UCLA was ranked No. 1 in Forbes' 2018 list of America's Best Value Colleges.
According to the Los Angeles Times, UCLA has once again broken its own record as the most applied-to U.S. university this year. Preliminary screening shows UCLA received more than 113,000 qualified applications for the fall 2018 term and admitted only 5,700 students. With an acceptance rate as low as 5%, it has joined the ranks of schools "harder to get into than the Ivy League."
Meanwhile, the UC system received about 221,000 applications for 2018, and UCLA alone accounted for nearly half. Such staggering numbers truly reflect the idea of "taking only one cup from a mighty river."
UCLA's graduate and doctoral programs are even harder to get into than the Ivy League. Some have vented: "This year I applied for a humanities PhD, got admitted to Princeton, Columbia, and Yale but was rejected by UCLA..."
The University of California (UC) is a system of 10 public universities in California and is the most influential public university system in the world, hailed as "the model of public higher education."
Ranked the second-best public university in the nation, UCLA has consistently drawn widespread attention, thanks to its high-level academic research, headline-making star athletes, prime location, and incredibly delicious dining halls.
1. High-Level Academic Research
At most prestigious American universities, fame often comes from strength in certain disciplines. Few schools develop across the board with no blind spots, like UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Stanford.
Among UCLA's many programs, engineering, healthcare, and the arts are the most outstanding, and the engineering school even has ties with NASA. If a Chinese international student aims to work in the U.S. after graduation, studying computer science at UCLA is a great choice. Because UCLA CS graduates are essentially snapped up one after another.
Mathematics Department
UCLA's math department is vast, with a large number of faculty and students. Its greatest strengths are algebraic number theory and algebraic geometry (stronger than Columbia's), gathering a host of disciples of Princeton's old masters such as Langlands. In differential geometry and mathematical physics, there is Liu Kefeng, a Peking University alumnus and Zhejiang University department head, who was a student of YAU.
To accommodate diverse interests, the math department offers many majors. If you focus on theory, you can choose Mathematics; if you're an engineering or industry enthusiast, Applied Mathematics; Financial Actuarial Mathematics is for students aiming for careers in business and finance.
Though their industries differ, students in these majors share one thing: they all grasp critical thinking at UCLA and understand how the classroom connects to the workplace. Many UCLA undergraduates pursue further studies, while others start working immediately after graduation, with an average starting salary of $59,000 and a mid-career average annual salary of $108,000.
In alumni's eyes, the UCLA math department is comparable to most Ivy League schools. UCLA's academic prowess even surpasses some mid-tier Ivy League institutions.
2. Headline-Making Star Athletes
UCLA's athletic culture is among the best in American universities, boasting many national-level athletes and producing numerous Olympic gold medalists for the U.S. In NCAA championship competitions, UCLA's title count leads by a wide margin, with standout performances in basketball, football, baseball, swimming, golf, and track and field. UCLA has contributed many legendary basketball stars to the NBA, at least six of whom are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Notably, UCLA is a top incubator for American Olympians: on the U.S. college Olympic gold medal list, UCLA ranks second. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, 74% of U.S. competing athletes came from 130 different American universities, and UCLA students alone contributed 7 gold medals.
UCLA Bruins
UCLA is the most successful university in NCAA history and a traditional powerhouse. UCLA has won 11 NCAA championships, including a seven-peat from 1967 to 1973, and holds the NCAA men's basketball record of 88 consecutive wins.
NBA Hall of Famer:
"Skyhook" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
UCLA's most iconic representative, "Skyhook" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was a six-time NBA MVP, the all-time leading scorer, and a six-time champion.
Jabbar's "Skyhook" nickname stems from his unstoppable hook shot, inspired by John Wooden's guidance. Except for his first year when rules prevented him from playing, Jabbar swept the NCAA in the following three years. To curb his unguarded dunking, the NCAA even changed the rule in 1967, banning players from dunking during games (the ban was lifted in 1976). John Wooden soon pointed a searching Jabbar toward a new scoring method: "Why not try the hook shot?" Thus, a dunking phenom evolved into the eternal "Skyhook."
From 1967 to 1969, the Jabbar-led UCLA won three straight NCAA titles, and the "Skyhook" himself was named NCAA's top center three consecutive times. Over his entire collegiate career, he led the team to an 88–2 record.
John Wooden: The Legendary Coach Who Built a Seven-Peat Dynasty
In the NCAA, called "the purest form of basketball" in the U.S., one team—the UCLA Bruins—used relentless effort and extraordinary talent to create a historic blue-and-gold seven-peat dynasty.
John Wooden with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
When recalling UCLA's glorious basketball history, we cannot overlook the statue that stands at the most prominent spot on Bruins Walk—John Robert Wooden, the legendary NCAA and national basketball coach, the only person in U.S. basketball history inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.
The Love-Hate Rivalry of Blue and Red
USC and UCLA have been locked in a love-hate relationship for nearly a century. Whenever the two schools' football teams face off, campus alertness reaches its peak. The root of this rivalry, in summary, is a "bell" that sparked a "feud."
The Victory Bell was originally mounted on a Southern Pacific Railroad locomotive. In 1939, the UCLA Alumni Association gifted it to a UCLA student organization, ASUCLA.
At a 1941 game, six USC fraternity members disguised themselves as UCLA students, pretended to help while the bell was being moved, and stole it...
For over a year, USC hid the bell in various places, and UCLA searched for it for more than a year... despite organized, disciplined searches of USC's campus, they couldn't find it! Until one day, USC flamboyantly displayed a photo of the bell in a student magazine, The Wampus...
And so the grudge was born... Witness the long and obsessive love-hate entanglement that followed.
UCLA launched its first counterattack on October 2, 1941, when several people disguised as USC students spray-painted the Trojan warrior statue blue. Chaos ensued: USC burned the UCLA lawn, branding it with the USC acronym. UCLA tied up USC fans and sprayed them with fire hoses.
In 1953, a group called the Kelps orchestrated one of UCLA's cleverest reprisals: during the USC Homecoming parade, they secretly inserted a UCLA-themed float into USC's lineup and led the parade into a dead end.
In 1957, a USC student impersonating a UCLA student infiltrated the Rally Committee. The night before a game, he surreptitiously swapped a small section of cards, so during the 8-minute card show, the letters "SC" repeatedly appeared...
Later, UCLA struck again, sawing off the hands of USC's Tommy Trojan statue and re-welding them into an obscene pose (making the warrior point a sword at his backside).
.......
In a UCLA student survey asking, "What's your favorite school tradition?" the answers vividly capture the rival spirit between the two schools:
Football game: 18%
Fountain-hopping tradition: 13%
Beat the Bruins bonfire rally with 'Beat USC' theme: 12%
Undie Run: 12%
Midnight Yell: 11%
Spring Sing: 8%
All traditions are fun: 7%
3. Incredibly Delicious Dining Halls
1. Feast
Feast: Asian cuisine, no takeout
Recommendation: ★★★★★
UCLA's dining halls are among the best in the U.S. Before Feast, they were already top 2; with Feast, offering a full range of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Thai, and Vietnamese dishes, they are the undisputed champions.
Legend has it that UCLA's god-like dining halls cook up different Asian specials every day of the week. Each day features two themes, such as the powerhouse combo of Japanese + Chinese, and you can even get matcha ice cream here. Best of all, it's all-you-can-eat—guaranteed to satisfy until you're stuffed!
Highlight 1: Year-round matcha soft serve and rotating Asian desserts like matcha cream puffs, taiyaki, pineapple cakes, and more.
Highlight 2: Daily Asian-inspired specialty drinks, including yuenyeung, honey citron tea, Thai milk tea, Japanese green tea, Vietnamese iced coffee, Hawaiian tropical fruit juice, etc.
Highlight 3: On Lunar New Year's Eve, the dining hall hosts a lion dance performance—it's bustling and the food is superb! There's also an annual anime night for fans of Japanese pop culture.
A little insider tip: Most UCLA students will tell you that those who applied for the dining halls end up having no time to hike back up the hill to eat there...
2. Bruin Plate
Bruin Plate (BP): Healthy, low-oil, fitness enthusiasts' favorite, no takeout
Recommendation: ★★★★★
Opened in 2013, Bruin Plate is located in Carnesale Commons at Sproul. It's the dining hall that catapulted UCLA's culinary ranking to the top tier in the nation.
Bright, spacious, and elegant, it focuses on healthy, organic foods: the dishes tend to be lightly seasoned and modestly portioned. When you're tired of heavy, rich meals, come here to reset your palate! Many health-conscious handsome men and beautiful women dine here, so during peak dinner hours the line often stretches dozens of meters.
Highlight 1: Bruin Plate is the nation's first "health-conscious" themed dining hall, earning it iconic status at UCLA.
Highlight 2: Due to its unique "healthy ingredient" requirement, Bruin Plate has the highest operating cost of all dining halls, with many dishes normally found only in upscale restaurants.
Highlight 3: Bruin Plate doesn't serve traditional soda but offers juice-based sodas—enjoy the cool fizz while staying healthy. Even the water is fruit-infused with strawberries, watermelon, etc.! Bruin Plate's signature salad dressings are the most popular, often running out within half an hour of opening.
Highlight 4: The various grilled meats, like lamb chops, steaks, cod, and salmon, are absolutely amazing.
Highlight 5: Bruin Plate also features a variety of low-sugar desserts, fruit yogurts, and low-fat frozen yogurt—a perfect choice for gals and guys craving sweets without the guilt!
Highlight 6: Their grab-and-go breakfast offers a kiwi smoothie—give it a try, you won't regret it.
3. De Neve
De Neve: American style, heavy on oil, no takeout
Recommendation: ★★★★☆
Located closest to campus, De Neve is many people's best bet for breakfast and lunch. It serves Mexican and American food year-round, with daily burgers, pizza, chicken tenders, French fries, etc., and rotating menu items like delicious burritos, BBQ chicken wings, and BBQ ribs. Dinner is especially hearty, certain to satisfy meat lovers and those with big appetites.
Highlight 1: At breakfast, you can customize your own omelet, which tastes great—though the line is often long.
Highlight 2: Country-fried chicken and ribs are De Neve's most popular dishes.
Highlight 3: De Neve's most-loved late-night snacks include chicken tenders, chili burgers, milkshakes, plus juicy chicken wings and large pizzas with three toppings of your choice! (Note: No buffet for late-night.)
4. Prime Location
The UCLA campus spans 1.7 square kilometers and contains over 174 buildings.
Located in Westwood, UCLA sits in the most desirable area of Los Angeles—safe and trendy. Westwood is only a five-mile drive to the Pacific coast and mere minutes from upscale residential neighborhoods like Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. The area boasts fashionable designer shops, farmers' markets, concert venues, art galleries, and restaurants serving a wide range of cuisines.
UCLA is world-renowned for its beautiful architecture and scenery.
The campus is informally divided into North Campus and South Campus, both in the eastern half of the university's land. North Campus, the original center of the university, is known for its Italian Renaissance-style architecture, with Powell Library serving as a favorite Hollywood filming location.
This is the hub for the arts, humanities, social sciences, law, and economics. At the heart of North Campus lies tree-lined Dickson Court, which has appeared in many movies.
Medical Care
The UCLA Medical Center is part of UCLA Health, which also includes a hospital and seven outpatient clinics across Los Angeles. Additionally, two Los Angeles County hospitals serve as teaching hospitals for UCLA. Across Los Angeles County, four hospitals bear the UCLA name.
Housing
Nearly 8,000 students live in the residential community on a hillside on the western edge of campus. There are also four student dining halls and several coffee shops. Currently, every incoming freshman is guaranteed three years of on-campus housing, and junior-level transfer students are guaranteed one year. A full 98% of first-year freshmen live in the residence halls.
Beyond student housing, UCLA also operates a small official hotel on campus and a conference center near Los Angeles. These are considered ancillary enterprises because they are not directly related to academics.
