door, and look at the view. or wander behind bunche hall into the sculpture garden. there are plenty of hidden (and not so hidden) things around campus.
since you didn't get a housing tour, wander around the dorms on your own. the doors are locked, but you can go into the de neve lobby. also, for pretty much any building you can just loiter around the door and wait til someone comes out. i know it seems stalkerish, but it's the best way to see what you normally won't without a tour (or, if you KNOW someone who lives here, ask them for their own tour). if you can't get into any buildings, just walk around the hill. don't stick to the bottom with de neve/dykstra: go ALL the way up to hedrick, look at sunset rec, and make your way down. look at the residential restaurants, and maybe buy a meal pass for a dining hall (if you're there before 2 or after 5pm). sure it's overpriced, but it's best to judge food for yourself.
when you're done with all of that... make sure to explore westwood. maybe you won't be planning to spend a lot of time there, but whenever you want to catch a movie (besides the free sneak peaks) or eat away from the dorms, you're going to be in either westwood, la jolla (if you have a car?) or downtown berkeley. i'm hoping you'll have visited all three schools. the area plays a HUGE factor in your on-campus life: i love how westwood is far safer than berkeley, and is a great mix between socal glitz and college budget savvy.
so explore. A LOT! at any school you go to, the best way to get the most out of your visit is to see the most/do the most you possibly can. go deeper than the tours they offer you: those are good for orienting yourself. then take it further.
good luck in your decision, you have three great schools to choose from! :)</p>
<p>Haha, I'll be sure not to do those things :)</p>
<p>How about visiting lectures? On the website it says that certain professors allow you to attend their lectures. Do I need to talk with anyone to confirm my attendance, or can I just walk in before class starts? The only classes that interest me that are available on Tuesday are Physics 1A and Molecular, Cell, and Development Biology 50. I was really hoping more courses relevant to electrical engineering would be available (I'm taking AP Physics right now, so Physics 1A doesn't sound very exciting).</p>
<p>liyana179 - By "tomorrow" I meant Tuesday :)</p>
<p>im totally on campus at 215 on tuesday so im going to hold you to that : )</p>
<p>and yeah. liyana took the time to say everything i would have said if i felt like typing a lot. surrounding areas are REALLY important and you should take them into serious consideration when determining where you want to go to school.</p>
<p>you can attend lectures if you wish. professors dont check attendance and wont be able to tell who is enrolled in their class or not. just dont disrupt the class. if you go in the middle of a lecture, do it discreetly (pretend you were late to class and trying to sneak in without anyone noticing). try to sit near the back and on an aisle seat in case you want to leave early, and if you do, do it discreetly without disrupting people in the class.</p>
<p>The tour groups that I've seen were pretty big, so I don't think they would really notice if you snuck into a tour group. If you aren't bringing a lot of people, you could probably do the same if you find a housing tour group wandering around.</p>
<p>There's some upper division EE classes on Tuesday, you can visit those if you want. I don't think most professors really care if you attend a lecture as long as it's not like lab class.</p>
<p>Some Diddy Riese or Pinkberry from Westwood?</p>
<p>Also, I guess there's some "Engineer's Week" thing going on in the Court of Sciences with booths and stuff. And a tennis game against San Diego State.</p>
<p>Okay, so this is "E-WEEK"? Do I just walk to the "Court of Sciences"? Or is it a lecture/seminar like grark linked (in which I have to go to a classroom?)? I'm really hesitant to visit any classrooms that weren't on the list on the UCLA website as I really don't want to be a burden or disrupt anything.</p>
<p>The seminar is in some class, and I would expect there to be more professors/grad students than undergrad...
The E-Week is supposed to be outside in the courtyard, but I only saw a couple booths today <em>shrug</em>
for tomorrow:</p>
<p>Tuesday: in Court of Sciences 11 AM - 2 PM
Come see people get dirty in the Pie eating contest by PIE!
Come check out tabling by Engineering student groups.</p>