<p>What the major advantages Pepperdine has over UCLA?</p>
<p>Three words: Small class sizes.</p>
<p>UCLA is arguably a better school than Pepperdine; it’s better ranked, larger, and has a more established reputation around the US and the world. Its size allows for lots of research opportunities and such–IF, and this is a big if, you’re lucky enough to access the professors.</p>
<p>At Pepperdine, you’re almost guaranteed to get personal attention in your classes. The professors here are stellar and they really care about you, not just as a student but as a person. Most classes, even many gen-ed courses, have 20 or less students. Even large lecture halls are capped around 150, in contrast to UCLA’s with 400+ students. There are no TAs at Pepperdine, so all your work will be read and graded by the professor. These profs love to meet with students for office hours, invite them over for a home-cooked meal, and mentor them throughout the four years.</p>
<p>Socially, Pepperdine has an incredible sense of community that you won’t find at UCLA, or any larger school for that matter. Everything is set up really well so you get to know the 50ish other people in your freshman dorm, especially the 6-8 in your suite. The school hosts a lot of great free events (performance-based coffeehouses, film festivals, casino nights, dance parties, movie nights, hiking trips, and way more!) that tend to be well attended, and our Greek life is extremely fun in a sort of unconventional way. It’s not the typical college experience exactly, but many students agree that it’s much better! :)</p>