UCLA has thousands of students and countless tours throughout the year. While these tours help new students and visitors navigate the campus and understand the history behind the buildings, they often miss some of the most important tips. Here’s five of the informal guidelines every true Bruin lives by.
Rule 1: A napkin on the table in the dining halls means the spot is saved. UCLA houses the No.1 dining hall in the nation, and with the thousands of students living in the dorms, it can get crowded in the dining halls during peak meal times. It may be difficult to acquire enough seats for all of your friends, but if you see a napkin on the table, chances are it isn’t just leftover trash, but that the chair is already reserved and it’s time for you to find another table.
Rule 2: If you’re going up one flight of stairs, it’s better to take the stairs than the elevator. Most dorm buildings only have one or two elevators, so for students living on higher floors, waits can be brutal. If you’re only going up one floor, it’s usually better to take the stairs than to hold up the elevator and get hit with death glares from people trying to make it to the ninth floor.
Rule 3: Avoid Bruin Walk if you’re in a rush trying to get to class. Bruin Walk is one of the main walkways through campus. It’s almost always crowded with students and club tables advertising their events. When you’re already running late, it’s best to steer clear, unless you want to be stopped by clubs, vendors and someone hoping you’ll sign their petition. Navigating Bruin Walk can easily add extra minutes to your commute, leaving you holding five flyers you never asked for, making it best to use an alternate route.
Rule 4: Never go to Powell Library during finals week. You may think that that’s the perfect place to lock in on campus, with the best aesthetics and an easy way to romanticize the study grind. But chances are, during finals week there won’t be a single spot and you’ll waste more time finding a chair than studying. On top of that, with a packed library, Wi-Fi will be much slower and it’s best to find another spot in the various libraries and study lounges across campus.
And the last tip, Rule 5: In-N-Out is one of the restaurants that stay open the latest during the night. When the dining halls have closed and everything else has shut down, it may be your best bet. It is open well past midnight, giving you a perfect spot to fulfill those late night cravings instead of DoorDashing and spending an extra $15 on delivery for food.
These are just a few of the unspoken guidelines that Bruins live by, and it’s better to know them now rather than later.
