Hi everyone! I am currently very conflicted. I am between CMC, UCLA and USC for Spring. This is what I’ve broken it down to so far. I want the college experience if that makes sense and I feel like at CMC, I would be stuck in a bubble so that is really the main reason why I’m not committing.
Financial Aid (Our family doesn’t qualify for much, and this isn’t a huge factor in my decision as my parents and I are okay paying for any of these schools):
CMC: $57K per year ($15K merit scholarship with the Records Family Game Changer Scholarship, also includes a 3500 stipend for a summer project & travel costs between my freshman and sophomore year)
UCLA: $61K per year (Alumni Scholar which also has its benefits…primarily networking)
USC: $68K per year (Actually only $34K this year since I would only going to be there for a semester)
Major (I am really undecided and unsure about what I want to do… I’ve been thinking business but I still haven’t ruled out pre-med or a few other majors):
CMC: Economics and IR double major, PPE (Philosophy, Politics, Economics) or Biology (no proper business major)
UCLA: I would do either Business Economics, Psychobiology, or International Development (no proper business major)
USC: International Relations (Global Business) or Biological Sciences (I didn’t apply to be in Marshall so I would have to transfer if I did business)
I wonder if pre-med is better to do at CMC since so few individuals would be doing it and it wouldn’t be as competitive possibly in comparison to UCLA or USC?
Social atmosphere:
CMC: I just finished a visit and everyone was extremely friendly, but I worry it might start to feel too small after a while (330 students is the incoming class). I am also not a huge party person (will go to a few) and CMC has a strong party culture. There isn’t a ton to do and LA is an hour and a half away. This part is the main drawback for me.
UCLA: I am going to visit this week but I have a feeling I will love UCLA’s overall vibe! I’ve visited before prior to being admitted and enjoyed it.
USC: Is there any truth to the stereotype that USC students are somewhat pretentious? Will I have an issue finding friends here if I’m not a big party person and don’t want to join a sorority? Also worried about location, as are my parents but other than these factors, I think I would like USC as well.
Class size & research opportunities:
CMC: Extremely small classes, no TAs as far as I know, ton of research opportunities, sponsored internships (pay you to do internships basically), Washington DC Program/Silicon Valley Program, advising is great, good alumni network
UCLA: I worry about the class size and TAs but if I come to office hours a lot, will I be fine? I’m sure there are plenty of research opportunities here and internships, have UCDC, advising and alumni network??
USC: Smaller class sizes than UCLA but not as small as CMC so just the right size for me! Tons of research opportunities, strong advising, ALUMNI NETWORK
Which school would be best if I’m so undecided?
How is UCLA’s alumni network?
How hard is it to transfer into Marshall at USC?
Are all of these schools relatively equal in terms of academics and ability to get a good GPA (3.5+)?
Best job prospects between these colleges?
I would love any suggestions or insight from current students or parents who have children at any of these universities now. Thank you!
CMC is very small by itself, but when you take into account the other Claremonts, it’s suddenly a small/medium-sized campus with a lot of course offerings and library resources for a consortium of that total size. So you get those two big-school perks while retaining the smaller class sizes and prof interaction that are hallmarks of LACs.
USC and UCLA are still both bigger, of course.
Here are some other differences:
USC and UCLA are urban, while CMC is… rural or suburban? Small town? Not sure how you’d classify it other than that it is not urban.
USC and UCLA are closer to the beach, while CMC is closer to Yosemite (i think…) and other outdoors adventures.
USC and UCLA have much bigger sports scenes – football games are in 90000-seat stadiums, basketball games are in big arenas, everyone knows the fight songs (including me… a Wisconsin grad…), etc.
As stated previously, classes will be smaller at CMC pretty much throughout your four years. The gap will close somewhat once you are into your major and out of 100-level courses.
I think in terms of prestige portability, UCLA and USC will be generally better-known outside of the Southwest region. Whether hiring managers in other regions are aware of CMC’s quality, I can’t tell you. If recruiters from other areas come to CMC, of course, that is all moot. (or greatly mitigates it…)
Being in LA and Pasadena, USC and UCLA will offer more to do in their surrounding neighborhoods – restaurants, professional sports, concerts, art galleries, etc.
I think you just need to decide whether you are into – essentially – “bigger and more anonymous, with more to do and see” vs. “smaller and more quaint, with a more intimate academic vibe”.
Then, if you were to choose “big”, you’d have to choose between the two LA schools… in which case, it gets complicated – i’ll leave that to someone else. If nobody answers that in a day or two, @prezbucky me and i’ll do my best.
You cannot go wrong if you choose based on fit and finances.
“Being in LA and Pasadena, USC and UCLA will offer more to do in their surrounding neighborhoods”
Correction to a little mistake of @prezbucky comment above: neither one of the two schools is in Pasadena. USC is in LA and UCLA is in Westwood which is also within the greater Los Angeles.
You mentioned TAs as a concern at UCLA? It’s my understanding from what we heard from students at UCLA Engineering this past weekend that TAs only lead the discussion sections which are one hour per week for each class. They don’t teach the regular lectures as a general rule. Best advice I heard this weekend was go where you’ll be happy - a happy student is a successful student. The only thing that may be an issue going to USC is starting in the spring after a lot of kids have already bonded and formed friendships. By the fall that’s probably not much of an issue though. Good luck with your decision, you have great choices!
Class sizes: USC (typical private vs. public edge)
Academics: UCLA is probably slightly more intellectual, USC slightly more pre-professional. Both are quite good.
I think if you are deciding between them, you should visit them. I’ve been on the UCLA campus and from what I remember, it’s somewhat hilly. That’s the sort of thing you have to see yourself and decide if it’s ok.
They’re probably undergrad peers overall, and if you pick the one that feels more like home, you’ll make the right choice.
CMC is not closer to Yosemite but it might feel that way. It’s more of an LA suburb than a rural area, but 60-90 minutes from LA depending on traffic. I think small colleges work for people who really want to be in that type of atmosphere. .
The UCLA campus is larger than USC and feels that way because of hills and trees, etc. USC is an urban campus on the edge of downtown LA. The places do not feel the same. Although I tend to like the atmosphere at public universities, I must admit to liking the USC campus better, probably because it’s more urban. The area around UCLA is more upscale. In terms of safety, if I remember correctly, USC has put a fence around the campus and improved security. You really have to see both to get a sense of the difference.
For someone undecided in terms of major, USC and UCLA both will offer a range of opportunities as you decide what you want to pursue. Do check what you have to do to get into certain majors. UCLA used to be stronger academically, but that has changed in the last 25 years as USC has spent a lot of money recruiting top faculty and building many programs.
In terms of USC students being pretentious, historically it has drawn more wealthy students than UCLA because of its private tuition. It has more students from top 1 percent families than UCLA, which tends to draw a lot of very competitive and highly accomplished students from California whose families cannot afford a private university. But again, these are generalities. About 20 percent of students at USC come from families that earn less than $65K annually.