Four-thousand moving carts. Nearly 800 volunteers. Approximately 4,000 students arriving each day. Plenty of Bruin smiles.
With the first day of classes a week off, UCLA’s annual move-in ritual is in full swing, with more than 15,000 new and continuing Bruins — assisted by family, friends and True Bruin Ambassadors — hauling stuffed suitcases and duffel bags and pushing their belongings in ubiquitous yellow and blue carts to their residence halls on the Hill.
This year, UCLA is welcoming an estimated 6,500 first-year students and 3,900 new transfer students to their Bruin journey — with approximately 30% of them of them poised to be the first in their families to earn a four-year university degree.
One of those new Bruins is Parth Ganga. “I’m a little nervous to start moving in, to start a new journey,” the Bay Area native, who plans to study psychobiology, admitted as his parents stood nearby. “But I’m excited to be part of this environment and to succeed.”
“It’s pretty fun seeing the first-years get excited about coming to college,” said India Cathcart, a residential advisor at Centennial Hall and third-year student who was helping with the move-in as a True Bruin Ambassador. “You can see it in their faces, especially when they step on campus and there’s that factor of ‘Wow, I’m really here.'”
Nearby, ambassador and second-year student Brinaye Grant spoke about making new students feel welcomed. “In the next couple of days, as students are coming to campus, it will start to feel a lot more homey and a lot more like a campus, where students can learn, talk to each other and have fun,” she said. “We want to create that space — to make it feel like it’s a second home.”
Once they’ve unpacked, the real celebration begins with True Bruin Welcome — an opportunity for students to connect with their peers and explore all things UCLA. The weeklong series of more than 120 events, open houses and community-building activities kicks off with a new student welcome ceremony in Pauley Pavilion with Chancellor Julio Frenk and other campus leaders on Sunday, Sept. 21. That evening, Westwood Village transforms into a huge block party with DJs, food vendors and a Ferris wheel, leading into the much-anticipated Bruin Bash, a high-energy nighttime festival and concert at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on campus.
The fun continues the week of Sept. 22 with the Enormous Activities Fair, where students can dive into their passions and connect with fellow Bruins by exploring more than 500 clubs and student organizations on campus. Sports-minded Bruins can head to Champed Up in Pauley Pavilion to meet student-athletes, score giveaways and celebrate UCLA’s second season in the Big Ten, and visit Rec Fest, which showcases club sports, esports, fitness and everything UCLA Recreation has to offer.
More on back-to-school events at UCLA
► ‘What I wish I knew’: Recent grads offer advice to incoming Bruins
► Chancellor Julio Frenk: One UCLA — a renewed focus on our future
UCLA’s academic open house on Wednesday, Sept. 24, gives students a chance to meet faculty and advisors, explore departmental offerings, discover internship and study-abroad options, learn about undergraduate research, and connect with resources that support their academic journey.
The week will also a slew of receptions and events for UCLA’s diverse student communities, creating space for everyone to find their people. For the full slate of offerings, visit the True Bruin Welcome website.
Finally, welcome activities wrap up on Saturday, Sept. 27, with UCLA’s annual Volunteer Day, when students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents give back through community service projects at food banks, shelters, senior centers, schools, veterans’ facilities and other community organizations — both across Los Angeles and around the globe.
