[uclaben]

I'm originally from Northern California (East Bay), and came to UCLA as an undergrad. I took a job here after graduation, so all told I've spent five years in Los Angeles. Here are some quick thoughts:

- UCLA is a great school in some ways and not so great in others. From everything I've heard, the medical program is tremendous. The campus is absolutely beautiful, really stunning in some parts. If you're into college sports, you've got a great basketball team to root for, and there's a lot of pride in the Bruins across the student body. On the other hand...UCLA is quite small physically, but it's a huge school. Getting anything done on the administrative side is a nightmare. Parking on campus is very hard to come by. The positives outweigh the negatives, I'd say, but it's far from a perfect university experience.

- I lived in Westwood for four years. There's obviously the convenience factor there; while you can walk from Westwood, it's at least a 20 minute drive from anywhere else, and that's assuming you can get on-campus parking. Public transportation exists, but unless you're near one of a few hubs, it's not very efficient. That being said...I hated Los Angeles when I lived in Westwood. All I saw was the homogeneous Westside population, the traffic on the 405, the bland, corporate nightlife. Since then, I've moved to the Miracle Mile area (near Wilshire and La Brea...hope I'm not giving too much away). I must say, since I've moved, I've come to like LA ten times as much. Once you get past the confines of the beach areas and into the city, you find that Los Angeles is a tremendously diverse metropolis with everything to offer in terms of food, music, and nightlife. Yes, you'll have to drive to get there, yes, you have to do some digging - but you WILL find what you want. You've really got to live east of La Cienega to make this a reality, though, or you're just not going to make the trek. Trust me - you won't. And I know none of those locations mean anything to you now, but they will if you decide to come out to LA.

- You must be ready for this: most of the stereotypes about Los Angeles are true. Everyone IS trying to make it in "the industry." That doesn't mean that you have to be part of that lifestyle, of course, but it's there. I really think this is a non-issue 95% of the time, as long as you understand that that's the deal and don't get caught up in it. Still, it's good to know; at the end of the day, the town revolves around Hollywood.

- To summarize...as others have said, LA is a great city if you're in the right place, if you can find your niche. Personally, I think my next step will be to NYC or SF, simply because my personality demands something more urban; Los Angeles is a city of suburbs and it always will be. If you want to be able to walk the town, this is not the place for you. But if you're willing to take the time to explore and find your scene, LA isn't a bad place for a young professional. JMO, hope this is helpful.