<p>I'm an international student in class of 2015 and I'm now confused about my school selection. I've searched many information on school websites and asked some peers, but I still find it hard to make the dicision since UCLA, USC and colgate are really different schools. So I want to hear you parents ideas. :) Here's some info:</p>
<ol>
<li>Major: math/economics</li>
<li><p>will go to graduate school immediately after undergraduate period</p></li>
<li><p>USC, UCLA and Colgate all have majors in math/eco and colgate is an investment banking target school, I know that they're all great. But I may come back to Asia after finishing graduate school, and I am worrying that colgate is not as famous as UCLA/USC in Hongkong Singapore etc, which will affect my job.</p></li>
<li><p>My parents are not satisfied with my application performance so I may be forced to transfer into a better school during the undergraduate period, though I think the current three are really great. However, that situation may happen so "transfer" should be a factor.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you plan to go back to Asia after graduation, UCLA will probably be the best choice for you.
Colgate is a very good school, but may not be a good social fit for you, and without visiting it will be hard for you to know. The other 2 are much more diverse.
Colgate may feel much like Siberia most of the school year - are you ready for that?</p>
<p>You can transfer from any school if you have a strong GPA and a compelling reason (“my parents think my school is not prestigious enough” won’t cut it ;))</p>
<p>@nngmm: thanks for your adice. Of course I’ve heared the “siberia” situation and that’s what I feel bad about. And, of course the parents’ reason won’t cut ahahaha</p>
<p>My d graduated from Colgate last year. She had a lot of friends get accepted to great grad school programs and quite a few in amazing jobs in NYC. The thing about Colgate is they have a strong network of graduates and a strong presence in the east coast- especially in the finance area.
It is cold- early and long. but the kids adapt and love it.
I think when you get to applying to graduate schools, in Asia or US, schools know other schools reputations</p>
<p>personally, i think you may get jobs in the east coast first, and then go to their branches which are in hk or singapore. this way, colgate will be a good choice.</p>
<p>If you want to know which college has the best math and economics faculty, and offers you the best opportunities to make a compelling graduate school application, there really isn’t any question – it’s UCLA. USC isn’t too far behind, and isn’t necessarily such a different experience; a reasonable person could choose it over UCLA, I guess (although THIS reasonable person wouldn’t, unless it made itself a lot cheaper than UCLA to attend).</p>
<p>Colgate is a completely different proposition. It’s a whole different approach to education, and a radically different environment. Not just the weather and the lack of highways and parking lots – as an Asian there, you will be a member of a small minority, which will NOT be the case at UCLA or USC. The academic reputation of Colgate’s faculty, and the sophistication of the best of your fellow students there, won’t hold a candle to UCLA, but it’s entirely possible that you would actually learn more there, and be better prepared for graduate school. For lots of people, the LAC model works extremely well. It’s also entirely possible, however, that you would learn less. There’s no way you could exhaust the educational opportunities in math and economics at UCLA, but you absolutely could exhaust them at Colgate, hopefully not too long before graduation.</p>
<p>Be wary of the idea that Colgate is a “target” for investment banks. Honestly, if Colgate is a target for investment banks, it’s because Colgate is full of wealthy, social students who are the children of important clients for the investment banks. If that doesn’t describe you, you may not be targeted at Colgate. On the other hand, the intimacy of Colgate may mean that you forge more meaningful social connections with wealthy Americans there. UCLA and USC have far more wealthy Americans, of course, but they are far more cliquish there.</p>
<p>I’d agree with JHS and add even more support for USC. They’ve been making the most of their position on the Pacific and extending their international connections. UCLA has a stronger historical reputation but USC has caught up. With the budget crunch in Cal right now, private USC may come out looking even better when the dust settles blanketing the UC’s.</p>
<p>Between UCLA & USC, if the cost was the same to my kid, I would pick USC as they are private and offer more personal service, but perhaps internationally UCLA is better known and will open more doors.</p>
<p>Same situation here. Between Colgate & UCLA
All the comments above are very helpful. Thanks a lot.
Yet with the increasing cost of UCLA(this year the total cost of UCLA on I20, 55000, is a match to that of Colgate), many of my friend suggested me that UCLA was not worth it. Colgate has a very good reputation among Chinese students. We all admire Colgate’s strong career guidance and amazing alumni network. Not to mention the elite liberal arts education that Colgate provides.<br>
And just FYI, UCLA has a international admission rate of 41% this year. Many Chinese students, including me, began to question the effect that huge wave of international students has on UCLA’s education quality. Cal’s financial difficulty has server impact on UCLA and UCB s’ image in our mind, Especially UCLA’s. And they have both lost their biggest advantage: low cost.
I am also going to study Economics. But unlike LZ, I have no intention of getting into graduate school by now. Colgate is a really great school with close connection to wall st’s big IBs (so I was told). But since foreigners need to get a H1B ,which is very hard to get now, to work in the US, the alumni network may not work very well for us. UCLA with its great reputation(at least by now) enables us to find jobs back in our home country. However, Studying abroad and going back to China just seems a little pointless.
REALLY NEED YOUR ADVICE!</p>
<p>My son went to Colgate and had a roommate and good friend from China. When I asked this young man what he would do after graduation he said, “I will work many, many hours and make many, many dollars.” He’s a great kid and he did. Also got an MBA at Columbia. Colgate’s reputation is well deserved. It’s a club, but a good and open one.</p>
<p>I work as an academic advisor at a college in a rural area of upstate NY. Many of our international students, especially Asian, thought they were coming to, or near, NYC. A large amount try to transfer to schools that are within the NYC area.</p>
<p>I would suggest the OP attend UCLA or USC if accepted at all three. This is not because they are better schools. Colgate is an excellent school with a strong presence on “Wall Street.” But I have found, with a small sample, that international Asian students want a city environment.</p>
<p>If the OP understands that attending Colgate means living in a very rural area not close to any major city–then choose Colgate.</p>
<p>In normal times, I would have said UCLA. But it ain’t normal times - the quality of educational UCLA is dropping, and likely rapidly. Larger class sizes. Fewer upper class electives. Faculty hiring freezes. Cuts in career advising. Perhaps even difficulties in getting required courses (so graduating in four years becomes harder.)</p>
<p>Under those conditions (and though I am a LAC fan), as you describe your choices, I’d go to USC.</p>
<p>We live in LA and have strong ties to both UCLA and USC (my husband is an alum of one and a board member of the other; I guest lecture at both). We have also visited Colgate with our son and know many kids who go there. </p>
<p>As others have pointed out, Colgate is an awesome school, but is super rural with harsh weather and not for everyone. And the budget cuts at UCLA are scary and getting worse. </p>