The University of California, Los Angeles visited Bellaire on Sept. 30 during lunch in Charlie’s Cottage. Undergraduate Admissions Assistant Director Nicole Villanueva answered questions about UCLA from around 30 students.
Villanueva explained how majoring and minoring at UCLA works. In order to double major in a specialty school, students have to be admitted into the schools of their desired majors.
“We have our majors and our minors, [and] if you apply to the College of Letters and Sciences [your] major is a neutral factor,” Villanueva said. “It’s really easy to double major in [that college]. If you’re in a specialty school, there are some nuances to whether you can major or double major, but you can absolutely minor [in those colleges].
Last year, UCLA received around 43,000 out-of-state applicants and admitted 24,000 applicants. According to Villanueva, out-of-state admissions are generally more competitive than in-state, due to the capped enrollment of non-Californian applicants.
“When we’re looking at out-of-state students, we’re seeing [if] they are performing better than a California student,” Villanueva said. “The rigor of your academics is going to play a big role. And then after that, we’re looking at activities and awards. We want to see things that you’re really involved in. I would say those two things are big components of the application, and the personal insight questions are a great way to kind of marry the two.”
For students who are advanced through the admissions process, Villanueva feels that they will be a part of a “special” student body.
“This sounds so cheesy, but I love the students,” Villanueva said. “I feel like the students are just really proud to be Bruins, so they take advantage of all the opportunities that are available to them, like clubs or organizations. It’s a very lively campus, because the students are just really excited to be there.”
For the latest updates on the admissions process, follow UCLA on Instagram @uclaadmission, visit www.admission.ucla.edu or contact Villanueva at [email protected].
