So, what’s it like to be a Bruin? Newly admitted high school seniors and their family members, guardians and friends — nearly 14,000 visitors in all — flocked to Westwood this past Saturday to find out at Bruin Day, the campus’s annual celebration showcasing the best of UCLA’s academic, social and cultural offerings for prospective students.
For many potential Bruins, like Jordan Fleischman of Pasadena, the day’s events would hold the key to their final college choice. “Being able to see myself fully here is what’s going to help me make my decision,” she said. “To see all the clubs and the campus — that’s definitely going to be the deciding factor.”
Early in the morning, students and families began gathering in Bruin Plaza for the daylong marathon, which featured tours of the campus and residence halls, an information fair, financial aid sessions, open houses, music and dance performances, and presentations and lectures by deans, professors and current students.
Becoming a Bruin: ‘You belong here’
The festivities kicked off just after 9 a.m. in a packed Pauley Pavilion with a welcome from Chancellor Julio Frenk, performances by the UCLA Marching Band and Spirit Squad, an eight-clap tutorial, and a big-screen video featuring UCLA historical highlights and a tribute to True Bruin values.
Frenk, who lightheartedly introduced himself as UCLA’s “freshman chancellor,” extolled the university’s achievements in research, the arts, public service and athletics and congratulated students on reaching this milestone.
“This is a special moment in your life. You have worked so hard to achieve these opportunities,” he said. “Look in your heart, think deeply about what’s right for you and listen to what you’re hearing. We hope that voice brings you to UCLA. You belong here.”
UCLA once again received more applications than any four-year university in the nation — over 145,000 for first-year admission — and admitted less than 10% of those who applied, said Gary Clark, UCLA’s associate vice chancellor for enrollment management. Like last year, when UCLA enrolled one of its most academically accomplished and racially, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse classes in recent history, this year’s admits come from a wide variety of backgrounds and bring with them a range of life experiences.
“UCLA has a long-standing commitment to inclusive excellence — it’s part of our mission,” Clark said. “Our hope is that the diverse perspectives, intelligence, talents, dedication, drive and kindness of our students, and of our community, always shine through.
“Each of you has what it takes to not only be successful here,” he added, “but to thrive and do what so many of our students do: make this a better place.”
Rolling out the blue carpet for students and families
By the afternoon, the campus was a buzzing hive of activity, as visitors — helped along by volunteer students, alumni, faculty and staff — shuttled between Bruin Walk, the Hill, Wilson and Dickson plazas, Ackerman Union and other spots, pausing to take selfies in front of landmarks like the Bruin statue and Royce Hall and sample the fare at campus dining venues.
Among them was Aaron Miller from Carson, California, who was visiting the campus with his mother. Offered a generous scholarship from another Southern California university, he put off accepting until he heard from UCLA. The day he received his admission letter, his mother said, she had never seen him happier.
Miller, who plans to become an anesthesiologist, was heading to an information session for pre-med students and said he hoped to learn more about UCLA’s unique research opportunities for undergraduates, as well as campus clubs.
“I’m really interested in doing a lot of outside research for my major and getting into the research labs,” he said. “And I’m interested in getting involved in a literary magazine.”
Having just come from a pre-med session, high school senior Matthew Servellon-Polanco said he had already made his decision to commit to UCLA.
“UCLA has always been my dream school,” said the Boyle Heights resident, whose father immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador and who will be the first in his family to attend college. “I always liked it when I was younger, and my parents are very happy, especially because it’s close to home.”
UCLA’s location in one of the world’s most dynamic megalopolises has always been a drawing point, Frenk pointed out in his welcome address. Los Angeles, he said, is “a big, diverse and endlessly interesting city. It’s a terrific city in which to figure out who you are and, more importantly, who you want to be.”
That’s part of what attracted admitted first-year Gabriele Konde, from Vienna, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., who hopes to study neuroscience. And while she was excited to learn about the intimate educational experiences offered by the Fiat Lux and Freshman Cluster programs, the Southern California weather was also tipping the scales in favor of UCLA. “It was so cold back home. I was wearing my winter jacket yesterday!” she said.
A place to grow and create new opportunities
For the past eight years, UCLA has been ranked the No. 1 public university in the United States and has cemented its reputation as a place where all students can learn, thrive and shape their future success. Still, the prospect of enrolling and studying at one of the world’s premier research universities can seem daunting for many students.
Students shouldn’t have to feel like they have all the answers, said Felicia Marie Knaul, Chancellor Frenk’s partner and a professor of medicine, who spoke at a morning session for prospective students and their UCLA alumni parents.
“This place will challenge you. It will stretch you. But never forget: You’re not here to be perfect — you’re here to grow and create new experiences,” Knaul said. “You belong here because of who you are now and because of who you are becoming. You don’t need to have it all figured out today.”
That advice was echoed by Adam Tfayli, UCLA’s undergraduate student body president, who came from a small village in Lebanon to UCLA three years ago as a first-year. In his welcome remarks at Pauley, he recalled being overwhelmed by the size of the campus and uncertainty about his future.
“But I realized something crucial — everyone around me felt the same way. We were all figuring it out, creating our own paths, he said. “UCLA is a university with endless opportunities … to shape your future, regardless of your background or where you come from. It isn’t just about the academics — it’s about finding your community and truly embracing life.”
Jordan Fleischman, who was still on the edge of deciding, said it would be crucial to her to find her own community and chart her own path at UCLA. At the same time, she acknowledged the special legacy of being a potential second-generation Bruin and writing a new chapter in her family’s UCLA story. She had attended the talk with Frenk and Knaul and admitted she got a little choked up.
“When they said things about making your family proud, I felt like I was going to cry because I’ve been trying my whole life to get in and to follow in my dad’s footsteps,” she said. “I just kept thinking, ‘This is real. I can actually accomplish my dream.’ It’s an amazing feeling.”
Decision day for admitted first-year students is May 1. A Bruin Day for admitted transfer students will be held May 10.
