<p>So, do you regret choosing UCLA over Berkeley?? </p>
<p>I was picking between UCLA and Cal, and I can proudly say I made good choice by going to UCLA. </p>
<p>I agree that Cal has bigger name in Asia, but I do think that UCLA has just as big of name as Cal in Europe… (In Asia, it’s Ivy League or Stanford or Berkeley)… maybe your European colleague can confirm this…</p>
<p>Genre,</p>
<p>Sorta? I think most Japanese just lump Cal/UCLA into the “national university” level. I think, though, that Harvard, Stanford, etc. are a different class altogether, even in Japan.</p>
<p>sentimentGX,</p>
<p>See, based on what I’ve seen, I would put Cal in the top 20, drop USC and WUSTL to the 30s, and move Michigan to the top 25. UCLA is where it should be. </p>
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<p>Here’s the catch: do they both get the interview? Are they both in the same cohort as far as the interviewers are concerned?</p>
<p>Once you get to the interview stage, it doesn’t matter. At all. It’s getting the interview that’s the real challenge. After the first job or two, school doesn’t matter anyway (maybe 10%? Less?) But for the first couple of jobs, it’s tough.</p>
<p>Hell, I had one person who told me that he interviewed me not because of my graduate degree (which I think was more rigorous and meaningful to this job I interviewed for at the time), but because of my UCLA degree. Grad was UCSD. The differences do matter. </p>
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<p>Point taken. However, I don’t think that you’re seeing diminishing returns quite yet. I think maybe going between Cal and Cornell you’ll see seriously diminished returns (especially in terms of cost), but going from Cornell to Harvard, for example, there is an inflection point and a jump. It’s an odd thing when you start dealing with the top 25 schools and the differences.</p>
<p>Again, let me stress something: I’m not saying that UCLA = OMGFAILCAREER and Cal = OMGWINCAREER. Not at all. I’m saying that all else being equal, the Cal name on the resume early on is a really really nice advantage.</p>
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<p>Big banks tend to skip UCLA and go to Cal, and Cal has some pretty major advantages for places like Bain. I also noticed that Apple hasn’t been at UCLA in a while.</p>
<p>Ugh… fire drill. I’ll finish my thoughts later folks.</p>
<p>^^ i’m not sure if that has to do as much with prestige as other factors. Berkeley has haas which is a top-10 business school. UCLA doesn’t even have an undergrad business program, so it’s not surprising that they skip UCLA; apple isn’t surprising either since it’s proximity to silicon valley.</p>
<p>i can make the argument ‘i don’t see too many people in the film industry at berkeley’ and everyone would be like ‘well duh, that’s because UCLA and hollywood are way closer than berkeley is to hollywood’ it’s the same difference. Los angeles is known for the film industry, berkeley and like norcal parts are known for silicon valley. it’s not that one is more prestigious than another, they just specialize in different things.</p>
<p>Nah, Apple visited UC San Diego, USC, and CalTech recently (and will do so in the near future).</p>
<p>Apple’s Berkeley visit is less of an indicator of Berkeley’s prestige than UCLA’s lack of prestige (or the weak efforts of our Career Center).</p>
<p>^^ah didn’t know that. Yet another reason why i don’t like apple >: |</p>
<p>beyphy, sentimentGX4,</p>
<p>Apple is just one example. I provided another, which is Bain and the i-banks.</p>
<p>But if it’s only proximity, then why does Apple visit, say, Northwestern? Clearly they aren’t too worried about flying to Chicago, and they visit USC, so why not UCLA?</p>
<p>Again, though, let’s forget Apple for a second (I just used them as a “hot company” example.) The banks visit Cal. Bain and many of the consulting firms do so as well. But UCLA seems to get passed.</p>
<p>This cannot only be career services. If they thought UCLA was worth their time, I suspect they’d be there either way. And the student bodies are nearly identical statistically. </p>
<p>It’s these little things you notice outside of CA, especially.</p>
<p>Welcome back UCLAri! Your post was just in the nick of time because I’ve been contemplating my post grad life a lot lately.</p>
<p>@UCLAri, Deuces, and other post grads:
I understand your post-grad lives are very busy, but please do try keep in contact with this forum. Before I even applied to colleges or had any interest in UCLA it was your (UCLAri) posts on this forum that ultimately helped me make my decisions. </p>
<p>I have some questions I’d like to ask you guys, but I have previous engagements so I’ll save them for later.</p>
<p>wifey999999,</p>
<p>I don’t think that anyone is necessarily making a “bad” choice picking UCLA over Cal. I’ve never said that, and I continue to believe that fit matters more than prestige.</p>
<p>I’m saying, however, that out the gate, you will face a bit more a challenge career wise out of UCLA than Cal. This is especially magnified in certain fields, like banking and finance.</p>
<p>beyphy,</p>
<p>Another thought that occurs to me is that it doesn’t even matter if UCLA has strong positioning in Hollywood, unless you’re one of a few hundred film students. It’s absolutely meaningless to most of us here, as well.</p>
<p>I see school prestige as nothing more than a hedge against risk. Better schools are less risky, career-wise.</p>
<p>Andrizzle,</p>
<p>I’m flattered. I mean, really flattered. Thank you. I’ve always wanted nothing more than to help out students, because a lot of this information was not available to me.</p>
<p>I’m always glad to help out fellow grads, and I’m always up for networking and career talk.</p>
<p>Let me, for the umpteenth time, make this clear: I’m just trying to offer people some advice on how to handle post-grad life. I would NEVER do anything to try to sabotage any of you or UCLA. I believe very strongly in the UC’s mission and in the well-being of CC members. </p>
<p>Though I am often busy (working in Japanese companies keeps you occupied!), I am always available at my contact information. Please always always feel free to email me or IM me if you want to talk jobs. I’d love nothing more than to help CCites get a job-- and if I can help spread UCLA’s name outside of CA, even better.</p>
<p>I’m going to correct you about Bain, they definitely recruit at UCLA, although they take very few (they take very few analysts from anywhere). One of my close friends was an '09 grad, she’s currently there, and I know there at least a few more Bruins in the LA office or have moved on. </p>
<p>As far as i-banks - Bruin Consulting’s exec board this year has one going to JP Morgan, another at a more boutique M&A shop, last year we also started one at RBC, UBS has a guy or two at Goldman, and the list goes on. They do recruit, but you have to be on top of your game if you want to get in. </p>
<p>It’s interesting that Apple doesn’t recruit here (doesn’t mean you can’t apply), my roommate second year worked as an intern there. UCLA’s CS department is pretty top notch. Symantec loves us as does Microsoft to name two of the bigger players. Google also (stronger representation among MS/Ph.D students, but 3 of my close friends started there this past year)</p>
<p>And edit for Andrizzle & any other Bruins on the thread…</p>
<p>I’m happy to help. I have a ton of time right about now since I told my employer I wasn’t going to start until July so I could do a 2 month trip to Europe… yeehaw. I don’t like giving away my identity on this board, but I feel like some of you have already probably approached me if you’ve been at a BC event or been a bioengineer or whatever so just send me a PM and I’ll answer whatever q’s I can.</p>
<p>Deuces,</p>
<p>That’s good if they’re recruiting. When I was there, i-banks were pretty much out of the picture, and I remember talking to Alexandre, who said that in his days, UCLA was still not quite getting too many into bulge bracket. </p>
<p>If we’re getting even two people into Goldman, that’s two more than I saw in my years. That’s a good move. </p>
<p>Of course you can apply anywhere-- I always encourage that. But active recruiting is a much better way of getting in than dealing with the inhuman computer systems that HR put up.</p>
<p>alright i have a little bit of time, so here’s my question[s]:</p>
<p>i’m currently a junior poli sci major with an emphasis on international relations, and i’m thinking of staying an extra year after my senior year(3rd year for transfers and 5th year for those who started as freshmen) in case i don’t get accepted to the CAPPP program in Washington for either Winter or Spring of 2012 quarter, that way i can reapply for Fall or Winter of 2013. is that a good idea? i also want to do travel study over the summer in the UK and i may have already missed the deadline for this year, so i’d have to wait until next summer. from my understanding, these programs are only limited to currently enrolled UCLA students, so i assume after graduating, i wouldn’t be able to reap these benefits. and are these programs worth taking out loans for or a good idea in general?</p>
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<p>i may have understood you wrong, but what makes a business program make a school any more prestigious than a film program does? They both conducted everywhere.</p>
<p>in a similar sense, what makes a business school matter to those of us not in business? I personally don’t directly care about UCLAs position in business. However, i do care indirectly as the position of ranking in the programs of a school add to a school’s overall prestige. This is why even though i’m not in medicine, or going into medicine, i take pride that UCLA has the best hospital in the west.</p>
<p>Andrizzle,</p>
<p>I think a lot depends on what you want the extra year to do for you, and your willingness to take on debt.</p>
<p>I stayed an extra year, and that was actually the only year I incurred any debt at UCLA. However, I also got to do CAPPP, which I think was helpful in developing my network in DC. Though I don’t work there, I still have a pretty good network there, and I think it helped me to re-evaluate my career goals outside of going to law school (the plan before CAPPP.)</p>
<p>I always strongly encourage people to study abroad. However, if possible, I urge you to go to a country that isn’t the UK. If you do go abroad, you might as well go to a country that doesn’t speak a language you already know! :)</p>
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<p>I’m not saying that it’s any more or less prestigious. I’m saying that the film school is of little benefit to the average undergrad. </p>
<p>I generally dislike arguments in favor of a school due to a single good program. It doesn’t do me any good if I have no interest. </p>
<p>Besides, b-schools tend to have stronger halo effects in general for jobs. One really nice thing about Anderson is that you can sneak into their job fairs if you know the right people. ;)</p>
<p>You should care about business schools because you care about getting a job. I’m not trying to be overly crass here, but when you hit late-20s and early-30s and realize how little the “average” salary is worth, you might care more about business.</p>
<p>I was totally all about the public sector at first, and as much as I like the idea, if you want to put the kids through school, there’s something to be said about making money.</p>