UCLA vs UMich : International reputation

<p>After all, why would this matter? It is not such a big difference in any case.</p>

<p>I generally agree with Alexandre on this issue. Both are well respected. I don’t know if I’d say UCLA is more well respected among Asians than Michigan. I will note a few points that I think are important: </p>

<ol>
<li><p>California has a significantly higher Asian population than the U.S. nationally (15% vs 5% respectively)</p></li>
<li><p>Many of the Asians in California still have strong ties to Asia through shared culture, having family in Asia, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>In California, several of the upper-tier UCs have very high populations of Asian students, some at nearly 50%. (UCLA and Berkeley generally hover around 40%-50%)</p></li>
<li><p>People familiar with the UC system are well aware of the top UCs, which are UCLA and Berkeley.</p></li>
<li><p>So, given that many Asians live in California, that they’re connected to Asia, that many of them attend UC, and that they have a strong respect for the top UCs, it should come as no surprise that UCLA is a very well respected brand among Asians, including the ones in Asia.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I’m not sure about GoBlue’s claim about China. My personal anecdotes about the school vary wildly. I’ve heard multiple people familiar with China telling me that they’ve never heard of Michigan, to some even confusing Michigan as an Ivy League school. (My current position is I’m not believing it without any evidence.) Whatever the case may be, both are very well respected brands, and any person choosing between the two should choose for fit.</p>