College life at Cornell and UCLA

College Search & Selection
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<p>What are the differences and similarities in student/college at Cornell and UCLA? I've already got an undergrad from UGA so I've done my fair share of partying and getting wasted lol. As a future graduate/out of state student I'm making my decision more on location. Since I'd be coming in as an out of state student, I would use that opportunity to stay in the local area and search for jobs there after graduating.</p>

<p>I'm also a musician and it's extremely important for me to be in a city where I can produce my own records and network with people in the entertainment industry. I'm also applying to NYU and Emory, I understand the situation with those schools very well, but I need more info on Cornell and UCLA. Whats student life like there? Are there local art spots and music venues to go to? Do many Cornell grads get jobs in the NYC area and move to NYC? Do UCLA students stay within the LA parameters or do they move to places like Santa Barbara and San Diego?</p>

2

<p>I would think UCLA has more opportunities locally than Cornell since Cornell is in the middle of nowhere</p>

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<p>I agree on that , Ithaca is pretty far away from central NYC activities lol. Mind you there’s a 90% chance I won’t have my car either…</p>

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<p>Do UCLA students move to Santa Barbara? Only if they are very successful and lucky ;).
If you want “local art spots and music venues”, LA is a fantastic place (but Westwood, not so much). Grad students tend to gravitate towards and live in Echo Park and Koreatown where the rents are cheaper and the music scene and hangouts are much more contemporary.
BTW…love the name, LA Confidential is one of my favorite books and a great movie.</p>

5

<p>So that sounds like 2 votes for UCLA and both of you bring up a good point as far as LA being a central place for entertainment, thats pretty obvious. To musicamusica, I definitely plan on being one of the top graduating students in my class - I plan on taking 12 hrs a semester, working 2 jobs and doing my music. It’s tough, but I’ve done it before and if I’m in a new city like LA that will force me to heavily prioritize what I’m doing so I won’t be just hangin out w/ the fellas and wasting time lol</p>

<p>Yes, LA Confidential was an AMAZING movie, thanks</p>

6

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Depending on your field, this may or may not be a good idea. If you’re a graduate (i.e. MA/MS or PhD) student, your overriding concern needs to be fit with professors and students in that program. For example, I am not a huge fan of LA and would’ve preferred to be in, say, Chicago or Ann Arbor for graduate school – Chicago was extremely cutthroat and Michigan is not as strong in my field, however, so I chose UCLA instead and am happy with that decision. </p>

<p>If you’re a professional student (e.g. law, medicine, business, etc.), you have a great deal more flexibility in choosing among various options and can look more closely at things like location and weather.</p>

<p>That said, between LA and Ithaca for a graduate student, I would pick LA in a heartbeat, especially for a musician. I am very fond of nature and hiking, but with only 6000 grad students and Ithaca’s size, I’m not surprised my friends at Cornell sometimes complain.</p>

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Be aware that UCLA is on the quarter system (except UCLA Law). Cramming assignments and exams into 10 weeks results in more work and a faster pace than the more leisurely 15 week semester system.</p>

7

<p>Nice, thanks I’m pursuing an MBA</p>

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<p>Nice goal, but understand clearly that the Anderson School is a big step up from UGa. You will be surrounded by folks with the exact same goal, folks who are just a lot smarter than you, and who can ‘get it on one take’. (The same would be true in Cornell’s MBA program, as well.)</p>

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<p>Rollo, you have to remember that Santa Barbara is generally considered a retirement community, and it might not necessarily be a great place to go for the music biz. LA, I imagine, would be much more of a hotbed. Maybe if you become as successful as someone like LA Reid or Simon Cowell or Diddy or Jay-Z, you can have homes in Bel Air and Montecito and Malibu and … </p>

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<p>For artistic purposes, this sounds like it might be especially true. To go into music production, etc, maybe less so. </p>

<p>Either way, education wouldn’t seem to be as important as artistic ability and discernment wrt these gentlemen I mentioned.</p>

10

<p>There are tons of Cornell alumni in the NYC metro area, so to answer your question: yes, many Cornellians land good jobs in NYC.</p>

11

<p>There are approximately 50,000 Cornell alumni in the NYC area. This strong alumni network helped Cornell win the competition for the NYC tech campus, besting many schools including Stanford and Columbia. Ithaca is a wonderful college town.</p>