Shelley Weng returned to her eight-person Palo Verde apartment to find piles of unwashed dishes, sauce-splattered counters and bugs flying in the kitchen on several occasions last year.
But with UCLA expanding university apartments to fit 10 people this fall, Weng – a fourth-year communication student – said she suspects the living situation will become “even crazier.”
UCLA Housing has transitioned over 100 university apartment units – including some in Gayley Heights, Laurel, Palo Verde and Tipuana – to accommodate 10 people in four bedrooms, a UCLA Housing spokesperson said in a written statement.
While the transition seeks to address increasing demand for undergraduate housing, the units could be reversed to four-bedroom, eight-person occupancy once new properties open in the coming years, they added.
UCLA is the only UC campus that guarantees four years of university-owned housing for all undergraduate students.
[Related: UCLA Housing to transition most on-campus dorms to triple occupancy]
Weng, who had random roommates last year, said she believes adding more people to university apartments will only intensify existing challenges.
Boundaries and expectations were unclear in her eight-person apartment, Weng said. One of her roommates housed an untrained dog – which was not a service or assistance animal – in their apartment last year without notifying all of their roommates, she added.
“He or she was peeing everywhere and barking at night,” Weng said.
In line with UCLA Policy 135, a resident with a non-service animal “is not permitted to have the animal in University Housing until Housing Services has indicated full approval,” according to UCLA Residential Life’s website. Weng said the dog stayed for two weeks before her roommate took it elsewhere.
Despite Weng and her roommates having established rules prohibiting guests after midnight, she also said her roommates often brought over friends to party in the apartment until 3 a.m., disrupting Weng’s sleep before exams and early classes. The fridge always reeked of forgotten leftovers, and a bottle of alcohol exploded in the freezer one time due to pressure buildup, Weng added.
“No one cleaned it, so it was just on the bottom of the (freezer) for a really long time,” she said.
Unlike Weng, Bethany Chow – a fourth-year molecular cell and developmental biology student – said she chose to live with seven friends in Gayley Heights last year. She said she had a positive experience with her roommates, as they regularly watched television shows, played games and talked while lounging on the couch.
Chow often hosted themed dinners with her roommates – such as on Valentine’s Day, when they cooked and decorated the apartment with posters and fairy lights to celebrate the holiday, she added.
“It was honestly a really good time,” Chow said.
However, she added that some cleanliness challenges are unavoidable, even for students who enjoy their living arrangements. Chow said different standards of cleanliness led to clutter and created tension among some roommates when they felt others weren’t equally contributing to cleaning.
Cooking in shared kitchens could also be a challenge in 10-person apartments due to limited space, Chow said.
“Three people is definitely the limit of how many people can be actively cooking in the kitchen,” she said.
Charles Lee, a third-year data theory student who is moving into one of Palo Verde’s 10-person apartments this fall, said he has already decided to rely on UCLA’s meal plan instead of cooking to avoid kitchen chaos.
According to UCLA Housing’s website, an off-campus meal plan will be available for students living in university apartments starting this fall. The plan includes 84 meals in total, equivalent to seven meals a week, which can be used flexibly throughout the quarter.
Lee, a transfer student who has not yet lived in UCLA’s university housing, said his first impression of the triple dorm rooms on the Hill was that they were “compact.” Because 10 people in four bedrooms means some rooms will house three people, he added that he worries his apartment unit will be just as cramped.
“I think three people living in the room … is just too much for me,” he said. “There’s no privacy.”
While Lee said he is concerned about cleanliness and conflicting sleep schedules, he added that he looks forward to making new friends through the new apartment setup.
Weng said the eight-person housing arrangement made it easier to socialize with people, but she felt there are more challenges than benefits. She added that she believes the transition to 10-person university apartments is “a little bit unethical,” as living with seven other roommates was already “emotionally and physically taxing.”
She also said she believes it is important for students moving into 10-person apartments to set boundaries and communicate clearly with their roommates. If students know their roommates before moving in, it could also make the transition easier, she added.
“Just be prepared for anything,” Weng said.
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