<p>I have been admitted to both UCLA and Carnegie mellon as an international student. Because, I am an international so I have to pay almost same fee for both ucla and carnegie. Now, I just don't know which college has better reputation, prestige...</p>
<p>Another concern is that I would like to major in Aerospace engineering which is actually not offered by Carnegie where I opted for Mechanical Engineering. Its like I can change my major but only if there is notable difference between the universities. e.g. If I would have been admitted to an ivy may that be cornell then i could have easily opted for mechanical engineering. So, presently help me decide.
I know carnegie is private, but what do you think is the difference if its private? Class size??</p>
<p>As a fellow int’l student, I have to say that a private university is probably gonna offer us better privileges for our money. The class sizes are def. gonna be smaller and you probably get more attention from the professors. I hear at the UCs you may sometimes have to sit on the floor if you’re late for the class and there are no more seats. The big classes have around 500 people, which is … pretty huge.</p>
<p>I think that’s the most obvious difference … to me, that is.</p>
<p>But I personally don’t wanna go to Pittsburgh–I hear it’s not as great as LA (and Cali!)</p>
<p>We are looking at these choices as well. CMU is more prestigious for engineering. Think it ranks up there with Cornell. For us it will cost us nearly double to send son to CMU. The class sizes are smaller and you will know your professors. If there was not a such a large cost difference it would be CMU. I can say that my son will go to grad school and for us the money we save by sending him to UCLA over CMU will just about put him through grad school. We are going to UCLA open house this weekend. I hear the UCLA dorms, food, atmosphere are great for students…</p>
<p>I would suggest (if you have the money) visiting these campuses both on tours and without. So you really know which one fits you better too.
Also, many people have testified that there is no way their classes are that big. All that I’ve talked to, whether on tours or personal friends, say that their biggest class is no bigger than 200 and that’s not even all the classes.</p>
<p>Thanks for your comments. First problem is that I would like to major in Aerospace Eng which CMU doesn’t offer. Secondly, I am seeking for good social life which I think LA would provide me.</p>
<p>Ok, Is the difference all about class size?</p>
<p>When I apply for job after my degree, the employers would prefer CMU or UCLA?</p>
<p>I’m not an international student, but I am out-of-state (so I’m paying quite a bit for UCLA as well).</p>
<p>I was accepted to both CMU and UCLA for Computer Science and decided to choose UCLA. After visiting both schools, I knew UCLA was better for me (in terms of a good balance between social life, academics, and extracurricular activities). Although CMU has a more prestigious CS program, I knew UCLA would be a lot easier, thus giving me more time to socialize and get involved with student organizations while maintaining a decent GPA. </p>
<p>My advice to you is to evaluate your goals and visit both campuses if you can (I know it’s harder for you since you’re international). If you’re looking to work on big projects (DARPA related) or get a great research position, you should really consider CMU. They have so many great opportunities there and you can’t go wrong. If you’re looking for balance and a really complete college experience, think about coming to UCLA.</p>
<p>And about getting a job - if you do really well in either school, I wouldn’t think you would have a problem finding a great job (I could be terribly wrong though since I’ve heard a lot of MAE students struggling to find a job at UCLA). I’m also unsure of CMU’s mechnical engineering program.</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon is the better value and you should probably go there; however, you should consider UCLA if you are concerned regarding the international renown of Carnegie Mellon, especially in your home country.</p>
<p>One more problem- Today I received an offer from University of Toronto with $15000 scholarship. So, now all in all I need to pay $20,000 (including room and board).</p>
<p>So, what do you think about the reputation of U of Toronto compared to UCLA and CMU. Is american education way more better than Canadian.</p>
<p>The problem with Canadian education isn’t the system itself but that there aren’t that many people in the nation. Imagine a slightly inferior UC system. Toronto is the third down. Now is that prestigious? McGill, their best university rivals Michigan. I don’t know much about Toronto but I doubt its competitiveness relative to UCLA or CMU.</p>
<p>Correct me, anyone, if I’m wrong, but I think class sizes get really small really quickly for engineering, even at UCLA. By your junior year, you’ll notice that there are people that always end up in your classes and such. (Or so it seems.) I’d worry about class size if you’re like… premed and looking straight at the reqs for med school.</p>
<p>Oh yeah… and I never heard of U of Toronto before.</p>
<p>i don’t understand why so many people look down on a school because it has large class sizes… i think this is entirely subjective. </p>
<p>for myself, i really enjoy the impartiality/anonymity of having large classes because you can skip class or sleep in class or whatever. in a smaller class, you’re kinda forced to go to class since the professor knows your name… and you have to pay attention. </p>
<p>in summary, having large class sizes is not necessarily bad. </p>
<p>p.s. people only sit on the floor for the first week or so. after that, people drop/stop coming to class so seats won’t be a problem.</p>
So you really know which one fits you better too.