<p>hey everyone 
i’m (obviously) still deciding on where to eventually go for undergrad. i’ve applied to 4 UCs (Cal, UCLA, UCSD, and UCI), and i’m wondering how it was for anyone OOS who eventually attended these. were they worth going to (as opposed to going to a local state school)? any input would be great.
thanks!</p>
<p>I go to UCLA and I'm OOS. </p>
<p>What do you mean by worth going to? </p>
<p>Sometimes I want to shoot myself for choosing such a large school. In the beginning I became really frustrated with the huge lecture hall classes (and heck, I still am) and getting the attention of TAs during office hours. I've had to become very aggressive with getting extra help. Yes, I know that you're supposed to take initiative in your studies, getting help, etc. but sometimes I feel like they make things harder than it needs to be. The large size isn't just evident by the number of people in lecture halls but its idea is reinforced wherever you go on campus. There will be lines in dining halls... events... for services provided by the Ashe Center (a series of clinics that serve the UCLA community)... it gets pretty FRUSTRATING. In the end, however, it has forced me to schedule appointments with professors for extra help, search for the best TAs, search for the best outside tutors (services provided by UCLA)... Still, though, I feel like I'm in some obstacle course whose purpose is to weed out as many people as possible.</p>
<p>Is it worth paying the extra tuition as opposed to your OWN university? Probably not. You WILL get more if you go to a private school for the same price. If you're smart enough to get into UCLA (in or out of state, whatever), you can probably go to a school of similar caliber but with better resources that will suit you individually.</p>
<p>Also, I don't really notice any difference in the experiences between in-state and OOS students except that some of them came to school with cliques... it's not very difficult to break the in-state/OOS barrier - people are open to everyone.</p>
<p>That's good advice, I am applying out of state as well. Is there anything you like about the OOS experiance though?</p>
<p>Well, I wouldn't say that the OOS experience is so much different than an in-stater's experience except in regards to coming here with cliques or even having the option of going home every weekend, so I can't really tell you that there're positive/negative experiences associating with an OOSer's college exp. (A significant amount of people on my floor (dorms) go home for the weekend cuz they're all from the Los Angeles area or Orange County). However, yes there are general positives to just going somewhere that isn't your homestate (whether private or public). For one thing, people from around your area will probably not be going to the same place (that is, they'll probably go to the flagship state university or something). This is generally speaking when you go OOS but when it's going OOS in regards to a public university, you're surrounded by a different set of locals. </p>
<p>Anyway, here are some positives to my UCLA experience:
- Amazing faculty
- Overall, pretty smart student body... I wouldn't call it an 'intellectual' environment though --- there are a lot of pre-meds in my classes and consequently, a lot of grade-grubbing/grade-whoreism and plenty of apathetic students. If you try really hard, I'm sure, if that's your thing, that you could possibly find it.
- Amazing resources
- No one from my high school goes here
- Diverse (though not racially...)
- Los Angeles is a great place to explore</p>
<p>and much more. AGAIN THOUGH, it is all about whether or not you take the INITIATIVE to get to these resources and sometimes, it takes a serious amount of effort... do not underestimate this. For example, at a place like MIT or something, a really high percentage of students participate in research programs or have some sort of research opportunity that they can easily attain. My experience with it at UCLA has been difficult... Sometimes, clubs/organizations and whatnot advertise research positions where they say they're looking for undergraduates... and what you don't realize is how competitive, even for the jobs like washing freaking GLASSWARE, can be difficult to attain. I was able to get my first research position through an upperclassman at UCLA who has really good contacts and so she helped set me up. This school has amazing resources... yes, that's true but you have to really DIG. You have to research UCLA's faculty research interests and find something that matches you and then send out masses of email to see if anyone is interested in a petty freshman for that position and you have to try REALLY HARD. </p>
<p>I'm sorry but I've had a really bad relationship with UCLA academically and I'm a slightly jaded freshman.</p>
<p>thanks for the response emmeline :)
when i meant going to, i meant whether if the oos monetary cost is really worth the experience or not. i'm really inclined towards cali schools (i feel like they have more options than uga, which is my instate school), but the discrepancy b/w in-state and oos costs is a little disheartening.</p>
<p>In short, NO the OOS cost difference is NOT WORTH IT. Go to a private school in CA.</p>
<p>Honestly, it depends on what major you are applying for. </p>
<p>If you want to major in Business/Economics in Southern California, may as well try USC's Marshall with about the same amount OOS pay for UC's.</p>