UCLA Admission
UCLA Undergraduate Program
UCLA Application

The Facts

UCLA always seems to be a presence on many college applicant’s lists of prospective and often, dream schools. Located in the entertainment capital of Los Angeles, the university reflects the busy and big atmosphere of its surrounding city. It is most definitely a large school, and caters to over 24,500 undergraduates as well as over 12,880 graduate students. Admission at UCLA is the most competitive out of all the California State school. Last year a staggering 44,994 students applied, while only 10,581 were admitted. Eventually, however, a mere 4,268 of those admitted actually matriculated.

The Class of 2004 had an average SAT score ranging from 1160 to 1410 and an ACT composite score ranging from 23 to 29. Over 97% of them were in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with a remarkable average GPA of an extra credit-ridden 4.13! It’s easy to see why admission is just so competitive.

The College of Letters and Sciences offers many degree programs, but some of the most popular majors include psychology, political science, economics/ business, biology, English, and the famous film program. The year is divided into quarters, making the schedule very academically rigorous. The required courses have no been reduced to three general areas of arts and humanities, society and culture, and scientific inquiry. Freshmen also have the option of a “First Year Cluster” in which they focus on a single theme for the year taught by various distinguished faculty members.

The academics are extremely competitive as well. The university draws both top faculty and students to its halls, and the faculty includes Nobel Prize winners and Guggenheim fellows, many teaching small undergraduate seminars.

The Social Scene

The UCLA campus is gorgeous, and a classic example of the Spanish Romanesque building style seen throughout Southern California. Students say that they constantly see various films being shot on campus, and there are always plenty of stars to ogle at. All of the buildings, despite their antiquated exteriors, are quite up to date, and many people agree that UCLA’s facilities are among the best in the nation.

Most students live on campus, as general housing in LA is notoriously expensive. The dorms are known to be extremely social, so first years especially have no trouble meeting people. (one student clues us in that the best first year dorm is called Dykstra Hall…remember this name…) There are constantly parties going on, both on-campus and off, as LA has tons of hot bars, clubs and restaurants, and not all of them are exorbitantly priced. There are frats and sororities, however, like most urban schools where the city rules the game, they aren’t really an influence on campus.

Constantly summer…guys…no shirts…girls…bikinis…running on beaches….nice.

What’s Good

“Everyone is really relaxed here and wear flip flops 24-7.”

“The faculty here is remarkable. They always make themselves available during office hours, and make sure students know they are available, even in large classes.”

“The school spirit here is amazing. Everyone is really behind the sports teams and the school in general.”

What’s Bad

“There are a lot of snobby rich SoCal kids that make you feel pretty inferior. It can get really cliquey.”

“The competition here is ridiculous. It’s kind of a dog eat dog place.”

“There are a lot of meat heads here who just got in on some lame sports scholarship.”

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