Coconut Water

Hi bakalamba, Will do.

Go to an Information Session - since you are local you absolutely should. I attended not one, but two. And it was extremely informative regarding the application process and what to aim for in the GRE. You can ask about the GPA in a session. I had also emailed a professor ahead of time just to see if he was accepting new advisees, and he ended up offering to meet with me in person (this doesn't always happen though)! This was extremely helpful! Take advantage of being local, it really gave me that much more of an edge. I feel kind of bad, though for those who did not have this advantage. The Statement of Purpose is *very* important, as I was told by the professor.

I understand the start date for instruction is in early October. You can check the UCLA website for the Academic Calendar. But don't forget to factor in any orientation dates for your program, if you haven't already. I was told my program's orientation day is usually the day before instruction, but might be the week before. I probably won't know my orientation date until sometime in July. If in doubt, check with your program. I was new to the concept of the mandatory orientation day.

It isn't cheap. For me, other costs of living like gas, higher auto insurance living in a cheaper area, time/commute, etc play a role in my final decision. And wanting to live on my own without worrying too much about theft/break-ins when I'm away. Anyone have input on university apartment break-ins -- this includes both on campus and off campus UCLA housing. Thanks!

Would be great to see some others here who are involved with: * GSEIS (Graduate School of Education and Information Studies) and/or the * SSCE (Social Sciences and Comparative Education) Division hence, this new thread. I will be coming in as a Master's student in SSCE, sub-specialization in Cultural Studies (it's very media oriented). Currently wondering what to roughly, possibly base my thesis on. Am gearing up to contact my advisor ahead of time. But am still getting up to speed on grad student etiquette, just want to be considerate of how and when is the best way to correspond. Worked hard to get into my dream program, don't want to mess anything up. A tad nervous. Maybe even shy!

Hello but_if, What is "INR" - pardon my na·ive·té! I have been out of school longer than you, not counting UCLA Extension courses. I am slowly starting to shop around for housing. Am nervous about applying for university housing, because of the stories I am coming across in forums, yelp, etc. Such as fire alarm/smoke detectors going off all the time, etc.

Still weighing housing options. Anyone have input on Hilgard university housing for single grad students with a car?

*bump*

Great to hear of your positive experience with Westside Rentals - which I keep hearing about. Will look into it. Thanks.

Street parking is not ideal, but it's good to have some kind of options to consider. I have lived in many other rented situations, and am really hoping for better once in school. In real world apartment housing, I have experienced the following: an alcoholic neighbor vomiting in the middle of the night (I actually started to get used to the nightly interruption in the middle of my dreams), a horrible flea infestation from when a roommate's dog passed away (I had to walk around my apt with plastic bags around my feet and ankles…bombing didn't eradicate the problem), cockroaches, a mouse, idiot neighbors holding extremely loud parties using a loud speaker to make announcements to their guests in their front yard (as if they were throwing a block party), weird water, neighbors leaning a fan against a window in the middle of the night that would vibrate the walls so much that I couldn't sleep (the problem was resolved though), and other truly problematic noisy neighborly things. Oh - and lest I forget, a landlord who lost his house - and conveniently omitted the detail when renting the room to me - which lead to eviction by a sheriff showing up telling me and the other renter we had to leave that very day because of my landlord's irresponsibility. I still have not received my security deposit from this landlord. All of this took place in the Los Angeles metro area. Granted, these were relatively cheap rentals and some not in the best of neighborhoods. And ironically I may be able to afford a bit better while in school. But it just seems so hard to really know what an apt is like before living in it. It could be haunted, for all I know!

Thanks, mandarin.orange, I think the Weyburn parking cost is similar to what you mentioned. Street parking is certainly worth considering. Am now wondering if I could find a non-affiliated parking spot from some nearby home or business to rent from, as long as I could get there by foot or university or public transportation. Hey, one can dream.

I am concerned about the "limited" parking spaces available for Weyburn residents. If I understood correctly - a representative at the Housing office told me that even if I am assigned a one person unit, my parking spot may be assigned in tandem with another person's. That is, I may have to deal with tandem parking with someone who doesn't even live in my unit. And she was telling me that the new parking structure isn't actually "adding on" any more spaces for Weyburn. Is anyone familiar with the process of obtaining a parking permit for Weyburn? Perhaps it isn't as bad as it seems. Any suggestions for long-term parking alternatives in the area?

Like KindaHardWorker, I also feel that the costs saved by living further away from campus would be lost. I have lived in the LA area the past 3 years (did my undergrad at UCLA but moved out of the area soon after). I think I have accepted that I will never get used to the way the traffic and drivers are here. It's intense and seems to only get worse. My current employer even shifted office work hours two hours earlier because staff has such a hard time getting to Century City on time due to accidents and traffic, etc. One of my other concerns in addition to the financial aspect, is how the time and energy spent on commuting could be instead be used towards my studies, or towards say, keeping up my well-being by avoiding crazy drivers. Would be great to use what would have been commute time to be productive or even workout at the gym. I suppose one could try to avoid traffic by driving only during non-peak hours, but then you would have to factor in other considerations, I would think.

I am seriously considering finding a roommate to save money on UCLA's university housing costs this fall. Any female here doing the same? I was told by the housing office I would have the opportunity to meet a roommate at the orientation but that just seems to cut too close to my preferred move-in date at the start of the fall session. I am already local to the area and attended UCLA during my undergrad years ago, so am familiar with the campus, area, etc (but it's also been long enough that it's like a whole new experience again I am drama and hassle free as my current roommates can attest. Let me know if you are interested in talking about roommate preferences, etc. Thanks!

I am a local to LA and attending this fall (whoohoo). The closer you are to campus, the more you will pay in rent (which you probably already figured). Depending on your budget and your other preferences, of course. I have used Craigslist a lot for apartment and room hunting but some people around here use an agency called Westside Rentals. They have offices and their website is westsiderentals.com and last I heard, they require a credit check from potential renters. I would think they have a screening process for landlords, too, so it maybe a prudent and time saving option than going with random ads on Craigslist. You should check with UCLA housing's web resources. A long time ago they linked to a special site just for local landlords and the UCLA community. If you are willing to drive to campus, then you have a lot more options especially with regards to pricing. But be sure to research buying parking on campus (or around campus). One major issue in LA is the insane traffic congestion…I highly recommend not living any further south than Mar Vista if you can avoid it, and no further east than say, Hollywood. This is all based on my own point of view, of course, and so many people commute much further than that. But I know that I would want to spend my time studying not commuting! And the commutes can be stressful not to mention hazardous with the way people drive here - sorry - but I am from San Francisco, and the way people drive in LA is nuts. Try to avoid having to travel south on the 405 from UCLA. The 405 can get clogged up with accidents and godknowswhat, and it's just awful! On that positive note (haha), I wish you luck!