by Cynthia Tran
LOS ANGELES — UCLA hosted their annual Bruin Day on April 15, 2023 to congratulate the incoming class of 2027. Bruin Day is a yearly event that gives prospective students the chance to explore the school through campus tours, ask questions and receive information about the available resources and majors that UCLA has to offer. From morning to afternoon, students and parents were given the opportunity to attend the information fair, learn about various programs and check out the inside of the residential dorm buildings.
To many students, Bruin Day is regarded as an essential component in helping the incoming class decide on their commitment to the school. With approximately 14,000 people attending Bruin Day every year, there is always an abundance of UCLA students working alongside campus employees to ensure a successful day.
Brandon Nguyen, a second year biology student, worked at a booth during Bruin Day to inform incoming students and their families about the Academic Advancement Program, which serves to provide first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students with academic support. “We were talking to new freshmen and telling them to apply to the Freshman Summer program. It was fun getting to know the new Bruins and their parents.”
Admitted as a student in 2021, Nguyen did not have the usual in-person Bruin Day due to COVID-19 restrictions. “My Bruin Day was completely online. They had a whole website with links to booths that would send you to a room on Zoom. It was pretty empty,” Nguyen said.
In-person Bruin Day resumed in 2022 with the incoming freshmen class of 2026 and transfer class of 2024. Marcus Gomez, a third year transfer and political science major, attended the in-person transfer Bruin Day that year. “It was relatively small and there weren’t a lot of people, but I think it was mostly because we just came out of the COVID pandemic.”
Gomez worked during this year’s Bruin Day as a campus tour guide. While describing his experience working, Gomez thought Bruin Day’s activities could have been more expanded, but still thought this year’s event was an overall good experience. “It would be really cool if they did something like an enormous activity fair where a lot of student organizations come out and showcase what they do, but overall I think they did a really good job. They did a lot more than what I expected with the dorm and dining hall tours.”
Like Gomez, Nguyen also thought this year’s Bruin Day was a more positive experience compared to previous Bruin Days. “With the last two Bruin Days being online, I definitely feel like in-person gives you a better feel of the school. Getting to meet actual faculty members and people that will actually be helping you out on your UCLA journey in person is really nice. This could have been the day that’s the major decision factor for students that are considering UCLA,” said Nguyen, making a point that bringing back in-person Bruin Days was the right choice to make.
As the first full-out Bruin Day since the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023’s Bruin Day has served to be an overall exciting and good experience for both current and prospective students. While there are still some critiques on the organization of Bruin Day, it continues to play an essential part in prospective students’ decision in committing to UCLA.
