I am faced with a difficult decision here and need help deciding. I have been admitted to UCLA, SCU and UVA as a business(finance)/econ major and am torn over which one to choose. I have approximated the total costs as follows: Santa Clara 15k/yr UCLA 30k/yr (in state) UVA 50k/yr (out of state). I can afford any of these without debt, but cost is always a consideration. I visited Santa Clara and loved it, but it seemed a little small for me and I can see myself getting tired of it after 4 years. However, I am guaranteed to study at the business school and SCU is in the Silicon Valley, which is a big plus. I have not visited the other two yet, but my impression is that UCLA is an awesome place but a little dense population wise and more competitive than Santa Clara. I would have to settle for a microecon/prebusiness major, which isn’t really a big deal for me. Everyone I know who has attended or is attending UCLA is a proud bruin, so I am guessing they have had a good experience with UCLA. It is also in a nice part of town. I know the least about Virginia, but my impression is that it has the best ambiance and is slightly less intense than UCLA, but still very challenging (especially considering that I hope to get into McIntire, which is easily a top 5 undergrad business school, assuming you get in). California is a nice place, but to be honest, part of me wants to go to Virginia. Please help me decide, any input is appreciated.
I see no reason to pay the extra $80K for UVa when you have an excellent choice in your own backyard (UCLA). If you really want to move to Virginia, you can always do that after college. If you simply want to go to Virginia because it’s different from California…well, high school is different from college. Even if you go to college in your home state, your experience as an 18-22 year old is going to be way different than your experience as a 14-18 year old. You’ll meet new people, join great groups, and learn a bunch of new things.
If your family can comfortably afford it, though, I would go to UCLA over Santa Clara. You might be in the business school there, but UCLA attracts the best recruiters and companies to come and try to scout students from there. Santa Clara is not that kind of target school for business.
Eliminate UVA. It makes no sense to pay $80K more than either UCLA or SCU.
Santa Clara does quite well in recruiting because it literally is in the center of Silicon Valley. However, it is not really known outside of California.
The real difference is the size of the schools… SCU is more like a large LAC… it is primarily an undergraduate institution with a couple respectable professional schools (business and law). Undergrads will get better advising and more individual attention, classes will be smaller, professors will be doing the grading even in intro classes.
UCLA is a large research university… intro classes will be large, intro classes will be multiple-choice oriented, or graded by teaching assistants, not professors… there will be minimal advising… but the breadth of choices will be amazing… whatever you want to study or pursue, it will be there, in and out of the classroom… a far wider array of activities.
Some students would get lost at UCLA and thrive in a more intimate education setting. Other students would feel claustrophobic at a smaller college and would like the greater choice at a large research university.
There is no right or wrong answer here… what really matters is in which environment will you thrive, academically and socially?
I would spend $2-3k to visit UVA before even asking the question. In the end, I bet you would still pick UCLA however, you will be regretting the decision not knowing what UVA have to offer. Read this, http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20130501/NEWS/130509640/1117/student-x2019-s-essay-a-popular-read-among-peers-choosing-colleges&template=fairfaxTimes and be amazed.
UVA will cost more than $80,000 more than UCLA. No, it is isn’t worth wasting $2-3K to visit… and where did you get $2-3K for a visit??? Plane ticket should be around $500… staying with students is free.
The questioner stated that s/he “can afford any of these without debt” so I assume s/he can at least afford a plane ticket. Lodging/food/transportation free, too? oh dear … Please reread this “I know the least about Virginia, but my impression is that it has the best ambiance and is slightly less intense than UCLA, but still very challenging (especially considering that I hope to get into McIntire, which is easily a top 5 undergrad business school, assuming you get in). California is a nice place, but to be honest, part of me wants to go to Virginia.”
Hey! 
I’m in a similar situation as you but I only have SCU and UCLA to pick between.
I’m leaning towards SCU right now since they gave me a nice scholarship, and I like the idea of smaller classes, more individual attention, etc. Also their business school is very well known and respected, especially in the Silicon Valley. I also like that they have a wide range of majors within their business school.
UCLA is a wonderful school but I don’t know if the prestige is worth the extra money. Especially since I’d have to pay the out of state tuition for the first year. Also their business econ major, don’t know much about it, but it should be pretty good. The social life seems a loot better here than at SCU. (Correct me if I’m wrong :P) But I have heard scary things about the large classes and difficulty getting classes and other things like that.
So in the end it depends on your preferences I guess. You won’t go wrong with whichever you choose, but it’s still a really hard decision to make.
Good luck!
All three are great schools, but you should also consider what you specifically want to do as a career. I’m not sure how it is now, but I read a lot about how the Biz Econ major at UCLA focuses heavily on econ, and not so much on finance or accounting, as expected. Thus, it may be difficult pursuing a finance-related job. Also, make sure you give UCLA a visit and see how you like it.
Jobs aren’t directly related to majors. You can work in a business with ANY type of major, although at least one class in statistics is useful. What matters is internships (thus, your GPA and career center strengths).