<p>Privates cannot compare, in general. Very few private Universities founded after 1900 have Top 20 Ph.D. level research. UCLA was founded in 1919. UCSD in the 1960s. Yet both have stronger faculties than all privates in the country except for seven or eight. Of course things have changed a lot with most funding for these universities no longer coming from the state governments, but that is another story.</p>
<p>Yup UCLA is a wonderful institution. I’m a proud Bruin.</p>
<p>So anyone know of any other UCLA traditions besides Undie Run (which is awesome) and midnight scream?</p>
<p>Berkeley has a better reputation in California, but from these forums it seems that LA may be more famous outside CA?</p>
<p>I disagree LogicWarrior. Berkeley has the better national and international reputation.</p>
<p>That’s what I assumed before here, but Cal’s getting no love in this thread besides one person.</p>
<p><strong><em>SIGH</em></strong>
Yet another thread hijacked by Cal Berkeley people. Are you all so insecure that you have to make every thread about yourselves? You aren’t making your school look very good with your constant argumentative posts.</p>
<p>This thread is about UCLA. Not Berkeley.</p>
<p>^ The original poster asked a question…just voicing my differing opinion.</p>
<p>collegeundergrad wrote: "So anyone know of any other UCLA traditions besides Undie Run (which is awesome) and midnight scream? "</p>
<hr>
<p>You should post this on the UCLA board here. I recall tales that in the 70s students would do midnight exploration of the tunnels that run under the on campus road called the Dickson Court Bridge – gaining access through a manhole I think … doesn’t look like a bridge now because they filled in the ground around it.</p>
<p>I cannot imagine this would even be possible anymore, with insurance (or self insured) settlements so high for negligence – what if a student were seriously injured walking around under there?</p>
<p>LogicWarrior: famous means many things. UCLA is a strong clothing label in some parts of Asia, especially Japan, where many don’t know it is a university in the US… </p>
<p>UCLA is also quite famous in the general public for its sporting climate:</p>
<ul>
<li>coach John Wooden and successors with 11 NCAA basketball championships, the latest in 1995,</li>
<li>19 NCAA volleyball championships, 11 NCAA (& predecessor) softball championships, 8 or 9 water polo championships, for being the alma mater of Jackie Robinson, Rafer Johnson (decathalon), Karch Kiraly (greatest volleyball player of all time), Jimmy Connors (tennis), Troy Aikman. We suck at football but did win the championship in 1954 and are usually top 20.</li>
<li>103 NCAA championships in total, by far #1 in the country.</li>
</ul>
<p>Bottom line, UCLA evokes an image of great research across all fields + great weather/environment + great sports. The sports and weather are simply areas in which Berkeley cannot, nor probably cares to, compare.</p>
<p>To be honest, DunninLA, on the East Coast, UCLA does not conjure the great research images nearly as much as the sports image.</p>
<p>Most of the people from my area would immediately say go to Berkeley why the heck would you even consider UCLA relative to Berkeley without thinking twice because they don’t know about UCLA’s academic reputation.</p>
<p>That being said, OP, if it was right for you that’s all that matters. Your expectations have been shaped by many things and so long as you feel they were all good sources (and I assume you would to make such an important choice based on them) you shouldn’t be disappointed. I would have picked pretty much every other school you listed before UCLA but that’s because of who I am as a student. Good luck and enjoy!</p>
<p>modest – this is an area in which prejudices are probably prevalent… the academic instituion equivalent of the dumb blond… great at athletics… must be stupid 
Somehow Stanford rises above this, but I’m sure even Stanford faces some prejudice in this regard too.</p>
<p>Undie run is another “tradition” UCLA stole from others. The problem of UCLA is they don’t have much of their own traditions, they steal:) Not their fault, they indeed are the little bro of Cal. Besides the legacy excellence of John Wooden’s basketball, UCLA doesn’t have a No 1 in the nation. They are good all around, because of the location and resource Californians invest. If it was not for the superior location, they will become mediocre very soon. Actually from what I know, UCSD may be already pass UCLA.</p>
<p>QW - UCSD has certainly surpassed UCLA for many areas of science, and Berkeley too in the area of neurosciences… I think the turf was informally divided that way with UCOP about 30 years ago. At any rate, I do view UCSD and UCLA as equivalent quality in faculty, though UCLA offers a much broader offering, but the rest of the college experience at UCSD does not compare to UCLA. Just a matter of fit on the relevance for a student of the DI sports, Westwood/Santa Monica proximity, Greek scene, etc.</p>
<p>The problem with UCLA (and USC for that matter) is L.A. </p>
<p>L.A. is not, and never will be, a place for intellectual pursuits.</p>
<p>UCB chem guy – do you find it ironic, as I do, that poster QW, having been rejected by UCLA three years ago, comes into this thread about UCLA to comment?</p>
<p>QW, let it go, dude. You didn’t get in, you’re at USC, just make the best of your “situation”.</p>
<p>^ I was rejected by fUCLA too…(as a CSU transfer) ;)</p>
<p>But, I got into the mothership (first choice) campus, so it didn’t matter.</p>
<p>UCB – how do you explain Caltech, Pomona, Mudd?</p>
<p>It’s not LA – it’s simply that LA did not get a big time university untiol 1919, and even then it was a “teacher’s college”, the equivalent of a Cal St. UCLA wasn’t transformed into a “Research Unversity” until the early 1950s. It’s come a long way in under sixty years.</p>
<p>^ Caltech, Pomona and Mudd do not reside in the City of Los Angeles. ;)</p>
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</p>
<p>DunninLA,
I am a Ph.D. student at USC for many years already:( Even though I become more and more emotional about USC, but my background as an international student from China allows me a more level-headed view about the relation between USC and UCLA. I want to present a view from an actual researcher in an academic institute, and Bashing UCLA is definitely not one of my things. </p>
<p>BTW, I did not even apply for UCLA from the beginning, let alone being rejected. My major program is equal to the one at UCLA, and the reputation of those several UCLA faculty working in my area is well-known, in a slightly negative way. </p>
<p>The way you attacked me is kinda similar, and does put a dent on your reputation as a poster on CC, and a student at UCLA:)</p>
<p>QW… I’ll be back in a few minutes with your post from 2005 stating you were rejected from UCLA…</p>