<p>UCLA could face possible fee increase.</p>
<p>rjkofnovi : The UCLA dorms only hold a few thousand people, but the area just west of campus apartments probably 5,000 more, who walk onto campus each day. This is where the fraternities are, all in a row, and the adjoining 3-4 blocks of apartments. I can assure you UCLA is not primarily a commuter school. There are another 5,000 or so who live in apartments on the other side of the 405 freeway, 2 miles away, who mostly take the bus to campus each day.</p>
<p>Point is, there is on-campus housing, across the street housing, and 1-2 mile away housing that accomodates about 15,000 students. It's expensive!!! but it's there and very much a college feel.</p>
<p>I have a cousin who is a professor at UCLA. He lives in Westwood. It does NOT feel like a "college town" to me and i've been there plenty of times. It feels like a district in a big city. If you think LA has the charm of Ann Arbor or many other campus towns, you are entitled to your opinion. Such a nice walk from the campus to the Rose Bowl. What is it, 15 miles away?</p>
<p>LOL. Now c'mon Katliamom. Can't beat the fruits and veggies at "local farmer's markets." UCLA is smack dab in the middle of a huge metropolitan area. They probably don't grow anything fresh within 40 miles of campus. You don't think they have fresh fruits and veggies in Ann Arbor? Almost the entire city is surrounded by farmland. There are also plenty of ethnic restaurants in the area, but of course not the the extent of a major city.</p>
<p>Gee -- I've been to LA lots of times -- DH grew up there -- my mother, sister, two brothers and both in-laws live there -- guess I must have imagined the farmer's markets my mother shops at (almost exclusively) and where we go to whenever I'm there...</p>
<p>You just did not see the "Grown in Mexico" boxes behind the stalls.</p>
<p>I'm interested in UCLA's "campus feel" or lack thereof. Can anyone elaborate on this?</p>
<p>Here are several photos of UCLA. Look at them to get a good idea of the "campus feel".</p>
<p><a href="http://www.utrecht.ucla.edu/uclaphoto.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.utrecht.ucla.edu/uclaphoto.html</a></p>
<p>Royce Hall and the main library are especially beautiful, both inside and out</p>
<p>I really think the OP should visit both campuses. I am sure one can find great ethnic restaurants in both LA and Ann Arbor. I am also sure one can find fresh veggies in Ann Arbor and LA. And both universities have large and thriving Jewish student populations. Both schools have fine party scenes, although neither qualifies as a "party school". </p>
<p>However, those two universities have hugely different campus environments and I thinkt he OP owes it to himself to visit them both before making a decision. If the OP cannot visit UCLA, and he has already visited and liked Michigan, I think he should go for Michigan. As the old saying goes, "better the devil you know..."! hehe!</p>
<p>Go to the one you're less familiar with, in this case probably UCLA? College is about exploration and challenging the boundaries, so try something new. Worst case scenario you pursue the transfer option but even then you would have learned a ton, both about yourself and others.</p>
<p>RedTapePatrol, it is clear that the OP is familiar with neither. He has never lived in either city or truly experienced life on either campus. He has briefly visited the Michigan campus, but that hardly means he is "familiar" with it.</p>
<p>Why would everyone say that UCLA has a beautiful campus? I was there and I wasn't impressed. The campus is ok but there is nothing unique about it. My impression was that the buildings are a bit close together and there is not enough open space or greenery.</p>
<p>I'm talking about familiarity with the region, not the campus. ND is a lot more similar to Michigan than to SoCal. But I did put a question mark following my comment, which is to say that he should decide for himself which one is more of a change to him.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm talking about familiarity with the region, not the campus. ND is a lot more similar to Michigan than to SoCal.
[/quote]
Agree 100%</p>
<p>RedTepPatrol and UCB, the Dakotas have nothing in common with Michigan or California. Those are three distinct regions with very different landscapes, climates, demographics, economic activity and cultures. I would agree with you if the OP lived in Indiana or Illinois or even Wisconsin. But ND is very different. Comparing ND to Michigan would be like comparing Colorado to California.</p>
<p>^ Population wise, its a bigger step to HUGE spread-out L.A. compared to relatively quaint Ann Arbor. </p>
<p>Ann Arbor, since it's a college town, has a more intellectual environment compared to Westwood.</p>
<p>UCB, you underestimate the size of Ann Arbor. The town itself has only 120,000 people. However, if you include its suburbs, you are looking at 350,000 people. And Ann Arbor borders the Detroit Metro area, which has a population of close to 5 million. All of North Dakota has a population of 600,000.</p>
<p>^ 350,000 in Ann Arbor/5,000,000 Detroit <<< 4,000,000 in LA proper/14,000,000 LA metro area (you'll need a car (or a friend with a car) to get around efficiently).</p>
<p>There's nothing special in the Metro Detroit area, and honestly the city of Detroit has nothing interesting in it, for me anyway, except for the auto show. In the suburbs, there are decent entertainment opportunities, but Ann Arbor really does have it all. It's probably one of the most liberal cities in the United States and the University of Michigan is excellent in every subject they offer. </p>
<p>And re: CA v. ND. v. MI, I'd have to say that Michigan as an overall state has more in common with North Dakota because of the large farming presence, but considering Ann Arbor alone, the LA area has more in common.</p>
<p>You should visit both campuses to make your determination, just as Alexandre said. Anything short of this involves making a decision based on insufficient information. No one here can tell you what the right answer is for you. One thing is for certain: you've got two tremendous choices. </p>
<p>I would point out that there are cultural differences that might be important for you. It is hard to characterize these, but I'll try. Others should weigh in -- and I am repeating some things already said.</p>
<p>1) Michigan has more folks coming from other states. UCLA is made up more of Californians.
2) Many more Asians in Cali.
3) More East Coasters at Michigan, more midwesterners. East Coasters are colder than Californians, but friendships on the East Coast are harder won and therefore better in quality (IMO). Midwesterners are generally easygoing, nice, sometimes by the standards of the coasts bland but one could also say down-to-earth. Calfornians are generally nice, but generally more image-conscious perhaps and easy come easy go as friends.
4) I get the impression you are a guy. I think UCLA is known to have more, you know, quality in the babe department lookswise. There are bound to be New Yorkers at Michigan; personally, a smart New York b***h does it for me, so this is a taste thing.</p>