<p>A lot of people are down to a choice between UCLA and more prestigious private schools such as Dartmouth, Georgetown, etc.</p>
<p>Sure, UCLA is ranked very highly and this year it is even more selective.
But still, at our high school in CA, the admit rate to UCLA is about 45%, to Georgetown it is less than 5%. And most people do pick Dartmouth or Northwestern over UCLA.</p>
<p>So, would it be easier to get into a top graduate school from Georgetown than UCLA? Or land a better job? </p>
<p>After reading threads such as "regret choosing UCLA", difficulties getting into classes, competition, I am wondering why would someone pick UCLA over a higher ranking private school?</p>
<p>Cost. Proximity to family. Los Angeles has everything. (Hanover sucks for example.) Specific majors particular to UCLA. </p>
<p>"regret choosing UCLA"
Don't worry about this so much. Most people I have met have been very satisfied with their experience and are particularly happy. That huge thread is not representative of a typical science major at UCLA. </p>
<p>difficulties getting into classes,
Yeah this is an issue. It gets easier as you progress through your years however. </p>
<p>competition,
All the top schools are competitive. You'll be busting your butt anywhere.</p>
<p>Emmeline, i know a lot of people that are non-science majors that wish they had either transferred or gone to a private institution where they say "grade inflation" is rampant</p>
<p>I personally like it here, i love fighting for my grade, it makes a entire quarter of hard work, endless nights or re-writing, and crappy TA's worth it. Believe me, come to UCLA and fight for your grade it is really gratifying especially for me, because came from a troubled past and a life full of sh##</p>
<p>UCLA gives you academic skills AND more general life-skills!
such as...
how to use curves to your advantage (well, ok, how to keep them from killing you)
how to become your own advocate and seek out the help you need
how to take advantage of the multitude of opportunities at UCLA and the greater LA area
how to deal with setbacks (not getting the "perfect" schedule)
how to EARN an A without artificial grade boosting
how to grow from new experiences you can't even imagine yet</p>
<p>and when you're not doing this, you can be exploring LA, kickin' it at the beach, tanning at sunset, clubbing in hollywood, or taking a quiet walk at sunrise through the beautiful campus.</p>
<p>whatever school you choose, please don't base your decision based on your presumed level of "prestige" of the university. don't choose the most "selective" university.
choose the place you will be happy, and thrive the most, because when you are in an environment that makes YOU want to succeed, you will do better.
and when you do better, you'll have a better chance at top grad schools, no matter which "top" university you attend!</p>
<p>If you intend to live in the west coast, UCLA is just fine. However, the perception of UCLA brand, in the mid-west and in the east coast is different. I found Berkeley, Michigan, and Virginia, are considered to be better in terms of academics. I have purposely confined my comparison within the top public universities.</p>
<p>If you consider the reputation outside the USA, Berkeley wins hands down. Be it in Europe or in Asia. </p>
<p>Disclaimer: I didn't study in any of the above universities, though my university has a very high brand recall. My views are based on my interaction with my colleagues, both in the USA and in other parts of the world.</p>
<p>adding to this thread... mit or ucla?
i am rather social and think that ucla would be bigger on that front... but then there's the prestige of MIT..</p>
<p>i'm a science/engineering major but i'm stumped on what to pick
help?</p>
<p>I think you're analyzing your Georgetown/UCLA admit info wrong. </p>
<p>Being that your school is in CA, I'm sure most people would have applied to UCLA, whereas only a diminutive few would have applied to Georgetown. Transitively then, the number of Georgetown acceptees would be drastically lower than that of UCLA, and the percentage relative to the entire class would be extremely small. What you have to do is find out how many people actually applied to Georgetown, and how many people actually got in. Once you do this, you will find that the number will far exceed 5%. </p>
<p>I know for my school, we sent 12 people to UPenn, whereas 40-50 went to Cal. Out of a school of 120, the proportion going to Cal is much greater than that of UPenn, so it may seem that UPenn is far more selective than Cal (at least for my hs) - however, when you factor in the fact that only 15 applied to UPenn, you'll see that 80% of UPenn applicants were admitted, whereas for Cal it was something like 40-50%.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you intend to live in the west coast, UCLA is just fine. However, the perception of UCLA brand, in the mid-west and in the east coast is different. I found Berkeley, Michigan, and Virginia, are considered to be better in terms of academics. I have purposely confined my comparison within the top public universities.
[/quote]
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<p>Seriously though...who cares? It's not like the difference is that big that it's going to affect you that much anyway. After that first job, the school name really declines in importance.</p>
<p>Oh, and as far as Asia goes, Japanese people know UCLA very well. It never hurts me in Japan to say UCLA.</p>