Welcome, freshmen Bruins!  As you are getting ready to transition into your new life at UCLA, I’m sure you and your parents have many questions about the campus and its amenities.  Where will I eat?  What can I do on weekends?  Where do I meet people?  Although these are all important questions, one of my mom’s greatest concerns was health services.  Where would I get help if I get sick?

The answer: Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center (popularly known as “Ashe Center”).  It not only offers health insurance, immunizations, a pharmacy, an optometry, but is also highly regarded by UCLA students as the place to go if we have any questions or concerns about our health.  Recently, the 20th edition of the Princeton Review’s “The Best 376 Colleges” ranked Ashe number one in the nation for student health services, and Ashe received a 94 percent satisfactory rating (source).  Ashe also works with other departments such as the Office of Residential Life and Counseling and Psychological Services to make sure its services reach all students on campus.

All my experiences at the Ashe Center have been positive.  Its physicians are friendly and patient, and clinic support staff are generally very helpful as well.  It is definitely the first place I go when I need treatment for a sore throat, an eye exam, or over-the-counter medicines from the pharmacy.  I would highly recommend that New Bruins not only visit Ashe and/or their website to keep up with the Hepatitis B immunization requirement, but also to just familiarize yourself with such a great resource located smack in the middle of the campus just a ten-minute walk from the dorms.