nyu vs ucla

[simply2confused]

<p>Hi!
I received a national scholarship which is transferrable to any school in the US. I've been accepted to both NYU and UCLA and the only thing I would have to pay for for either is room and board. NYU is about $5000/yr more expensive, but I think I will get scholarships to cover that.
I live in the north, and NYU is only a 7 hours drive from my house.
UCLA is nearly 3000 miles away from home and going to and fro california would be almost enough to make up the $5000 difference for nyu anyway. so for cost, they are almost equal. </p>

<p>So the question is... which is better?
Which is more prestigious? Which am I more likely to get a job out of? I plan to attend law school and would like to participate in good internships as well. </p>

[musicamusica]

<p>I think it all comes down to where you want to live. BTW, it’s a balmy 74 degrees and lovely here in LA today.</p>

[Ctesiphon]

<p>What do you want to major in for undergrad? You can major in a wide variety of things that aren’t necessarily Pre-Law. The “quality” of the program itself won’t matter much, they are both very good schools.</p>

<p>And yes california is much warmer than NYC lol</p>

[beyphy]

<p>Here’s a good post outlining the difference between the schools by Alexandre:</p>

<p>

There is very little in common between UCLA and NYU other than their size, academic excellence and the fact that both are located in large cities. Even the latter is not exactly the same since NYU is significantly more urban than UCLA.</p>

<p>But in most ways, the two are not similar.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>UCLA has a well defined campus, whereas NYU is mixed in with the city</p></li>
<li><p>UCLA has a rich athletic tradition and ample school spirit. NYU is not known for either</p></li>
<li><p>NYU’s student body tends to be wealthy, as the school is very expensive and offers little aid, and geographically diverse. UCLA, on the other hand, has a very diverse student body socioeconomically (30% Pell Grant recipients), but 90% of undergrads are residents of CA.

</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Ask yourself which (if any) of these factors are important to you. That might help you decide. Also consider how important it is for you to be near home. Are you likely to get homesick? Would you like to be able to take a drive home on a long weekend to spend time with your family?</p>

<p>FWIW, If I was in your situation I might very much be inclined to pick NYU. New York City is a great place to be if you’re young and NYU has a fair amount of top programs. My advice is make sure to carefully examine your scholarship and verify that it covers all tuition. NYU’s biggest complaint on these forums is that it offers little to no aid. You don’t want to be in a situation where you paid thousands of extra dollars just because you didn’t read the fine print.</p>

[simply2confused]

<p>I have now been accepted to both, toured neither, and have a week to decide! Anybody have any input?
I am leaning towards UCLA because it is warmer there, ranked higher in many subjects, and the room and board is significantly less expensive. I am also a low-income student and don’t want to constantly be watching my money.
Anybody have any input?</p>

[juillet]

<p>I would definitely attend UCLA.</p>

<p>-Better weather, as has been pointed out. This last winter in NYC has been miserable.</p>

<p>-I often get the feeling that NYU’s reputation is far overblown, at least for undergrad. I remember reading an article somewhere stating that schools like NYU, George Washington and USC started to see their rankings climb when they simply raised tuition and made their schools very expensive - people tend to value things that are expensive and believe that they’re worth more simply because they ARE more expensive, and so the logic went that these schools were able to attract wealthier (and thus better-prepared) students. NYU gets an additional boost from being in NYC; it’s my personal estimation that about 50% of all adolescents 14-18 desperately want to live in NYC because of the false advertising we get from glamorous television shows. Now I’m not saying that NYU’s not a good school; it is. I simply don’t understand all the hype.</p>

<p>-Anyway, UCLA is more of a traditional college campus which will give you that more traditional college feel. NYU doesn’t really have a defined campus; it’s buildings scattered throughout NYC. Some students prefer the former, and some the latter. I’m in the “beautiful traditional campus” camp. Pictures show that UCLA looks pretty gorgeous.</p>

<p>-I think LA and NYC are about equally expensive, so watching your money will be an issue in both places (wrt to living like movies, pizza, etc.). However, room and board being significantly cheaper at UCLA is definitely something to consider if you have to pay your own.</p>

<p>-I’m a fan of big college sports and the school spirit that tends to foster. UCLA has that! It’s one of the places where you can go to classes with top-notch academics in the morning and tailgate for a big game in the evening.</p>

<p>I kind of disagree that NYC is a great place to be when you’re young. I have mixed feelings about it, actually. On the one hand, there’s definitely a lot to do here, and there are a lot of people to meet. And if you’re into any kind of scene - music, fashion, art, science, tech - it’s probably here. But on the other hand, it’s very expensive to live here, and going out if also quite expensive. If you’re young and have no money, you have to budget carefully what you do. I’m a grad student here, and I’ve learned that the glamorous lifestyle and spacious apartments they advertise on TV is basically a lie if you’re in college and/or making crappy money. Some of my friends have graduated on to a semblance of that, but it was basically after they finished graduate school and started to find jobs that made good money…we’re in our late 20s. And I don’t know anyone who lives in a “trendy” neighborhood (well, except my advisor, who’s in his late 30s and lives in Williamsburg). Most of my friends live in Harlem; I have a few who live in the Upper West Side.</p>

[simply2confused]

<p>@juillet Thank you so much for your response! I have chosen UCLA!!
It was nice to read the input from a New Yorker. </p>

[beyphy]

<p>

ut on the other hand, it’s very expensive to live here, and going out if also quite expensive. If you’re young and have no money, you have to budget carefully what you do. I’m a grad student here, and I’ve learned that the glamorous lifestyle and spacious apartments they advertise on TV is basically a lie if you’re in college and/or making crappy money. Some of my friends have graduated on to a semblance of that, but it was basically after they finished graduate school and started to find jobs that made good money…we’re in our late 20s. And I don’t know anyone who lives in a “trendy” neighborhood (well, except my advisor, who’s in his late 30s and lives in Williamsburg). Most of my friends live in Harlem; I have a few who live in the Upper West Side.

</p>

<p>Most of these criticisms are also true of Los Angeles since, as you noted above, they’re about equally expensive. And you’d probably have the same criticisms if you were doing your graduate work in Los Angeles instead of NYC.</p>

[drax12]

<p>Just a slight correction:</p>

<p>

3. NYU’s student body tends to be wealthy, as the school is very expensive and offers little aid, and geographically diverse. UCLA, on the other hand, has a very diverse student body socioeconomically (30% Pell Grant recipients), but 90% of undergrads are residents of CA.

</p>

<p>The current all-undergrad %'s might be close to 90% from CA, but the dynamics of frosh admissions is changing. In 2013, oos students comprised a bit more than ~16% and In’tls comprised ~11.5%, for a total of almost 28% as non-CA residents. As far as transfers, In’tls have always comprised a good no., as well as the U now seeing more oos in this set, so it doesn’t appear that transfers-in would be pushing this % back to 90%. This % should drop considerably in the next few years if it hasn’t already.</p>

[artloversplus]

<p>If I were OP, I’d choose UCLA</p>

<p>While majority of UCLA students are from CA, California by itself is a mixed bowl of all races and creed. There is enough diversity locally in California so that students from anywhere can enjoy their presence. For example, just in Westwood alone, you can go to restaurants from a wide variety of ethnicity from High priced French cuisine to Vietnam noodles. And as alluded by julliet, it is cheaper and safer to be in CA than Harlem.</p>