<p>I was accepted to UW February 2, and I've already confirmed my enrollment because it's where I want to go and I wasn't expecting to get in elsewhere.</p>
<p>BUT I got into UCLA today .. and now I'm caught in between. It would cost over $40,000 a year at UCLA .. and some people have been telling me that UCLA and UW are virtually academically equal.</p>
<p>Opinions?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>ladyhustler - my daughter is going to be going to the UW so I may be a little biased. I graduated from both UT-Austin (UG) and UC-Berkeley (Grad) so I do have a little experience at picking colleges. I think there are three things to consider: 1) What area do you plan on going into. Each school has strengths in different areas. Does going to one school over another give any real advantage? Remember that if your area is one that really requires graduate school, it is that decision, not your UG, that most affects your future. 2) Where do you eventually want to live. If you want to stay in the PacificNorthwest, remember that the UW is probably more oriented to employment in this area. If you go to UCLA, job opportunities are most likely oriented to Southern California (there are of course exceptions to this and the effect of #1 above may over-ride this consideration) 3) Consider your parents - $16000 at UW is less than $40000 obviously. Maybe they would be willing to pitch in a little money for extras such as summer travel, etc if you pick the less expensive option. That's what we did with my daughter. Given all that, most people would say that UCLA has a btter overall reputation (but not by much), but that kind of thing is over rated. It is YOU that makes your college experience and your future. My own experience was that Berkeley was no better or worse than Texas, which was not that much different that other more minor places I attended. It is best if you try and find the good instructors and good programs at any place. My wife attended Michigan and Texas and she feels the same.</p>
<p>Here is agreeing with Olyman. Paying an instate tuition at the UW seems much more reasonable to me than paying more than 40 grand a year at UCLA. And again, as Olyman said, it would depend on your major. I would say that our engineering program is probably of the same quality with that of UCLA. Not really sure about other programs though. When it comes to weather, however, I would give a slight edge to UCLA for its neverwinter climate. When it's raining about 180 days a year, you start to get sick off it (or get used to it?).</p>
<p>I'm interested in obtaining an MBA .. but UCLA doesn't have a business school (right?). Would I be better off doing my undergrad at UW then going to a more "prestigious" business school?</p>
<p>By the way, I lived about an hour south of UCLA til I was 16. It's possible to get sick of the sun too, haha.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the input =]</p>
<p>uhh I believe that UCLA has Andersen business school which is very prestigious, but the UW also has their own business school which isn't far behind. I heard they both rank in the top 20 nationwide.</p>
<p>I hope this helps a little :/</p>
<p>My MBA is from Berkeley and yes UCLA has an MBA as well. Those two, plus Stanford are the "biggies" in California. The pure ratings of UCLA is probably better than UW. However, a large part of the rating comes from the number of recruiters that come on campus. The shear size of the Southern California job market tends to bias the rating toward UCLA somewhat. In any case, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT NOW! Have a fun undergraduate life. Remember that unless you are going into the Organization Behavior area, the more quantitative courses (coupled with good writing skills) you take the better for future admissions into top MBA schools. Of course nothing beats real work experience too!</p>
<p>Ahh sorry I'm a little confused =/</p>
<p>Could someone please explain how exactly I'm supposed to go about getting an MBA in the first place? Do I apply to business school during my sophomore year of college? And how long, on average, does it take? </p>
<p>If I do end up at UCLA, I had planned on going into a MBA/JD joint degree program later .. does UW have something like this too?</p>
<p>Just concentrate on your undergraduate first. I wouldn't worry about getting information on MBA programs just yet. Information/knowledge will come to you naturally throughout the next four years and you will have plenty of time to digest all the information you will be receiving. Remember that between now and then your goals/desires/interests may change, otherwise don't be in such a rush to decide what you want to do. If an MBA and a "business" career is your ultimate goal as this time, I would not necessarily recommend an undergraduate business degree. I know this may sound confusing, but its my opinion that in the long-run (meaning a 40 year working life) your better off not concentrating your education on one subject. Be bold, major in a science, engineering, music, or whatever and take some basic business courses as electives. Get yourself broadly educated first. Later, you will take the GMAT test which is like a SAT for business school and pick MBA schools to apply to. Hopefully you will also work or travel or volunteer somewhere for a bit before entering the MBA program you have chosen based on the information you will have learned. Again, have some fun now and don't worry about getting all your ducks in a row for later! For reference, here is my story: I did not plan on going to college out of HS (I have a true trailer trash background) but ended up starting at a small Texas college in the winter when I got bored working in a grocery store. Went for 2 years before running out of money, majoring in forestry/girls/beer/geography/girls/beer/geology/girls/beer. Then spent 4 years in the Air Force. That was follwed by another 2 1/2 years at UT Austin with a major in Petroleum Engineering. Then worked 8 years in San Francisco where I quit when the company moved to Houston. So I took the GMAT, put on a suit and went to Berkeley where I basically said "here I am, I want to start graduate school" and "by the way do you have a scholarship?" Ended up with a PhD in Finance. My point of all this is - there are many, many ways to get somewhere and you don't need to plot them all out now.</p>
<p>By the way most of the top schools, including UW have joint MBA/JD or Public Policy or Public Health degrees. They are usually very competitive.</p>
<p>Wow, thank you so much Olyman =]
I'm the first out of my family (extended family included) to go to college .. so I guess I'm just kind of worried, haha.</p>
<p>I appreciate all your advice!!</p>
<p>I was the same way. No one to ask (my parents didn't even know I graduated from high school) and so much information. Like I suggested turn your attention to your MyUW account, get the intial deposit in, your measles proof, and on March 27th you can apply to the dorm of your choice. The check list on that website is good. My daughter got an e-mail the other day on some Husky days to attend. She will be going April 5 and then the 6th to an Honors thing. You also need to sign up for summer orientation (hope your parents can go)when it becomes available. As far as your longer term goals, just listen, listen, listen. A secret I learned is to go to the different departments in the areas I was interested in and just browse the bulletin boards. There you can get a feeling for future job opportunities, kinds of jobs, and even graduate school opportunities that may interest you. Also don't be afraid to talk to the parents of friends/roommates you'll meet who may have more experience that your own parents (not meaning to insult them in any way) on how colleges work. Someone had to be the first to go to college and they should be proud of you!</p>
<p>In over 25 years no one has asked where I went to undergrad school. UW is excellent, the price is right, and if you do well, you will be able to attend a top MBA program, and perhaps be able to pay for it.</p>