UCLA vs UW

College Search & Selection
1

I am trying to decide between these two colleges for undergraduate. I am an international student and leaning towards biology but i may take up neuroscience or human biology or something along those lines as my major. I definitely want to do research and will probably apply for a masters after my undergraduate.

A lot of people tell me that UCLA is better in terms of employment at companies or research institutes as it is considered to be a “more prestigious” college and so it will also be easier to go for masters at a better university. On the other hand, students often do not get the courses they select or the research projects are too competitive but i’m not too sure about this.

I’ve heard that UW has a more easy-going college experience where people are nicer and there is more student-teacher interaction. I don’t know how this is possible as the undergrad and class sizes are similar for both. Another factor is that UW is cheaper in terms of tuition fees and living expenses.

There are many factors that i haven’t considered yet such as location and how many other international students study at these universities. If it’s not obvious yet, i’m pretty clueless at this point. Any remarks, suggestions or advice would be very helpful from you guys.

2

They are both large, respected public universities. Neither one is so much more prestigious that it will make a difference in American masters degree admission. Maybe one of them is better-known among certain employers in your home country. Here in the USA, I would expect few employers to distinguish between these two “brands” in hiring.

One of the biggest differences is geography. LA is the second-largest US city, with a mild Mediterranean climate. Madison is a smaller city where average winter low temperatures can reach -10C (or lower.) Aside from the winter weather, Madison is considered an attractive college town. For details, you might want to post in the University of Wisconsin and UCLA forums.