5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Attending UCLA

My name is Brandon Raphael Dupre. I graduated in 2014 from UCLA and really enjoyed my stay there. I wouldn’t change it for anything. Here are some things I wish I would have known when I first enrolled at UCLA. (Also, got to do it Go Bruins! Beat SC!)

1.) There are more places than just Westwood in Los Angeles.

LA is a large, sprawling metropolis, so large, some may forget, that it is the second largest city by population in the United States. With so many people, LA offers a wide variety of things to do (yes, that means things outside of the Westwood Bubble). When I moved off campus my senior year, I began taking advantage of living in LA: going to the beach, surfing, going to Amoeba records and, perhaps the greatest, actually going to good bars. No disrespect to the bars within Westwood, but unless you want to spend four years drinking at O’Hara’s (formerly known as Maloney’s and, less formally, An Extension of Frat Row), you have to go outside of Westwood.

Take the Blue Bus. Number one, this particular bus system is simple to figure out because every Blue Bus ends at UCLA, so someone, no matter how drunk, can jump on a Blue Bus and it will eventually get you back to UCLA. Take the Blue Bus down to Santa Monica or Venice, go to the beach, and then enjoy the nightlife down there. Learn how to drink and order mixed drinks, not just shots of Fireball. A couple spots worth noting in Santa Monica are the Misfit (for mixed drinks and quality food) and Father’s Office (for beer and probably the best burger in LA). Also right there are the Santa Monica Promenade, a large outdoor shopping mall, and the Santa Monica Pier, where you can go on a Ferris wheel and spend money on overpriced sugary treats and arcade games.

2.) You don’t necessarily need a computer.

UCLA offers students the opportunity to rent MacBook Pros for eight hours at a time from every library and has a computer lab that is open nearly 24 hours. While it is very helpful to purchase a computer, it isn’t necessary; and for those who do have computers, you don’t have to lug them to class every day; just check one out from the library. This is especially helpful if you know you will be at the library late and don’t want to risk your computer getting stolen (not that UCLA isn’t safe, because it is, but you never know).

3.) Get your books for class as soon as possible.

When signing up for classes you will be given a list of books that you will need for the class. Get those books as soon as possible. The UCLA bookstore perpetually fails to order enough books for the classes. What happens is that you’ll be put on the waiting list, realize that it is glacially slow and then decide to order your book on Amazon, which isn’t a bad decision because it is cheaper, but by this time, when you have already been put on the UCLA bookstore wait-list and then decide Amazon is the best way to get you your book, it will be a week into the new quarter and you’ll have to express-order your book from Amazon, which will cost more money, and you’ll be put in the precarious and anxious situation of depending on the mail system for your books and an on-time delivery.

4.) How truly beautiful the women are. It’s no joke.

The women exude a California Beauty, the type of beauty that had me, happily in a long distance relationship, wishing otherwise. It’s what you’d imagine, tan women wearing shorts, little skirts, tank tops, and overall less clothing than anywhere else in the United States outside of a strip club. This rule is also applicable to men, most notably the frat boys. Their attire consists mainly of striped and colorful tank tops, some endorsing their fraternities in pseudo-clever ways like “Wolfs of Westwood.” The year-round, wear-anything climate that Southern California affords should be taken advantage of.

It’s pretty much one season all year so bring clothes that are appropriate. (If not, Westwood has an Urban Outfitters, Brandy Melville and American Apparel that will have all things Southern California in stock.) Leave your winter coat at home; it will just take up space in your closet, and maybe leave your relationship at home too.

5.) Hang out at the sculpture garden.

If you’re on North campus, it is the best spot to take your lunch to, take a nap or just hangout with friends. There’s a paved walkway that winds through a garden of sculptures (duh), patches of grass and trees and leads to many secluded bench spots. During the warmer months, which there are a lot of, you can find musicians performing, artists sketching and actors and actresses rehearsing on the grass (UCLA’s theatre classes are all nearby). The best part is that it is a spot where only North campus students usually are, which means less student traffic.

Brandon Dupre graduated from UCLA in 2014 with a BA in English, thus he has no marketable tools to successfully make it in today’s job market. He has since sold his writing (and himself) to various publications in order to survive. The future is grim. Read his stuff now.