Places at UCLA You Should Know

New to UCLA? Or even old! Here are some go to places you may not even know about that you should!

5 Questions You’re Embarassed to Ask on Move In Day

You’ve finally moved in and now the first day of school is coming up. You’re trying to stay calm but you’re excited and you’re nervous. Little insecurities about being in a completely new environment begin to surface. What if I don’t know how to clean my room? What if my roommate isn’t as awesome as our online chats have proven? What if I make a fool out of myself and get lost on campus and don’t find my classes and end up lost in a library? It’s a tough time for first years out there. I’ve come up with some questions and answers to help you along.

Zero Week Survival Guide

Zero week is upon us. So here’s a comprehensive list of my top picks of the must attend events happening in the coming week.

Devyani Rana, Hedrick Summit 4 RA

Devyani Rana is a Resident Assistant (RA) at Hedrick Summit 4th floor for the upcoming academic year. We’ve decided this year that we want to take a step forward towards highlighting more students on campus, especially RAs, and Devyani is kind enough to give us some of her time to answer our wacky questions. Without further ado:

Where would your favorite TV shows live?

NBC/ Via giphy.com

After a long summer away of internships, beach-bumming, part-time jobs, and eating entirely too much good food (at least for me), us Bruins are finally migrating our way back to UCLA.  For those who are returning, welcome back!  And for those of you who are newbies On The Hill, get ready for an awesome year of walking up hills.  For those of you in the midst of moving in, you may be wondering what type of residence hall you are moving into.  Luckily for you, I am here to give you creative metaphors categorizing the residence halls!  Have you ever wondered what TV show would live in Dykstra, Hedrick, Sproul, and Rieber?  No?  Well I’m going to tell you anyway.

Things to Know: Bruin Bash 2014 Edition

This years Bruin Bash Lineup has JUST been released. And it’s a good one. If I were you, I’d read this article to get the haps.

How to: Laundry On The Hill

Are you excited to move in On The Hill? We are excited for you too! But we do know that moving into your own place calls for some adjustments that you may not be used to. One of these is doing your own laundry *crying hysterically*. So for those of you who are new to the whole laundry thing, here is a guide on how to do laundry in On The Hill.

1. Find the laundry room in your building. It depends on your building, but some have one laundry room (usually on the first floor), while others have machines on every floor. Check with your RA to find out what type of laundry your residence hall has.

2. DON’T get quarters! The great thing about the residence hall laundry system is that all you need is your bruin card. After your New Student Orientation, you are given a bruin card that you can put money onto for different uses on campus (printing, eating at some restaurants, laundry, etc.). Once you put your clothes into the washer, just swipe your bruin card and the money will automatically be deducted from your account.  PROTIP: If you do need quarters for whatever reason, you can exchange dollar bills for quarters at your front desk!

3. Keep track of when your laundry is supposed to be finished. Especially on Sunday nights, when most people are doing their laundry, residents don’t have the patience to wait for you to retrieve your laundry. If you don’t get your laundry within 10 minutes of it’s finishing time, the next person in line will most likely take your wet laundry out of the washer, put it on top, and stick in their own stuff. While this is NOT proper laundry etiquette, neither is leaving your stuff in for an hour after it’s done because you forgot about it. Either set a timer, or some residence halls even have an app that lets you know when your laundry is done!

4. Don’t sweat it. It’s laundry, not rocket science.

by Laurie Goodman

5 Facts You Didn’t Know About UCLA

If you’re new in town…or in Westwood, you may be surprised by some of the things you learn being a freshman here. Here’s a few of those things to help lessen the shock. Go bruins!

College Essentials: What to Pack

Are you excited to move into your residence hall this September? Are you so excited you have already started packing? Well if you haven’t, here is a guide to what you should pack when moving in On The Hill.

Tips for Transfer Students

Are you a brand new Bruin Transfer? Are you beyond excited to start your UCLA experience? We can’t wait for fall quarter to start, so here are a few helpful tips for all you transfers starting this year!

1. Live on campus: Why? Because our residence halls are the best, of course! But if that doesn’t convince you, also remember that there are transfer themed residence halls, where you can meet other transfers and bond over your transferness! Also, our dining halls don’t serve just your average “dorm” food. I mean seriously, how could you pass up Bruin Plate?

2. If you have already committed to living off campus, get an off campus meal plan: Just because you live off campus doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get to enjoy the many dining options UCLA has to offer! Especially if you have never cooked for yourself before, you’ll be thanking me when you’re not eating instant ramen and Kraft Mac and Cheese every night (unless you’re into that sort of thing).

3. Go to the Student Activities Fair: This is the biggest congregation of clubs on campus that UCLA sees every year. People are basically begging for you to become their friend. So as a transfer student in a new place where you probably don’t know anyone, why not?

4. Find a part time job: If on campus clubs aren’t really your thing, try finding an on campus job! Part time jobs are a great way to meet new people, especially if you’re living off campus. Plus, most of UCLA’s student employment is conscious of your busy schedule, so the hours are really flexible! Check out job openings at the ASUCLA website, or our ORL website! And when in doubt, google it.

We hope this helps alleviate some of the anxiety you may have about starting your life at UCLA. But as a transfer student, I can say with confidence that this school has the best dining hall food ever. So at least you don’t have to be nervous about that.

by Laurie Goodman