I'm a senior now, and after four years of seeing these clubs recruit, knowing people in a lot of them, watching where members end up, and hearing way too much business club drama, I figured I'd give my honest thoughts before I graduate.

Every fall there are like 50 professional clubs at EAF telling freshmen they're the most selective organization at UCLA and that joining them will single-handedly get you into Goldman/McKinsey/Google lol.

Obviously this is subjective. I'm mostly ranking based on placements, alumni network, actual opportunities, reputation, culture, and what I've seen over the last few years. Also the difference between like #2 and #4 in most categories really isn't that deep.

Mainly making this for freshmen/sophomores who have literally no idea what any of these acronyms mean.

CONSULTING

1. Bruin Consulting

Historically probably the biggest name in UCLA consulting and they've had some insane clients. Tiny classes and ridiculously hard to get into.

1. UConsulting

Could easily be #1 depending on who you ask. Really strong consulting placements, good alumni network, legit clients, and a pretty established recruiting pipeline.

1. Bruin Strategy Network

Lowkey has moved up a lot recently. Strong clients and especially good if you're interested in healthcare consulting/investing. Seems pretty tight knit too.

1. The Bruin Group

One of the older consulting clubs and still very solid. Good alumni network, placements and culture. Doesn't get talked about quite as much as BC/UC anymore but still easily one of the better consulting clubs.

1. 180 Degrees Consulting

Probably the best social-impact consulting club. Clients are more nonprofits/social impact orgs, but you still get legitimate consulting experience and the culture seems more normal/chill than some of the super sweaty clubs.

1. Net Impact

Similar social impact/ESG lane. Projects aren't always as flashy as the top consulting clubs but there are always some really cracked people in it and they have a surprisingly strong alumni network.

1. Global Research & Consulting (GRC)

Seems to have improved a lot recently. Good mix of startups/nonprofits/other clients and definitely a solid option.

1. Clean Consulting

More sustainability/environment focused. Good if that's specifically what you're interested in.

1. International Business for Bruins

Still a solid org with some strong individual members/alumni, just doesn't have quite the same overall recruiting infrastructure as the clubs above.

Rough tiers:

S: UC, BC
A: BSN, TBG, 180DC
B: Net Impact, GRC
C: Clean, IBB

FINANCE / INVESTMENT BANKING

Honestly this is probably the category where arguing rankings matters the least because the top clubs all recruit for the same firms and know the same people.

If you get into one of the top four and like the people, just take the offer.

1. Bruin Asset Management (BAM)

Probably still the consensus #1. Really strong placements, huge presence in UCLA finance, strong alumni, and probably the best combination of recruiting prep + social culture.

Also has a reputation for being very Greek-life heavy depending on the class lol.

1. Bruin Value Investing (BVI)

Could easily argue this over BAM. Probably the most technically intense finance club. Strong alumni network, serious recruiting prep and historically ridiculous placements.

Basically if you want people making you do mock superdays while everyone else is at Rocco's, this is probably your club.

1. Bruin Hedge Fund (BHF)

Has gotten way stronger over the last few years. Strong placements and seems like a decent middle ground between the social vibe of BAM and sweatiness of BVI.

1. Bruin Investment & Trading Group (BIT)

Still firmly in the top group. More explicitly IB focused than some of the others and members place extremely well.

1. Bruin Capital Management

Good way to get investing experience and definitely worth applying to, just doesn't have quite the same IB pipeline as the four above.

1. Scholars of Finance

More broad finance/career development than pure IB. Good community and probably a better fit if you want finance without making investment banking your entire personality.

Basically:

S: BAM, BVI, BHF, BIT
A/B: BCM, Scholars of Finance

If you're specifically trying to do IB, getting into the UCLA Investment Banking Workshop eventually matters more than arguing whether BAM or BVI is #1.

BUSINESS / PROFESSIONAL FRATS

1. Sigma Eta Pi (SEP)

Still at 1 even though technically an entrepreneurship frat, but their placements are probably the strongest overall out of the professional frats, especially across tech/SWE/PM, startups, VC, consulting, and some finance.

Their alumni network is also kind of ridiculous, alumni startups have collectively raised $1B+, and a lot of founders/operators still seem connected to the org. They also probably have the most diverse mix of people and easily the best marketing, which is why they pull huge rush numbers every year. Probably the hardest to get into though.

1. Delta Sigma Pi (DSP)

Probably the strongest traditional business frat, especially if you’re interested in finance or consulting. They have a really established alumni network, solid recruiting infrastructure, and a lot of overlap with the top finance/consulting clubs on campus.

I do think they’ve fallen off a little from their peak a few years ago, but they still have strong placements and a recognizable name. The pledge process also seems like a massive time commitment, so definitely something to consider.

1. Alpha Kappa Psi (AKPsi)

Still a solid org with a broad mix of people going into finance, consulting, tech, PM, marketing, etc., and they have a big national alumni network.

The biggest knock IMO is that their classes have gotten really large, so it doesn’t feel nearly as selective or tight-knit as SEP or DSP. It kind of feels like they let a lot of people in compared to the other two, which can dilute the value of the network/community a bit. Still useful, just not on the same level for me.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP / TECH / PRODUCT

This category gets underrated in a lot of UCLA business club rankings.

If you're CS/engineering or interested in startups/VC/PM instead of IB or consulting, I would honestly prioritize some of these OVER the traditional business clubs.

1. Product Space

Probably one of the best professional orgs at UCLA period.

You work on actual product projects and the experience is extremely relevant if you're trying to recruit for PM/tech. People basically treat the project experience like an internship on their resume.

Downside is it's insanely competitive.

1. Bruin Ventures

Probably one of the most well-rounded business clubs at UCLA. Entrepreneurship, startups, VC, consulting, tech, finance, people go into basically everything.

Also has a really strong founder culture and members actually seem to build companies instead of just talking about entrepreneurship.

The interview process is rough though.

1. VEST

Really new club, but probably the most pure entrepreneurship/founder-focused club. If your main goal is actually starting a company rather than recruiting for Goldman/McKinsey, definitely worth looking into.

1. Undergraduate Business Society (UBS)

Hard to compare because it's much bigger and less selective. Tons of programs/workshops across finance, consulting and general career development.

Not as tight-knit as the smaller clubs obviously, but probably one of the best ways to get exposure to business at UCLA if you don't make one of the super selective clubs freshman year.

With all this being said

The biggest thing freshmen need to understand is that you absolutely do not need one of these clubs to get a good internship.

The actual advantage is:

- older students who've already gone through recruiting
- alumni
- projects
- friends who are also ambitious
- referrals/connections
- structured interview/recruiting prep

Also don't get sucked into UCLA business club prestige brainrot. Half the people arguing about whether their 4% acceptance rate club is better than someone's 6% acceptance rate club are going to end up working at the exact same companies anyway.

Go to recruitment events, meet the actual people, apply to a bunch, and join wherever you genuinely like the people.

Curious what people would change because I'm sure the comments are about to be a war zone.

I am currently a senior majoring in Linguistics and Computer Science at UCLA, scheduled to graduate next year. I am writing this because I feel completely stuck and anxious. My current GPA is below 3.00. My resume looks weak on paper because I have zero internship experience.
Lately, I’ve been applying for both internships and entry-level jobs, but I am hitting constant, immediate rejections. How can I get back on track and land a tech job under these circumstances? What will be the strategy?

Hi, I recently enrolled at UCLA as a PhD student. Today I moved into my UCLA apartment (which is great) and my mum and my sister who accompanied me through move-in just flew back to my home country, which is in Europe… I am so excited and happy but at the same time I am super anxious and I have been crying for the past 2 days… I also had to go through a lot in terms of flights and immigration issues and also I have a cold… Is it okay to feel like this? I feel like I don’t want to do all of this anymore, but also, I am very happy…

I'm not part of this university, i dont even live in the US. That community was recommended to me, I hope you're all okay and that school is not too stressful

Hi! I’m a incomin freshman at ucla and i have my orientation next week. I want to switch my major from biochemistry to bioengineering, but they are under different departments, so should I write an email first and see if i could do that at my orientation?

I’m an incoming transfer student, and I haven’t even started my first quarter yet, but I’m already feeling discouraged about UCLA. I’ve had several enrollment and transfer credit problems since orientation. I’ve contacted multiple offices trying to fix an issue that was outside my control, but I keep getting passed between people, receiving conflicting information, or being treated like the situation is my fault. One interaction today was so dismissive that I ended up crying afterward.
I was genuinely excited when I chose UCLA, but these experiences have taken away a lot of that excitement. Lately, I’ve been questioning whether I made a mistake by choosing UCLA over UC Davis. I know registration problems aren’t necessarily representative of the entire school, but it’s difficult not to let them affect how I feel when I haven’t had many positive experiences here yet. Did any other transfer students have a rough start with UCLA’s administration but eventually become happy with their decision? How did you regain your excitement and stop letting the bureaucracy define your impression of the school? I could really use some reassurance or honest advice.

Incoming freshman here, would you guys say the times on the Wash-Connect app are accurate? Don’t want to risk my clothes getting taken out by someone…

Also, does anyone know what the more relative off times for the machines are? specifically in Hedrick hall, thanks!

How easy is it to change from CS to CSE or vice versa if you get admitted into one of them?

Hi, I was looking to take a cluster course in my time at UCLA, particularly the entrepreneurship one. Does anyone have feedback to share on cluster courses, and whether they’re worth taking? Has anyone taken this particular course before? If yes, I would greatly appreciate some honest feedback.

(Just any suggestions on cluster courses as a student in the college would be really helpful)

If you want to pull a girl, try being GENUIELY NICE to EVERYONE. I speak for the girl community here, we do NOT find "nonchalance" attractive.

Kind, compassionate, empathetic people are ALWAYS THE HOT ONES. (that and looks as well- i'm not here to bs anyone. but personality can make you look 10 times hotter.)

Edit; The comments just prove a point. Shits just sad. Imma choose to believe majority of these comments are bots.

Hey so as the headline suggest I've signed up for early arrival and I wanted to ask if I could take my luggage there and leave? I wanna leave everything there at like 5pm then come back at around 1 am. Do you guys think that'd be allowed? Has anyone arrived very late at night before?

hi everyone, i’m an incoming transfer looking for flexible on campus jobs. my schedule this quarter kind of sucks in that my classes are scheduled right in the middle of the day, which makes it hard to have a decent schedule for a job. i’m mainly available monday and wednesday mornings, tuesday and thursday evenings, and full availability on the weekends, what kind of job could i get on campus that might give me that flexibility?

i had an interview for an asucla job but ultimately was rejected because they said my schedule didn’t fit what they were looking for which bummed me out. i have work study as well so any advice is appreciated!!

hi guys, im coming over from another UC campus where i was using zipcar. at my original campus, sedans are about $11/hour. right now, my app shows that the cars at ucla are $17/hour and more.

im trying to figure out if my zipcar account is bugging (my ucla subscription technically still hasn’t started yet, so it’s still on my old schools subscription), or if the cars at ucla are actually $17. i cannot afford $17/hour so if that’s the case then ill have to close my account.

thank you!!!

Hi! I am a second year looking for a parking spot as close as possible/on campus. I tried to find a job in time for a permit however exceptions filled up before I was able to. Please let me know of you have a parking spot on campus or close to campus or know any place available. Thank you for any help!

Source:

https://www.instagram.com/jordanchiles/

Has anyone received their diploma yet ?? I live in california so idk why its taking forever to come

Hello, context:
me and my two intended roommates are all in sproul but because of class standings, i wasnt able to be in a rommate group with them. they got put w a random third roommate and i got put with two juniors. The third roommate is willing to switch out IF she is also in a room w two freshman.

SO:
you (currently in classic triple W freshman) —> sproul classic triple w the juniors
3rd roommate —> your classic triple
me —> third roommates classic triple w my og roomies

PLS DM IF INTERESTED!!

Or do most groups finish early + get to leave? When I took 14bl I finished the labs at least 20 minutes early most times and left

We’re two girls in a centennial deluxe triple. My roommate is urgently looking to do a mutual swap out (into any dorm/apartment) so we have a spot open.

Pls dm if interested! We’re pretty chill, you can have friends over, drinking, staying up late, etc is all fine

WHERE ARE THE PAPAS AT UCLA HMU

Hello! I am going to have a job when the school year begins that will require me to travel long distances. If anybody is willing or has an empty parking spot available please message me, thanks!

Dm me pls