<p>I was really surprised no one has done this yet, considering a lot of students want to come out to L.A. but need to hear the hearsay first. (not me personally, I’m all set, I’m just in this for the debate.) Something like CSULB or CSUN don’t count, I’m talking in the LA metropolitan area.</p>
<p>Here’s mine.</p>
<li>UCLA</li>
<li>USC</li>
<li>LMU</li>
<li>CSULA</li>
<li>Pepperdine</li>
</ol>
<p>Long Beach is NOT in the Metro area?</p>
<p>umm, CalTech? The Claremont colleges (or, are those too far away)?</p>
<p>You forgot Caltech.</p>
<p>I'd include Occidental before CSULA.</p>
<pre><code>People usually consider Claremont close enough --- LA adjacent so to speak so then you have to give consideration to Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna, Scripps and Pitzer.
</code></pre>
<p>Pomona/Cal Tech
Mudd
Claremont McKenna
UCLA/USC
Pepperdine/Scripps</p>
<p>If Claremonts not included I'd also put Oxy on the list before LMU and no CSU is anywhere near the top.</p>
<p>Wow, can't believe I forgot Caltech...</p>
<p>Rethink it, I guess Long Beach is metro area. I would say the Claremonts and pomona are way too far though....Those are borderline 909.</p>
<p>IMO, new list.</p>
<ol>
<li>Caltech (I don't think anyone can argue this)</li>
<li>UCLA</li>
<li>USC</li>
</ol>
<p>I think we can all agree those top three are pretty much set in stone?</p>
<p>Pep, LMU, and Oxy are all really close though, admissions wise. I would definitely leave Pep at the bottom though, seriously though oxy better then lmu? I dunno about that one.</p>
<p>Claremont is in LA County.</p>
<p>Claremont is closer to downtown L.A. than Malibu (Pepperdine) is. I agree that Oxy would rank about LMU.</p>
<p>Yea, but you have to remember, downtown L.A. is not the center of the city, downtown LA was purposely established on what was then the outskirts, and is still today, relatively, the northern border of the metro area.</p>
<p>After doing some research, I agree, oxy does outrank lmu. in terms of academia, but definitely not aesthetically.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Completely and totally false. The original Pueblo de los Angeles was established smack dab in the middle of what is now downtown L.A. That location was, at the time, the only reasonable place to establish a settlement because it had the advantage of having a decent flow of water from the mountains into the Los Angeles River (which was more of an actual river back then). The surrounding areas were largely either used as farmland or were uninhabitable mountainous or marshland areas.</p>
<p>See the following site for location of the Pueblo:
EL</a> PUEBLO DE LOS ANGELES HISTORICAL MONUMENT</p>
<p>Okay, so by "best schools" do you mean schools that generally have the best undergraduate teaching and most rigorous curriculum S.T.:</p>
<p>H(s) = Capability Out / Capability In
and that is maximized:
dH(s)/ds =0 , d2H(s)/ds2<0 ???</p>
<p>If that is the case, in no particular order:</p>
<p>Caltech
Harvey Mudd
USC/UCLA
Pomona College
CMC/Scripps</p>
<p>Pepperdine would NEVER appear on my list.</p>
<p>Rankings are silly and sophomoric. Really. Start over.</p>
<p>Consider their admission stats and where YOU fit in that picture. Consider their location, campus size, campus facilities, programs, CULTURE and cost.</p>
<p>There are many great schools in the Los Angeles Area. I know, I have inlaws there who attended school THERE and LIVE there.</p>
<p>Every school has its strengths and weaknesses either in social aspects or other factors.</p>
<p>What are YOU looking for in a school? DONT SAY RANKING OR PRESTIGE.</p>
<p>If you find a school that is an excellent fit for you, then go for it. </p>
<p>And you should know that California has more high school seniors applying to college than just about any state in the Union and that makes it really hard to get in.</p>
<p>My choices are in no particular order: Occidental, UCLA, USC, Loyola Marymount, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, CalTech, Pomona, Pitzer, Claremont McKenna, UC-Irvine, Pepperdine. Each is different.</p>
<p>It depends on the major. For example, if your major is creative writing, CalTech is not a school for you.</p>
<p>pomona and mudd are great schools but i don't think they offer the opportunities that UCLA offers. USC and pomona/mudd have their own pros and cons overall. If you want to buckle down and get a great education go to pomona/mudd (mudd if you're a science person), go to USC if you want better grades and a large campus.</p>
<p>
[quote]
CSUN don't count, I'm talking in the LA metropolitan area.
[/quote]
CSUN is actually in the city of Los Angeles.</p>
<p>No order:
UCLA
USC
UCSB
Santa Clara (And Claremont colleges)
Caltech
I'm biased.</p>
<p>Yeah, umm UCSB (although an amazing school) is two hours out of LA while Santa Clara is 4-6 (depending on traffic/how fast you drive).</p>
<p>In Order: Caltech, UCLA, USC, Claremont Colleges, Cal Poly Pomona/CSU Long Beach (tie)</p>
<p>^^ Ummm, Santa Clara is in... Santa Clara. Northern California near San Jose - not even close to Los Angeles. (But still a very good school.)</p>
<p>this top 5 schools in la, the way the original poster proposed is pointless.</p>
<p>la area yes, la city no. there are hardly even 10 colleges/universities in the city of los angeles(assuming what is meant is 4 year schools that are not proprietary and not career specific).</p>
<p>Frankly the only schools worth attending in the CITY of LA,are USC, UCLA and OXY. In the county of Los Angeles, I'd include Cal Tech and The Claremonts.</p>