<p>I know that since this is on the UCLA page, I might get slightly biased results, but here it goes: which one is the best school for an undecided student? I would be OOS for both schools, so price would not be a big deal. I visited both schools, and loved both in completely different ways, so I can't decide which one I like the best. Thank You for your Help.
All things you can think of matter!</p>
<p>Contrary to what some people at Michigan think, UCLA and Michigan are peers (Their peer isn’t Berkeley…)</p>
<p>A lot of it depends on what your personal preferences are. Being that the universities are essentially on equal footing academically, you have to decide things like whether you want to live in a big city, or a college town; whether, if you plan to jump immediately into the job market, you’d prefer to work in the east coast or wezt coast.; Whether the weather is important to you, etc.</p>
<p>Hi! Here’s what I posted in a similar forum (“Why Should I Choose UCLA”), you’re free to read all the replies in there too. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/1309507-why-should-i-choose-ucla.html#post14093488[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/1309507-why-should-i-choose-ucla.html#post14093488</a></p>
<p>Last year, I chose UCLA over Berkeley (among other schools such as NYU, Georgetown and LMU). It came down to those two and it was such a hard decision that took me a month to think about. I ultimately chose UCLA because of the location, the academics, the trimester system, and the people. I never regretted my decision.</p>
<p>For location, you’re smack dab in the middle of the place where the world’s culture is being molded and created. Beverly Hills, Westwood, Bel-Air, Sunset Blvd., Hollywood – you see all the excesses, grandeur, cosmopolitanism, sophistication, and openness that most people dream about and see in the movies. The great thing? While being immersed in all of this, you’re still in a college friendly environment where you can find like-minded individuals that would make your UCLA adventure more fun. The weather’s perfect too. Nothing but a good amount of sunlight to take the stress out, for me anyways. What a great way to start eh?</p>
<p>As for academics, UCLA is 25th in the USNWR report, and 9th in reputation among the world’s universities (13th overall). Plus, UCLA’s History program is ranked 9th in the nation (I’m a history major). Admittedly, Berkeley had a slight advantage in this (ranked 21 USNWR, 5th in reputation), but I inferred from CC and my HS counselors, not to mention my own research, that the difference was very negligible especially since I want to pursue Law after college. The truth is, UCLA and Berkeley are of the same tier, with only a handful of schools in the world being able to “boast” higher academic reputations. And you know what? UCLA didn’t disappoint. Next term, I’m registered to take a class with Prof. Teofilo Ruiz who won the National Humanities Medal just last month from President Obama. Last Winter and Fall Quarter, I’ve had professors who have hailed from the other bastions of academia, such as Harvard, Columbia, UC Berkeley, and Brandeis (my Jewish studies prof.). I had a visiting professor from Africa who invited various guest speakers and even the author of our book (a retired UCLA prof) to lecture in class (a very interesting and great experience). In my Stem Cell Politics and Biology Class, we had a UCLA medical doctor to visit and lecture us about his experiences on acquiring and handling UCLA’s 10 or so Stem Cell Lines (officially registered!) as well as his experiences in dealing with state and federal government for the stem cell’s transportation from the east coast to UCLA. The TAs are great and accomplished as well. I have literally been inspired by some of them. There are so few schools capable of having so many intelligent and accomplished professors and people that sometimes, I am just amazed that I’m seating there listening to their lectures!</p>
<p>The trimester system is also great for me. When you have 10 weeks to do what you need to do, time really flies so fast! Plus, you have 3 times to get a high grade all year round You also get to experience a lot of other classes which is again a good thing for me.</p>
<p>As for the people, I have found that UCLA has great diversity. Not so much in the racial sense (you see white and Asian people hahaha!) but in terms of the various hobbies, beliefs and passions. People here are also respectful of other opinions, not the “in your face” type at some colleges. One can really find one’s niche here. Wanna be a nerd? what about an athlete? a party-goer? Anything flows at UCLA, but at the end of the day most people are always the same in terms of wanting to succeed academically. I have perfectly “normal” friends with the normal ideas and stuff going through our discussions, but when it comes to academics, that “normal”, “well-rounded” friend has a 3.9 GPA - go figure. </p>
<p>I really thought that I would regret my decision, but after a year, I never really seriously thought that my college career would be better and happier if I would have gone to Berkeley or any other school. UCLA’s great. I hope this post has helped you in some way. Good luck in your decision.</p>