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:
So you’re a freshman and you are trying to figure out the best places to live… and you have no idea. Luckily for you, OTH has spent many years on the hill, so we know the greatest places to live.
1. Sproul Hall – Its proximity to all of the dining halls, restaurants, and campus make it an ideal location, in our personal opinion. More than 1,000 students live in this hall, so you can be assured that you will never feel lonely.
2. Sproul Landing/Cove – Pro Tip: These are the newest buildings on the hill. If you’re a suckler for great facilities, look no further. Just like Sproul Hall, it is ideally located near the dining halls, restaurants and the mailroom. We put it as second place because there are less freshmen on this building. Not that this is a bad thing, but we figured it’ll be more fun to hang around with fellow freshmen!
3. Dykstra Hall – Dykstra Hall is the first residential hall at UCLA. Ever. But fret not, Dykstra is also very new. It was renovated last year and so now it is all swanky and awesome. It is the closest residential hall to campus, but further from the dining halls, so pick your poison. More walking or more food?
4. Holly/Gardenia – Like Sproul Cove/Landing, they are pretty new too. Legend has it that if you live on the highest floor, you can see the ocean on a clear day. Mmm. Even though slow elevators hamper their appeal, these buildings are also in great condition, making them an excellent option.
5. Anything on Rieber – Easy access to the coffee machine with numerous flavors and a 24 hour printing lab make for a good place to live. Rieber residents were recently granted excellent access to some of The Hill’s guilty pleasures, ie. boba and De Neve Late Night. You will realize that you will have to climb the never-ending Rieber staircase on the way back everyday, but you will also thank the stairs for burning the fats from all those late night snacking.
There you have it. It might be a difficult choice, but rest assured EVERYTHING on the hill is awesome and you will love where you live anyway. We hope you will find your ideal residential hall!
by Jerry Cheung
UCLA On The Hill 