<p>since your son is interested in biology, as is a large chunk of the student population at ucla, he'll learn quickly that the science majors at ucla are quite competitive (and are graded on curves). some students can be cutthroat, especially if they want to get into a top med school. intro classes can be big. however, research opportunities are available... i'm not too familiar with it since im not a science major. on another note, there is the fiat lux program, where freshmen can take small 1-unit seminars with professors on interesting topics. </p>
<p>there are several ROTC programs available at ucla, i believe navy and army are two of them. but i dont know too much about them... only that i do see them doing drills and stuff sometimes, and that my roommate was in it (but dropped because he was in it only for financial reasons and didnt really like it)</p>
<p>Housing: try to do a dorm tour too. there's a wide range of housing options, with the prices ranging from around 8,000 (triple in residence hall with 11 meals) up to 14,000 (single in suite with 19 meals) a year and everything in between. many dorms are fairly new (built in late 1990s i think)... the older residence halls are adequate and are either renovated or currently being renovated. two new halls are opening next year. dorms are located on west side of campus, separate from all the classrooms. dorms are also very convenient as they are all close to each other and also close to all the dining halls (by the way, UCLA dining hall food is VERY good). visit <a href="http://www.housing.ucla.edu%5B/url%5D">www.housing.ucla.edu</a> for more info</p>
<p>"Seems from what we've read that many students leave UCLA's campus on weekends to go home."
there are many students that go home on the weekend, but UCLA is NOT a commuter school. there are many students (moreso than the commuters) that stay during the weekends. weekend activity options can include visiting LA (if u have a car), just hanging out in westwood... or going to a football game at the rose bowl or a basketball game at pauley. there's always something to do at ucla. </p>
<p>"Hard for me to think about UCLA - when I was applying to schools 25 years ago, UCLA wasn't a top school. I think it's moved up the ranks."
true. ucla was only founded in 1919, which makes it relatively new (i mean, when you applied, it was only around ucla's 60th year of existence!). but as many others will tell you at this board, ucla deserves to be a top 25 school for many reasons.</p>
<p>"So - my question - why UCLA? "
the most popular answer to that is "the balance of academics and social life." there is just so much to do at ucla, you get to enjoy a traditional college life experience, and because of the diverse opportunities of things to do, you'll probably find something that fits you... but at the same time, ucla students take their academics seriously as well. i don't think there's any other school that's so balanced between academics and social life. </p>
<p>i think your son will also enjoy the weather... it was raining last week, but its sunny outside as i type this. californians are also very friendly, so he shouldn't have a hard time adapting. ucla's also a very diverse campus in many aspects.</p>