<p>I'm having an uneasy (read:very tough) time deciding between these two colleges. I got admitted to both, and with the deadline approaching, my head is swirling from the pressure. Can you guys help me figure this out? I'm doing mechanical engineering as my major.</p>
<h1>1) How does the student life compare in UCLA and CMU? This won't be the all in all decider, but it would be nice to know which is better.</h1>
<h1>2) How are the future job prospects for these unis? Carnegie ranks 6th in the world in engineering (behind the uber engineering unis) so i assume prospects are good. Does UCLA compare, with its lowish (relative) rating? This is very important to me, as the unis are very expensive and i need to be able to pay back the loans ASAP.</h1>
<h1>3) Which uni has the better programmes for its students?</h1>
<h1>4) Which uni gives me better chances of transferring or gaining admission in the aforementioned uber-unis? (Caltech, Berkeley, MIT etc) for my graduate degree? It would be nice to know this, personally, as I have not given up on them.</h1>
<p>This list may seem daunting to answer, but if anyone, preferably alumni, can answer ANY aspect of this list, it will be greatly, greatly appreciated. I thank you in advance!</p>
<p>CMU is pretty amazing for Engineering and I don’t think your undergrad college would matter for Grad School as much as GRE scores, your GPA and the research you’ve done. If I were you, I’d choose CMU as it seems to me that they have more opportunities for Engineering students (I’m not an alum, just a Junior in HS)</p>
<p>Thanks for your input guys! I’m just feeling that I’m registering on the blind here, so i don’t know at all which uni will make me feel at home if any of them at all! All I know is that California has weather more suited to my liking than Pennsylvania has, and maybe the prospect of a UC to UC transfer (Berkeley of course). Student life and the such entirely escapes me, as I have no experience of either! So those who do, please, help me, and help me soon! VERY, VERY appreciated!</p>
<p>In a relatively small private university like CMU you are likely to get more individual attention and have more research opportunities than at a big state school like UCLA. That will make a big difference in grad school applications.</p>
<p>My advice to you is to go to CMU for your MechE degree and get involved in some interdisciplinary research with the Robotics Institute. If you do that and keep good grades, MIT and Stanford will look very favorably on you.</p>
<p>Hey hydrogen, breathe . I was in the exact same situation you are in right now. Only that i had slightly less prestigious institutions to choose from. First just remember this, whichever option you choose to take, will be uber-fantastic. So it’s basically a win-win situation.</p>
<p>Now to the opinion. As most of the posters have pointed out, CMU has prestige, opportunites and arguably resources far greater than those offered by UCLA. You’ll get more attention, more opportunities and in the end your degree will have more ‘shine’ on it if you opt for CMU. In addition, for graduate admissions, i believe the HYPS of this world will look more favourably on a CMU student.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, for student life, only a current student can help you out. Nobody else.</p>
<p>I had exactly the same dilemma as you. I got into both this year (+uMich and Purdue); I’ve finally decided to accept UCLA. First of all, they’re both fabulous universities and you can’t go wrong with either- so congratulations on making it to both. </p>
<p>Now, for me- my major is Computer Science and even THEN I chose UCLA; simply because I don’t think the rankings are clearly reflective of how good a university is. They take into account things such as faculty prestige, student-to-faculty ratio among other things- things that I’m personally not particularly worried about. I don’t really mind being taught by someone who’s not a Fields/Nobel Prize winner until the person can teach well- and if you ask me, such awards are more a testimony of the person’s achievements rather than his/her ability to teach. Nor do I mind larger class sizes. So- personally, I wouldn’t really stick to rankings too much.</p>
<p>UCLA’s in California and the proximity to the Silicon Valley is definitely a plus for internships and everything. LA is definitely a more “fun” place than CMU, better weather among other things. Also, UCLA seems to be slightly more prestigious overall from what I know- “public Ivy” and all.</p>
<p>Choose the place where you’ll be happier at- where you think you’ll thrive. For me, I think it is UCLA…</p>
<p>-100%Tuna</p>
<p>(Come to UCLA!!) :)</p>
<p>PS: Where’re you from? PM me if you’d like- always nice to know people in a similar situation!</p>
<h1>1) From what I’ve heard (and I’ve my research pretty darn well), UCLA definitely has more school spirit and a better student life. It has people who’re fun, yet focused on what they want- perfect, IMO.</h1>
<h1>2) I don’t really think university rankings are the sole measure of how much you’ll earn. If you ask me, it depends on what you MAKE of your university experience- what you are when you get out of it. After all, they’re hiring YOU, not the university branding.</h1>
<h1>3) Well- CMU definitely has a higher ranked programme (in terms of engineering); but in general, the UCLA engineers seem to be more happy with their school compared to CMU (from the people I know).</h1>
<h1>4) Doesn’t really matter- though personally, I think someone from UCLA will be higher regarded. It’s a tougher school–> more competition; so if you do well- you’ve testified that you’re better.</h1>
. I was in the exact same situation you are in right now. Only that i had slightly less prestigious institutions to choose from. First just remember this, whichever option you choose to take, will be uber-fantastic. So it’s basically a win-win situation.</p>