<p>Hi, I'm a high school senior and I recently got accepted to UCLA and Emory. Which school is a better choice if I'm planning to go pre-med? Financially, Emory has offered me 42k per year, so I'd pay roughly 5.5k out of my own pocket, while UCLA has offered me a full ride. Also, I live in Los Angeles, so it's obviously less costly to go home if I choose UCLA.</p>
<p>Visit both campuses and choose based on the social environment you like best.</p>
<p>wow, congratz! 5.5k a year is nothing, considering how much more personal attention you will get at Emory comparing to UCLA. I would pick Emory in a heart beat, not because of Emory’s ranking, but because of the quality of the undergrad and the awesome pre-med program there.</p>
<p>LA is a big city, so depending on what part you live in, it may or may not be worth it. </p>
<p>If you live on the west side, you may either see it as very convenient or as not as much of a change as you’d like out of a college. If you live somewhere not on the westside (e.g. glendale, silverlake, los feliz, etc) westwood can be seen as a big change. If you’re living in LA, i assume you’d commute (which isn’t too bad, 60% of the people going here commute; unless by ‘full-ride’ you also meant including the dorms) but living in westwood is pretty cool too. </p>
<p>Speaking from someone who is also from LA, and doesn’t live on the westside, the change is interesting but not that big of a deal since i’m sure you have your network of friends established with whom you hang out with. You won’t get this sort of ‘starting fresh’ feeling that you might get if you started at emory.</p>
<p>That being said, they’re both world renown universities. See if taking loans is something you’re comfortable with. Emory might have the advantage of giving you more attention, but see if living in atlanta is something you can see yourself doing for the next for years.</p>
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^i thought UCLA wasn’t a commuter school?</p>
<p>Thank you guys for the insight =)</p>
<p>I just looked more closely at my financial package, and along with the 5.5k loans per year, I’d also have to pay ~5k for traveling expenses, books, etc.–making a total of ~10.5k per year for Emory. UCLA has offered to pay for everything, including my dorm expenses. So, four years of free education…</p>
<p>Ultimately, I’m down to whether Emory’s closer attention from professors (better quality education), its ‘fresh start’ feel, and its semester system are worth 10.5k a year. Other than this, I think they’re pretty equal weather/location/pre-med program wise.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? Is it worth it or not? …I believe I need to think about this for a while longer =/</p>
<p>40% live in the dorms, but I would guess that most of the other 60% lives relatively close by (i.e. they have their own apartment just off-campus or somewhere in West LA).</p>
<p>UCLA isn’t a “commuter” campus in the sense that a lot of people are living at home but a “commuter” campus in the aspect that many students choose to live in nearby off-campus apartments and walk to school.</p>
<p>This is due to the fact that a) dorms are relatively expensive, b) housing isn’t guaranteed for 4 years, and c) dorms are crowded same there are too many triples.</p>
<p>UCLA is currently in the process of constructing two large housing complexes.</p>
<p>It is a unique “commuter” experience and it’s not quite like living at home since you’ll be living with and around your friends and going to apartment/frat parties but it’s not a loud, 24/7, campus-centric life either.</p>