<p>A friend got into pretty much every school she applied to, except yale, but wants to stay near home. Shes probably english/poly sci major. Which is the best(money no object) Stanford, Pomona(my favorite ;), UCB, UCLA honors, UCSD honors?</p>
<p>I think most people would say:</p>
<p>1) Stanford
2) Berkeley
3) UCLA
4)UCSD</p>
<p>I'll add that Pomona is the odd man out because it's an LAC. If the friend is attracted to LACs it could be bumped up all the way to #1 or #2.</p>
<p>I'd go to Pomona, but nationally it doesn't have the reputation Stanford and Berkeley do.</p>
<p>Your friend seems to be in a very good position. As the campuses and atmospheres are different, this choice should probably be from other factors. What does your friend want in her school, and what does she value most as factors? She'd probalby receive a similar education from most of the schools, but is she attracted to a certain one more than others? I think G&S is probably right about what most people would say, with Pomona somewhere in the top three.</p>
<p>Stanford is first.</p>
<p>Then id say the rest are close to equal considering UCLA and UCSD are honors.</p>
<p>This isn't even close. Stanford...... by the most extreme far possible.</p>
<p>Stanford is extremely better than Pomona? Or is it just the name that's so attractive? Many people think of Pomona in a similar vein as Stanford, and there are certain things each of these schools can offer that others cannot. While the question might be obvious for you, it might not be for others, such as the poster's friend.</p>
<p>Thanx guys for the help. Like some of you guys have said, Stanford probably has the best name recognition of the bunch. She is leaning toward Stanford at this point because of the "prestige" thing you guys were talking discussing, and It seems like that's where she's heading.</p>
<p>I would advise her to visit all of them, and go where she thinks will be the best place for her. Why? Because if she's able to get into such great places, she'll probably be able to excel anywhere, and choosing primarily on prestige might lead to unhappiness or regret. Advise her to visit each campus if she can, or at least research them well.</p>
<p>dam im jealous of her... that is an awesome accomplishment. if it was me id go to stanford or berkeley.... but ucla honors and ucsd honors are also awesome. cant really go wrong, whichever she chooses. but i think id have to go with stanford for the name recongnition. but she should choose whatever she likes the best, simply because they are all such great schools.</p>
<p>I'd put Pomona and Stanford first, but they're apples and oranges. One a LAC, the other a comprehensive university.</p>
<p>UCSD is the bottom of the pack.</p>
<p>Name recognition may mean something. It depends what she wants: good education, good chance of grad/prof school admissions, resume prestige, show off something on the sticket on the back of her car, etc. Grad schools don't go by "name recognition." They know which schools are best.</p>
<p>I would definitely go to Berkeley. Stanford doesn't have more in terms of academic prestige (as opposed to social cachet), and is a bit more boring. She should kick the tires and go with her gut.</p>
<p>pomona or stanford.</p>
<p>Don't sleep on Reed College, a way up northwest in Portland. It's an excellent, intense (and very liberal) LAC which can easily face off against the Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore crowd back East.</p>
<p>Quincy - I don't think the op's friend has applied/been accepted to Reed.</p>
<p>If money is not important, Stanford or Pomona would be my choice.
Even between those two it's tough, and at that point the personality of the student would be crucial. Academically, I think they're equal.
Does she want the big name, big sports, big classes, and is she a faily assertive and outgoing type of person? Stanford.
Does she want a smaller school with a close community feeling, small classes taught by professors whom she can really get to know on a personal level, and a lot of opportunities to make a name for herself on campus? Pomona.
At the level of Pomona and Stanford, it's a matter of personal fit. Only your friend can really know what suits her best.</p>
<p>Oops, my bad. You're right... since she wants to stay "near home" I guess that's why she didn't consider Reed. ... but maybe she should have.</p>