My S22 was recently admitted to UCLA Letters and UMich LS&A and needs to decide which one is better for him. I’m new to posting so I’m not sure if this is the correct format or etiquette. Hopefully someone has knowledge into the Environmental programs at each of these schools?
UCLA Pros: Good food, close to D20 (currently attends USC and loves it), in a good area with proximity to beach and downtown, less seasonal depression, a little bit cheaper, accepts more AP credit, more study abroad locations.
UCLA Cons: Farther from home, LA superficiality (toxic? according to D20), do students drive? parking + traffic may be an issue, enrollment in classes are a struggle.
UMich Pros: In the Honors program, excellent college-town experiences, more appealing school colors, S22 really interested in Climbing Club and Rowing Club.
UMich Cons: Accepts fewer AP credits, less ethnic diversity though we are used to it living in an affluent white neighborhood.
Additional Info: We are full pay and out of state (New England). Size at both schools are relatively the same so not a big deal for my kid. Son is high achieving and mixed race (asian and white) if that plays a factor. He is also torn between warm sunny days at LA and cold winters and fall leaves at UM as he enjoys both.
Seems like my son favors UCLA a little more, perhaps anyone could offer some insights? Thanks.
I don’t think I’d take a car to UCLA, at least not while living on campus. It’s all but impossible to get a parking permit and parking in the neighborhoods is very difficult: expect to get a bunch of tickets if you try that. S is a senior and many friends now have cars but only because their apartment buildings have parking garages.
Having said that, Zipcar is a good option for short trips and it’s easy enough to get to Santa Monica by bus.
S has very much enjoyed majoring in public affairs, which is a more applied version of PoliSci/Econ. Everyone always seems happy at UCLA, I guess the weather has a lot to do with that.
And if you want to go climbing, there are plenty of amazing mountains in the Sierra.
Note that while lots of AP scores get credit units, relatively few of them give subject credit that can substitute for specific courses at UCLA (for fulfilling requirements or prerequisites). Those which are listed with numbered courses are the ones that do:
This made me laugh. Does your D20 love or hate LA? Or both?
Does your USC student have a car? UCLA is similar in that parking is difficult and most students use ride share.
Regarding AP units, UCLA does not allow AP credit to be used to satisfy General Education requirements.
I don’t know much about UMich but California is a great place to be if you are interested in the environment. UCLA has a very highly regarded Institute of Environment & Sustainability (IOES). The program offers seven concentrations. The department has a junior retreat to help build relationships between upper div students, grad students, professors, etc. The senior practicum connects students with industry. Both the retreat and the senior practicum help make a big school feel small.
I live in Los Angeles not too far from UCLA and my son is a sophomore at Michigan. While I did not think Michigan handled the pandemic very well (he started in 2020), if it was my choice, I would choose Michigan over UCLA. Even though Michigan is a large university, it is not as spread out like UCLA. A lot of students at UCLA live off campus or commute. At Michigan, although its the freshman and some sophomores that live on campus and the rest live in greek housing, college apartments, houses, the housing seems closer to campus than the off-campus housing at UCLA. Also, at UMich there seems to be more of a traditional residential experience and a lot of “rah rah” – much more than UCLA especially with football. As for weather, it hasn’t been too bad for my California kid and there are a lot of California students at UMich. In term of the superficial nature of LA, while that is true it depends in the circle that you run in. There is so much to do in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas that as a boy (not girl), I don’t think that is an issue. In terms of parking, etc., it is hard to be a student in Los Angeles without a car or having a friend without a car unless you are planning just to stay on campus. While you can Uber, the bus system isn’t set up for a young person to explore the area. While my UMich son wants his car in Ann Arbor, he really doesn’t need one. On the housing front, UCLA just announced they are going to guarantee housing for 4 years. They have new dorms that are going online in the fall so that is a plus. My son has been searching for a summer internship in California, and I personally think going to Michigan gives him more cache and makes him stand out. He has received a number of interviews and the interviewers are intrigued and impressed with a Cali kid at Michigan. Last and I think this is the biggest difference between two amazing and top notch public universities, is that UCLA is on a quarter system and Michigan is on the semester system. You should compare the academic calendars of each but it is an adjustment. UCLA starts mid-September and ends mid-June (3 quarters). Michigan starts late August and you are done at the end of April. You can take a summer term but having that entire month of May gives you some flexibility in terms of short-term abroad experiences and internships. Good luck!
I think my son was being sarcastic with the colors , they are both blue and yellow!
I agree that distance doesn’t matter as they are both far, but I just checked the times and the 2 hour flights vs 6 hour flights might come out to be like a small inconvenience. Though if both my kids end up in LA I might as well move there!
Yes I should look into the driving and parking options. Traffic might be irritating if my son lives off-campus. I have also heard about the Zipcar partnership, good tip!
Do you know more about your S’s experience with public affairs? Seems like my kid is also interested.
What stood out to me was that Michigan acceptance included the honors program. That to me would warrant more weight towards Michigan (and I’m from Florida and typically can’t imagine living in cold weather but anything is manageable for 4 years).
Haha D20 has a love hate relationship! She does not even have a license and vows never to get one, very stubborn. Not sure if Uber/Lyft is as expensive there as it is here so I think my son might just make friends with other kids who have cars.
Thanks for the link, I will pass it along to my son!
Public Affairs is purposely designed to offer breadth and be very practical, for example writing policy memos. There isn’t a huge amount of required quantitative work, certainly less math required than for an econ major, and many students aren’t very interested in that side of things (and want to work for government agencies or in political campaigns).
However S has found that as a result the quant classes offer a lot of personal attention and connections with professors. He’s done a lot of work in R and had one class with only 2 students, he’s interested in another class using Python. He did an honors thesis (and got a scholarship for it), which was more interesting than the capstone internship with a local city, and had some great summer internships, one at a DC think tank (you can do a quarter in DC) and one with a consulting firm.
Just to add that for most, off campus housing means literally down the street. You might have a 15-20 minute walk to class but you couldn’t drive any closer. Bird scooters are a better means of transportation within Westwood than driving a car. A car is only useful to get away from campus, eg going to Malibu or to the mountains for skiing. I don’t think any freshmen that he knew had a car.
While you can live on campus all four years at UCLA, most get fed up with the tiny triple dorms after a couple of years and rent an apartment so they only have to share a bedroom with one other person. But none of S’s friends went far, they are literally across the road on Gayley, and you couldn’t be any closer to campus.
As for “rah rah” it’s fair to say Michigan has an edge, but the basketball is a big deal after last year’s March madness run, and there has been more enthusiasm around football as the team has got (slightly) better, Game Day last fall was exciting and packed. The basketball stadium is on campus whereas the Rose Bowl is a trek, but it is an iconic stadium and ideal for tailgating.
, they are both blue and yellow!