<p>So...if you couldn't go to UCLA, but you could attend ANY school in the US, money not being a factor...where would you attend and why?</p>
<p>Harvard. You ask why, I ask why not?</p>
<p>Because that is totally predictable...people say Harvard just like they say they want a BMW or MB...they can't tell you why, but they have heard it is the best. But WHY is it the best?</p>
<p>Harvard - why not? You will never, ever see a full-professor teaching you. You'll spend four years paying a fortune to have teaching assistants teach you. The success of Harvard graduates - if real - is based upon the value of their family fortunes BEFORE they arrive at Harvard.</p>
<p>Let's be realistic: money is a factor. </p>
<p>But if UCLA is not an option, I'm thinking Stanford or Georgetown. I hope that I get accepted by Stanford; it's nice to know Georgetown has acknowledged that I've been admitted. The school with the best finaid offer gets my SIR.</p>
<p>Now...
[quote]
Harvard - why not? You will never, ever see a full-professor teaching you. You'll spend four years paying a fortune to have teaching assistants teach you. The success of Harvard graduates - if real - is based upon the value of their family fortunes BEFORE they arrive at Harvard.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Actually, private schools and particularly the Ivies do have full professors teaching you. My friends at Harvard and Yale have had leaders in their fields as their freshmen professors. </p>
<p>At Stanford, a non-Ivy of course, they have Nobel Laureates, leading researchers, authors, etc. teaching freshmen courses.</p>
<p>TA's do some grading of course. </p>
<p>At the UC's, you will find that TA's teach the course (the discussions) and prof is strictly limited to lecture and office hours.</p>
<p>It depends on what you want.</p>
<p>I would say UCB lol</p>
<p>well, i AM at UCLA. but imagined if i didn't go, i'd choose:</p>
<p>top alternative: stanford
reasonable alternative: berkeley
financial alternative: uc riverside</p>
<p>UC berkeley! (my #1 choice) :></p>
<p>going along with kfc4u's style:</p>
<p>top alternative: stanford or mit
reasonable alternative: berkeley, cornell
financial alternative: university of maryland, college park</p>
<p>You can't say things like "top alternative: Stanford, MIT, Harvard, etc" because if any of you HAD gotten into one of those "alternative" schools you would have gone there instead of UCLA. In fact, the only reason many people are at UCLA is because they didn't get into Stanford or MIT or Harvard or even Berkeley. </p>
<p>A good answer would be: "top alternative: UCSD, UC Davis, CSUs"</p>
<p>Thank you Gutrade for putting everyone in their place. It's good to know that there is someone out there to let everyone know what is acceptable thinking when it comes to selecting a college.</p>
<p>gutrade, you have a very valid point. but...since i'm an out of state applicant...my chances at UCLA are considerably lower (and thus, closer to my chances at other top schools such as stanford and mit). that's why it's a top alternative...but, there's a reasonable column as well =) (for example, cornell engineering was 38% admit, so about twice the rate for out of state into ucla).</p>
<p>but if i revised my list along your criteria:</p>
<p>top alternative: cornell (see admissions %age)
reasonable alternative: ucsd, university of maryland, college park
financial alternative: university of maryland, college park</p>
<p>Stanford is way way overrated.</p>
<p>I agree with Stanford alum. FWIW I am around Stanford and Stanford students, culture etc all the time and while it is impressive, I think it is a seriously exaggeration to place it in such high regard in relation to schools like UCLA and UCB.</p>
<p>And I never answered...hmm...I think I might choose Washington University in St. Louis.</p>
<p>I beg to differ. Stanford is definitely in a league apart with UCLA and Berkeley. Stanford's only peers are Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Caltech. Maybe Princeton too.</p>
<p>At the end of the day your success in life won't depend one iota on where you go to college. I graduated from an ivy league college and, if I had to do it again I would have gone someplace warmer, with better-looking women, and with more diversity. Don't be fooled by a Harvard or Stanford degree - many, if not most, of those who succeed out of these schools succeed because they are inheriting the family business/money or they're smart enough that they would succeed anywhere. It's what kind of drive you have, creativity, ethics, etc. that will move you ahead of the pack. As Woody Allen said, "90 percent of the time you win just be showing up." Keep showing up and you'll succeed.</p>
<p>bond, to a degree, I agree.</p>
<p>I have based my choice not just on academic reputation alone, but rather,w here I think I will have the most fun and in a setting I will truly enjoy.</p>
<p>That being said, I KNOW there is a tremendous difference in both he experience felt and the opportunities offered based on schools you attend..that is a fact of life that can't change. But, no matter where you do attend, you can make the most of it...this much is true.</p>
<p>If I don't get into UCLA, I'm pretty sure that I'm UCSD bound. The other school that is hanging in there with a chaqnce is Tulane, simply because they are likely to give me a good deal of money.</p>
<p>Generally speaking I'd say that UCB is my second choice, but if I don't get into UCLA I don't think I have much of a shot at UCB.</p>