What's it like?

<p>I'm a senior living abroad, and I applied to UCLA. I really want to go there, but the thing is, I've never been to California, so I don't really know what it's like to live there. </p>

<p>Could anyone just briefly tell me about what it's like to live in UCLA/ LA?</p>

<p>-First of all, california is the best damn state in the best country ever, and southern california is one of the best (if not the best) places in california, so if you go to UCLA you will be in the best place in the world.
-A lot of traffic: learn to use public transportation ahead of time or else you might end up stranded somewhere and end up paying $40 bucks for a cab when you could have payed $1.25 for a bus (like I did)
-It's almost always sunny
-When it's not sunny all you hear is complaining
-It doesn't matter what season it is: girls will always wear uggs and sweatpants
-It seems like the majority of kids that go to UCLA are from SoCal, but a ton are from other places.
-Pretty much everybody is chill and relaxed here
-I hope you like walking...no campus shuttle + theres a ton of hills and stairs (not a bad thing though)
-Food is awesome....I'm getting my nom nom on right now.
-You are within walking distance of everything you'll ever need, plus you are within bus distance of everything you don't need but would want anyways.</p>

<p>Going to school in Los Angeles is an experience you don't want miss out on. I personally would never live in LA (maybe orange county, but not LA) because of the traffic. But I love going to school here. Good luck with your decision</p>

<p>Also, stolen from facebook:
You know you're from California when...../Californians are better because............</p>

<p>Everyone hates cops</p>

<p>You live next door to mexicans</p>

<p>You say "like" and "for sure" and "right on" and "dude" and "totally" and "peace out" and "chill" and "tight" and "bro" and "hell of" and "hella"(Nor Cal only) and "faded" and "stoked" and "fo sho" and you say them often</p>

<p>You know what real cheese taste like.</p>

<p>All the porn you watch is made here, cause we **** better and thats how it is.</p>

<p>You don't get snowdays off because theres only snow in Mammoth, Tahoe, Shasta, and Big Bear.</p>

<p>You can wear sandals all year long.</p>

<p>You go to the Beach - not "down to the shore."</p>

<p>You know 65 mph really means 100.</p>

<p>When someone cuts you off, they get the horn and the finger and high speed chase cuz we dont **** around on the road.</p>

<p>The drinking age is 21 but everyone starts at 14 (legally 18 if you live close enough to the border).</p>

<p>Our governor can kick your governors ass.</p>

<p>You can go out at midnight.</p>

<p>You judge people based on what area code they live in, and when asked where you're from, you give your area code.</p>

<p>You might get looked at funny by locals when you're on vacation in their state, but when they find out you're from California you turn into a Greek GOD.</p>

<p>We don't stop at stop signs... we do a "california roll"
No cop no stop baby!</p>

<p>You can get fresh and REAL Mexican food 24 hours a day.</p>

<p>All the TV shows you "other" states watch get filmed here.</p>

<p>EVERYONE smokes weed. no exceptions.</p>

<p>We're the Golden State. Not the Cheese State. Not the Garden State.....GOLDEN!!!</p>

<p>We have In-N-Out (Arizona and Vegas are lucky we share that with them).</p>

<p>We have the most representation in the House of Representatives, which means our opinion means more than yours, which means we're better than you.</p>

<p>The best athletes come from here.</p>

<p>We got disneyland....wut now!</p>

<p>We have The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf which is way better than Starbucks.</p>

<p>We call it soda, not pop.</p>

<h2>Oh, and no one from California calls it Cali... that's how we know you're not from around here.</h2>

<p>The fastest part of your commute is down your driveway.</p>

<p>You were born somewhere else.</p>

<p>Your sense of direction=Toward the ocean and away from the ocean.</p>

<p>You eat an In n Out burger at least once a week!!!</p>

<p>You know how to eat an artichoke.</p>

<p>The primary bugs that you worry about are electronic.</p>

<p>Your car has bullet-proof windows.</p>

<p>Left is right and right is wrong.</p>

<p>Your monthly house payments exceed your annual income.</p>

<p>You can't find your other earring because your son/brother is wearing it.</p>

<p>You drive to your neighborhood block party.</p>

<p>Your family tree contains "significant others."</p>

<p>You don't exterminate your roaches, you smoke them.</p>

<p>You see 25 lawyers chasing an ambulance.</p>

<p>More than clothes come out of the closets.</p>

<p>You go to a tanning salon before going to the beach.</p>

<p>More money is spent on facelifts than on diapers.</p>

<p>Smoking in your office is not optional.</p>

<p>You pack shorts and a T-shirt for skiing in the snow, and a sweater and a wetsuit for the beach.</p>

<p>When you can't schedule a meeting because you must "do lunch."</p>

<p>Your children learn to walk in Birkenstocks.</p>

<p>You'll reluctantly miss yoga class to wait for the hot tub repairman.</p>

<h2>You consult your horoscope before planning your day.</h2>

<p>All highways into the state say: "no fruits."</p>

<p>All highways out of the state say: "Go back."</p>

<p>The Terminator is your governor</p>

<p>You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?</p>

<p>It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH"</p>

<p>You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from California.</p>

<p>Your coworker has 8 body piercings and none are visible.</p>

<p>You make over $300,000 and still can't afford a house.</p>

<p>You take a bus and are shocked at two people carrying on a conversation in English.</p>

<p>You don't care what race people are because you're too busy wondering what gender they are.</p>

<p>You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown and can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.</p>

<p>You know which restaurant serves the freshest arugula.</p>

<p>It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.</p>

<p>A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.</p>

<p>A low speed police pursuit will interrupt ANY TV broadcast.</p>

<p>Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere else in the U.S.</p>

<p>A man gets on the bus in full leather regalia and crotchless chaps. You don't even notice.</p>

<p>Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing the baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney IS George Clooney.</p>

<p>Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.</p>

<p>The normal symbols on restrooms mean "people wearing pants" and "people wearing skirts".</p>

<p>Your hairdresser is straight, your plumber is gay, the woman who delivers your mail is into S &M, and your Mary Kay rep is a guy in drag.</p>

<p>Both you AND your dog have therapists.</p>

<p>You have to leave the big company meeting early because Billy Blanks himself is teaching the 4:00 PM Tae Bo class.</p>

<p>You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cell phones or pagers.</p>

<p>In SoCal, any day you want to do something, there are an almost unlimited number of great things you can choose from. That's the positive side. On the negative side, whichever of those things that you choose, no matter what it is, thousands of other people will have chosen to do it at the exact same time as you.</p>

<p>
[quote]
A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Truth. </p>

<p>10ch</p>

<p>finals week during fall quarter i was sweating while walking to class wearing shorts tshirt and sandals.</p>

<p>While it's usually sunny, it's also crazy fickle. Rain usually comes quickly when it comes. The weather forecast changes significantly multiple times per day. And not EVERYONE complains when it isn't sunny. I did a rain dance and rocked out to my "happy music" in celebration of today's drear. I like rain. (I'm also from norcal, so i'm weird I s'pose.) :p</p>

<p>There's a ton to do here and it's more diverse than one would expect from all the stereotypes. UCLA has everybody, pretty much.</p>

<p>yay thanks everyone! I really hope I get into UCLA!!</p>

<p>
[quote]
-When it's not sunny all you hear is complaining

[/quote]
</p>

<p>i <strong><em>ing hate socal weather....</em></strong> i want a normal winter where i can wear my fur coat! :mad:</p>

<p>I hate when it's fripple cold. Combine that with our janky ass public transit... waiting 30+ min at a cold-ass bus stop is not fun.</p>

<p>Anyway, I had an ex from Boston who came here and HATED us Angelenos. Apparently, we're all stuck up, superficial, close-minded rude-ass pricks. And someone told me the other day how you can tell while snowboarding who the Angelenos were because they cut in line and shove and push and pretend not to see you.</p>

<p>Should I get out of the habit of saying "hella" if I end up going to LA?</p>

<p>Thats funny, I am from norcal and I love the rain. We must be a different breed. I also thought it was funny that one of the posts said "hella" was a norcal thing. I always say hella and when people from out of state hear me they act like I am crazy.</p>

<p>I'm from Southern California and I absolutely hate hot, sweaty days. I find rain to be one of the most beautiful things ever.</p>

<p>People tend to misrepresent Southern CA's weather, though. It may be very hot during the day, but it's also pretty damn cold during the late evening and early morning. Between around 1am and 7am, it's f.u.cking cold.</p>

<p>The mindset is definitely different between norcal & socal.</p>

<p>^ Amen. Char</p>

<p>My roommate (from Riverside) hates it when I say "hecka." Apparently it's like hella but 10 time worse to his ears. For some reason it straight up bothers some SoCal-ers to hear people say "hella." It's just a 'word', chill. For the record, I hella say hecka. ;)</p>

<p>

Same same, and I have no plans to change if I go to UCLA.</p>

<p>A Person from Redding thinks:
1. NoCal means anything north of San Francisco
2. SoCal Means San Francisco to the Mexican Border</p>

<p>A Person from San Francisco thinks:
1. NoCal means Big Sur and above
2. SoCal means Hearst Castle and below</p>

<p>A Person from L.A. thinks:
1. NoCal means Santa Barbara and above
2. SoCal means everything that is cool
3. LoCal means San Diego</p>

<p>A Person from San Diego thinks:
1. Over the Line should be an Olympic sport
2. We shouldn't trust people who don't surf
3. We should always trust people who do surf, even if they are criminal politicians</p>

<p>yuck. i can’t stand it when people say “hella.” i’m a los angeleno if you didn’t know already.</p>

<p>it’s always funny, whenever i go up north to San Francisco, i feel like i’m in an entirely different state, but i look at the license plates on the cars and quickly realize that i’m still in California.</p>

<p>Living for a summer with a couple of girls from the Bay Area, and I picked up “hella”, and I can’t stop. If you’re not from Norcal and you drop “hella” everywhere, you will get weird looks. </p>

<p>But you know what, Norcal people? It’s a total Socal thing to not give a care about what people say about you. So I’m not dropping my stupid habit.</p>

<p>^ Yeah, 'cause ALL NorCal people are self-consciousness, right?</p>