Hi all! I was lucky enough to be admitted to both of these institutes but now I’m having trouble deciding where to go.
The main things I’m deciding between are the fact that I love UCLA’s social life. I believe that college is the time to learn as well as have fun and learn about yourself and UCLA’s thriving social life is due to their top athletics and just overall student it attracts. I also plan on going greek. Not that I’m saying Northwestern is a ghost town but it surely can’t compare to UCLA. I also plan on working on either coast and I’m not sure what NU’s reputation is in the East but considering UCLA is on the west coast, there is more knowledge of it here. I am hesitant because I visited UCLA this weekend (during their spring break) and did not love it/see myself there. Hopefully it’s just because there were no students!
The reason why Northwestern is still in my mind is because I THINK it’s higher ranked and trust me I know rankings mostly mean nothing but I was wondering if anyone had any insight into whether the difference in rankings between these two would make a difference for my future employer or if it’s negligible. The other reason is because I’m from San Diego and going to NU would just allow me to experience new things whether it’s new people or weather. The intimacy of a private, smaller school is also really appealing.
Can anyone here attest to Northwestern and finding employers, their social life/greek experience, or campus life in general it would be very helpful!
Not a current student and no direct knowledge of matters.
However, if you are getting in-state tuition at UCLA and are full pay at NU, I will not see the justification.
If what you are paying is comparable, I feel that a private school like NU creates more opportunities because of having fewer students and better student/faculty ratio.
I am currently a student at Northwestern. The difference in job opportunities for UCLA grads and Northwestern grads are negligible, if not non existent. I grew up on the east coast and everyone knows about UCLA. About half of people on campus go Greek, so there is a noticeable greek culture here. UCLA definitely beats us when it comes to school spirit and athletics but Northwestern has way better athletic facilities then UCLA. Our basketball arena is in the process of being completely renovated and a new athletic facility is opening on campus this fall.
@bweebler I think you committed to Ucla since I just answered your biz Econ question on the Ucla forum. But to answer your other question here, Ucla Greek life is not only a big part of Ucla social life and really makes for a complete college experience.
I know it has been a year since you made your decision. I have a son who is facing the same dilemma, NU OR UCLA.
We are from the SF Bay area so California is all he knows. He is not deterred by the weather in Chicago either. In fact, he found Chicago to be a vibrant place with many young people.
He has a college fund so money is not part of the decision.
However, will NU open more doors for better startup jobs? He is planning to study Industrial Engineering with an emphasis in Finance. Will NU open more doors in consulting or IB jobs than UCLA?
How do you feel now after one year AT UCLA?
He is planning to attend Bruin day on 4/13 and also intends to go to NU for a second time.
If your son is interested in industrial engineering with emphasis on finance, you may want to note a couple of things. First, it is very easy to double major in IE and Economics at NU.
The link above describes how classes cross-count and one does need additional time or an overload of classes.
Second, kellogg certificate offers a very valuable opportunity. In fact, IE + Econ meets all prereqs for kellogg certificate, and then it is only 4 classes more. Assuming modest number of AP credits (e.g. 5 in Calc BC and something else), one can do IE + Econ + Kellogg Certificate without an overload or additional time. Because NU does not have a business undergrad major, Kellogg Certificate students seem to get an upper hand in business undergrad recruiting, and I think most of them finish up going for investment banking or consulting.
In my research for my son, I didn’t come across such a combination elsewhere (except possibly Penn M&T program, but it is incredibly hard to get admitted to). I didn’t look at opportunities specifically at UCLA though.