UCLA students or graduates please respond (Santa Monica, Fortuna: transfer, high school, university)

[teebird1012]

Hello I'm a rising senior in high school and have visited LA a couple of times (it's a 5 hour flight for me you see). I fell in love with the city, minus traffic on Santa Monica Blvd at 5 PM, and am considering applying to UCLA for my undergraduate studies. I wanted to hear opinions from people in the area about the school. As of now, I'm hoping to study architecture and have heard UCLA is one of the premier places on the west coast to do so. Any feedback about the school would be appreciated!

[katenik]

how are your grades and SAT scores? UCLA is very competitive.

[PecanPie]

I posted some info for you on another school in CA that is highly rated for architecture, in your other thread. As katenik said, UCLA can be very hard to get into, though I'd wonder that this other school might be also, if their architecture program is so good. Still between the two, I'm guessing you'll have an easier time with Cal Poly SLO than UCLA.

[bananaguyc]

UCLA is the top-rated University of California campus, is a Top-25 school (according to the America's Best Colleges 2008 report) and is competitive with many elite private campuses.

According to a campus press release regarding 2008-2009 admissions data (http://www.today.ucla.edu/news/080414_freshman-admissions/ - broken link), the average GPA for admitted freshmen for the upcoming 2008-2009 academic year is 4.34.

[dingo050]

I'm a graduating (tomorrow actually!) senior at UCLA, studying Political Science, and while I don't know much about the Architecture program, I know it is one of the most demanding and prestigious programs at UCLA, although most programs are highly ranked anyway.

UCLA is an amazing school. I transferred here two years ago, and I really regret not coming as a freshman, for I feel that as a freshman, you have infinitely more opportunities for internships, research, etc. As a school, UCLA definitely does not do any hand-holding. No one keeps track of you and it's easy to get lost in the crowd. However, it is what you make it, and I think that with a smaller and specialized program like Architecture, you'll be in a very close-knit network that will be more supportive than say, the College of Letters and Science. The cost of attending can be very expensive, especially if you're coming from out-of-state, but I think it's worth it. The experiences, the friends, and the connections you'll make here are endless, and most importantly, UCLA is a world-renowned school that has instant name recognition and to a degree a certain "impressive" factor.

PM if you have any questions, and best of luck to you!

[katenik]

Originally Posted by dingo050

I'm a graduating (tomorrow actually!) senior at UCLA, studying Political Science, and while I don't know much about the Architecture program, I know it is one of the most demanding and prestigious programs at UCLA, although most programs are highly ranked anyway.

UCLA is an amazing school. I transferred here two years ago, and I really regret not coming as a freshman, for I feel that as a freshman, you have infinitely more opportunities for internships, research, etc. As a school, UCLA definitely does not do any hand-holding. No one keeps track of you and it's easy to get lost in the crowd. However, it is what you make it, and I think that with a smaller and specialized program like Architecture, you'll be in a very close-knit network that will be more supportive than say, the College of Letters and Science. The cost of attending can be very expensive, especially if you're coming from out-of-state, but I think it's worth it. The experiences, the friends, and the connections you'll make here are endless, and most importantly, UCLA is a world-renowned school that has instant name recognition and to a degree a certain "impressive" factor.

PM if you have any questions, and best of luck to you!

congratulations! what's next for you?

[teebird1012]

I got a 31 on my ACT and am waiting to hear what I got on the June 14 ACT I took yesterday. My SAT scores are not as high, does the school prefer one test over the other? My grades at school are pretty good- weighted GPA= 4.17, unweighted is around a 3.8 or 3.9 (on 4.0 scale). I'm dying to get away from midwest and I just need a change of pace which is why I'm looking far away at CA. Thanks for your help!

[katenik]

Originally Posted by teebird1012

I got a 31 on my ACT and am waiting to hear what I got on the June 14 ACT I took yesterday. My SAT scores are not as high, does the school prefer one test over the other? My grades at school are pretty good- weighted GPA= 4.17, unweighted is around a 3.8 or 3.9 (on 4.0 scale). I'm dying to get away from midwest and I just need a change of pace which is why I'm looking far away at CA. Thanks for your help!

i'm not positive, but i think UC requires/accepts SAT scores, not ACT. (easy to check on their website, but i'm too lazy. YOU should take a look, though.)

have you considered the issue of out-of-state tuition, which perhaps triples the normal cost of attendance there? you might have a better chance of being admitted from out-of-state because they want regional diversity, but you won't get any financial assistance from state sources (which are important, because they don't have to be repaid).

check out the claremont colleges, particularly CMC. excellent reputation; a lot less pressure.

[teebird1012]

Originally Posted by katenik

i'm not positive, but i think UC requires/accepts SAT scores, not ACT. (easy to check on their website, but i'm too lazy. YOU should take a look, though.)

have you considered the issue of out-of-state tuition, which perhaps triples the normal cost of attendance there? you might have a better chance of being admitted from out-of-state because they want regional diversity, but you won't get any financial assistance from state sources (which are important, because they don't have to be repaid).

check out the claremont colleges, particularly CMC. excellent reputation; a lot less pressure.

I did check online and saw the average ACT score for applicants was a 28. This was coming from Princeton Review so it seems they accept both (I hate the UCLA website and couldn't find this information). <a long pause> Actually I just found it on the UCLA site and they do accept both tests.

[dingo050]

Thanks! It doesn't really feel real yet...I'm off to DC for a management position with a consulting firm at the end of the month...pretty excited. I don't know the exact rates, but out-of-state admission is extremely competetive at UCLA. Fortunately, for a specific program like Architecture, you may have to submit a portfolio, so admission should be more "talent-based" which hopefully should work in your favor. Again, I'm not sure, but the AUD website should have plenty of info. Good luck!