<p>My S was accepted to both (GU College) and is trying to pick one. He has not decided on a major but is leaning towards Economics and probably headed for business or law school after he is done as an undergrad. We are in the San Jose area in California.</p>
<p>He has visited both schools, and likes both for different reasons. </p>
<p>We see the contrasts:</p>
<p>Small v. large student body
East Coast v. West Coast, and specifically LA v. DC
Tuition (half the cost at UCLA)
Dorm food seems much better at UCLA
Given relative size, may have to be proactive to establish a network of friends at UCLA
Class sizes for general ed courses probably even bigger at UCLA</p>
<p>Other issues:</p>
<p>Does either school get the nod on Economics or other social science majors? Does either school do better as feeders to top business or law schools?</p>
<p>Will he get to know the professors at UCLA given its size? That may be important when he applies to grad or professional school and needs recommendations.</p>
<p>Will he get lost at UCLA given its size? He is not shy, but he is not in any danger of running for school president, either.</p>
<p>Is GU overwhelmingly too preppy (he is not)? </p>
<p>Based on admissions profile, there is more student body diversity at UCLA, and we are Asian American, so wonder if that is an issue at GU? I am thinking in terms of inclusion. Would not think it is an issue given GU's international reputation.</p>
<p>Any other considerations he should think about? </p>
<p>first, I would say many of your reservations about GU are nothing to worry about. However, if your soon is looking at Grad School, I would take very seriously the cost difference between the two schools. Neither one is a slouch in terms of prestige or academics (although I'd probably give Georgetown the advantage, especially for social sciences), but Grad school is expensive, and the name of the grad school diploma takes more precedence over the undergrad. How big a difference in price are we talking? $20K/year?</p>
<p>I'm a soph right now in the Georgetown College, as well as an asian american coming from San Jose, CA, so I definitely can relate to some of the concerns that you seem to be having.
My parents were pretty interested in sending me to Cal when I graduated, but I was deadset against it. Mostly because of the reasons that you outlined in your post-- huge size, huge classes, impersonal atmosphere. For me, the possibility of a less fun college experience (no offense to anyone who goes a UC) wasn't worth the cost difference. It is true that Georgetown has a smaller asian population than many other universities, but I don't think I've ever found this to be a problem. There are a ridiculous number of options for every single person, and the atmosphere is by and large very diverse and welcoming for everyone.
I'm probably the least preppy person in the world, and while GU <em>is</em> pretty preppy, I haven't ever felt awkward or like i didn't belong. It's not weird or difficult to get to know people at all. In fact, i think California is now officially the most-represented state at Georgetown (feel free to correct me, Blue and Gray reps), with NJ running a close second.
Finally, it's abundantly clear to most grad schools and out-of-college jobs that Georgetown is superior in terms of quality of education, especially when it comes to econ and other social sciences.
I'd go with Gtown-- I don't regret my decision in the slightest. Good luck! Let me know if you have any concerns that I forgot/didn't get to. I'd love to help you guys out. This site saved my life a few years back =).
PS- you guys should prolly get him some nice, thick jackets.</p>
<p>I had this exact problem. It was either UCLA or Georgetown. I'm also from the Bay Area.</p>
<p>When I visited UCLA, people said to me (and I quote): "You're from NORCAL!? That's so far!!"</p>
<p>I chose Georgetown, and I'm very happy :)</p>
<p>Ultimately, I think it comes down to how far he wants to go from home -- does he want a completely new experience or an extension of high school? Me, I wanted a clean slate, and I didn't think I could get that at UCLA where tons of people from my school were going and the dynamic seemed to be exactly the same as at my high school.</p>
<p>Also, I just LOVE the area around Georgetown (M St is the love of my life) and felt that UCLA's surroundings were pretty lacking in interesting shops and restaurants.</p>
<p>And there is the intangible feeling that he has of wanting to be on the east coast for his college years. And he did say that as diverse as UCLA was in ethnic groups, it was not diverse in terms of the geography kids came from (I heard that UCLA only admits 10 percent from outside California, which makes perfect sense for a public university.</p>