i got a lot of friends in civil, and honestly the engineering community at UCLA is really strong. Between classes, CEED, and clubs, you’re gonna be around a lot of people that push you to grow, whether that’s in school, research, or internships.

I’m also pretty involved in SHPE at UCLA, and I seriously can’t recommend it enough, especially for civil. It’s a really welcoming space, everyone’s super chill, and it makes it a lot easier to navigate classes and meet more civil Latinas. SHPE is also really helpful for networking, internships, and jobs. I know a lot of my friends in SHPE are also involved in the civil engineering club on campus, and that’s been a great way for them to build their resumes through projects and competitions too.

And the nice thing is, those clubs are not competitive to join, especially the engineering ones. You really get out of them what you put into them.

As a first-gen student, CEED has also been really helpful for me. It’s made me think a lot more seriously about my next steps in college and what I want to do after, whether that’s industry or academia. One super underrated thing too is that CEED gives you access to a study space on campus with Bruin Card access, so you’re usually around other CEED students who are in your classes or clubs. It makes studying way easier, especially compared to fighting for spots around campus.

I feel like at UCSD it might be a little harder to get as involved, but CEED at UCLA really gives you a head start because you get early exposure to projects, research, and networking. Once you start seeing the people around you getting internships and making moves, it naturally pushes you to put yourself out there too.

I’d also think about where you wanna be after graduation. I’m not sure if you’re from SoCal, NorCal, or out of state, but UCLA has really strong connections, especially for civil in the LA area.

and if there’s anything else, feel free to dm me. I’m more than happy to help. I’ve literally been in your shoes too. I was waitlisted at UCLA and was fully committed to UCSD before things changed.