<p>I'm a resident of Maryland, but I currently attend University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).</p>
<p>I'm paying more than 50,000 dollars per year to attend this school since I am not a California resident, and I'm starting to wonder if it is really worth it.</p>
<p>In your opinions (with respect to job opportunities, academics, etc.) is it better for me to stay at UCLA and pay a lot more, or transfer to UMD and pay a lot less?</p>
<p>This is a no-brainer - transfer to UMCP and save your money! A degree from UCLA versus UMCP has no advantage whatsoever in job opportunities, academics, etc. Let see here, assume about $22K/yr at UMCP versus $50K/yr at UCLA. That’s $28K/year savings. You can do a lot with the $28K/year. Perhaps save it for grad/professional school?</p>
<p>I just had to move back home to Maryland and transfer from the University of New Mexico to here. I had to leave everything behind that I made for myself in NM and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do. However, I knew that it was logically the right decision. UMD will be much cheaper and honestly, I don’t think your quality of education is going to decrease at all. Trust me, I am NOT Maryland’s biggest fan, but UMD is a good school and you really can’t beat the in-state price.</p>
<p>Jonn:</p>
<p>I would say that UCLA, along with Berkeley, Virginia, and perhaps Michigan, is one of the few OOS public universities that I DO think is worth the extra money.</p>
<p>UCLA carries more weight than Maryland.</p>
<p>What are you majoring in? Is there a significant difference in that particular program between UCLA and UMD, or a reason that a L.A. locale would be better for you for that area of study? If not, I’m of the mind that UMD is a very strong school, and assuming you work as hard as you have been at UCLA, will give a comparable education for much better value.</p>
<p>I would think about the major first. If you go to medicine school, UCLA is definitely best one for you. If your are interested in engineering, UMCP may be your first choice.</p>