Most freshmen choose to stay in the student dormitories. All
dorms are on the other side of the campus, and they come with a meal plan. Dorm
rooms may not be very big in general, but they are convenient. Furniture is
provided, as is electricity, a landline phone connection, meals, computer and
printing facilities, and other study facilities. Off-campus housing is
generally cheaper, but comes with the added hassles of sourcing furniture,
paying utility bills, and cooking meals. (See “Off Campus Accommodation”
below.)
A major downside to the dorms is that they close during winter
break, so if you are staying in the dorms and plan to remain in UCLA over the
winter, you will need to devise alternative arrangements or plan $500 just to
stay in your room without any meal plan (only applicable to those in De Neve
and the now-temporarily closed Dykstra. Students in other dorms will have to
move out of their rooms and will be relocated to other rooms for the winter).
Another thing to note would be that microwaves are not allowed
unless you rent the special microwave-fridge from Housing. Kettles are not
allowed as well officially. However, there are some who actually bring their
own microwaves and kettles but keep them out of sight to prevent the Resident
Assistant from taking action.
You are luckier than we are as all the old dorms have been
renovated. Ask those who have lived in Dykstra before and you will be so
grateful with what you have.
