UMich v/s UW v/s UCLA

Hi my D17 would like to major in biopsychology or neuroscience for her undergrad. She would like to pursue research, not pre-med. She is a US citizen but the tuition fees will be OOS as she resides outside the country. Need help in deciding between the following three colleges.

UCLA - has been accepted into College of Letters and Science with Pre-Psychobiology. The cost per year is ~63K. No scholarship offered so far. I am afraid that it will be too cutthroat and competitive, especially considering the vast Asian community. rank wise - it is the highest and i’ve heard that it has a better brand than the other two and hence for someone going right into the work force after ug - will it be a big plus point? Course rank wise it is 10.

UW (Seattle) - has been accepted into per-science major. I understand neurobiology is a competitive major. Is there a risk that she will not get neurobiology? Also thinking about double major in cs due to the possibilty of landing more jobs since Seattle is clustered with cs oriented companies. These two are all the more complicated and require a lot of work. Cost per year 52.6k. Scholarship offered 3k. Also a big pluus point is the weather, and family present there. But rank wise, it is not as high as the other two. But course rank wise it is 20.

UMich - has been accepted into College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), undeclared major. Cost per year is 62.5k. The majors there of interest will be Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and Neuroscience. Have been offered a 9.5k scholarship. College rank wise it is high but course rank wise it is only 44th. Many people say it does not specialise for my major alone and hence lacks as many job oppurtunties - but I get mixed reviews. Also, the weather is a huge deterrent as I do not usually thrive in cold temperatures. is that a big negative point?

I needed help deciding between the three.

  • She will need to supplement the tution fees by working as an RA. Which college will be able to provide greater research opportunities to undergrad students?
  • Which school offers a greater opportunity for summer internship / co-op?
  • I understand Michigan has a higher endowment amongst the schools - what does that mean; more scholarships or grants?
  • She is looking to pursue her masters after a break of a year or two. Which degree provides her a greater chance of employment, post undergrad.
  • Weather is also a concern as she has not been exposed to severe cold. Would students manage without cars during winters at UMich & Seattle?

Sorry about the long note, but am confused with all the information online and would like some perspective on this.

Thank you!

Michigan and UCLA are slightly better than UDub overall. All three are great universities with strong programs in your daughter’s intended major. Switching major is easier at Michigan than it is at UCLA or UDub. Where does your daughter want to go? Doe she have a preference?

For any UW major, visit this link: http://www.washington.edu/uaa/advising/academic-planning/majors-and-minors/list-of-undergraduate-majors/
When you click on the major, then on the undergraduate tab, there is information as to how to be accepted into that major. Computer Science is one of the most competitive majors at UW, so getting into CS is definitely a risk. I do not know how stiff the competition for neurobiology is, but many life-sciences majors have tough grading curves because they are popular with premedical students. Her interest in research should help - if she works in a lab it will be a mark in her favor when she applies to her major.

RA usually stands for Resident Assistant – a peer counselor in the dorms. But, neither paid resident assistant nor paid research assistant positions are common for freshmen. Freshmen usually start as volunteers in the labs before moving up to a paid position. You would have to ask each university about the chances of getting paid research work. Large schools generally have jobs for students on campus, particularly in food service, the library, and admissions. She should be able to get a student job anywhere, and she should be able to do paid research as she gains coursework and experience and gets to know professors at any of the three campuses.

Likely no major differences, particularly if she is open to living in a different city over the summer for the job.

Your freshman scholarship is usually the largest one. If she isn’t competitive for a freshman scholarship now, don’t count on getting more free money later, even if the school has a larger endowment.

No major differences between the schools.

Seattle does not have severe winters compared to Michigan. I don’t know about Michigan or UCLA, but UW is well-served by public transportation, including a light rail line to/from the airport. Both UCLA and UW are served by large international airports.

UCLA is a transportation hub, with several bus lines terminating or stopping there (Big Blue Bus, Culver City Bus, Metro, etc.). Students can buy heavily discounted bus passes each quarter, which is really all you need to get around the city, especially now that the metro light rail runs all the way from Santa Monica to downtown. $180 a year gives you unlimited rides on any metro bus or line, Big Blue bus (Santa Monica), or Culver City bus, which is much easier and cheaper than dealing with a car.

For students who don’t like buses, Uber and Lyft are popular for travel across town. Bikes, longboards, and (as of this year) rentable motorized scooters are very popular for getting around the Westwood area.

Additionally, Los Angeles is expanding the subway as part of the preparation for the 2028 Olympics. I wouldn’t count on the purple line extension to the westside being done much before that, though.

Michigan has the 8th largest endowment. The entire UC system is 13th.

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=73

Besides scholarships, typically or generally more new and remodeled buildings and a lower student faculty ratio.

“Would students manage without cars during winters at UMich & Seattle?”

You don’t need a car in Ann Arbor. Free bus transportation throughout campus and city. Michigan is also served by a very nice and large international airport; an easy 30 minute bus trip away.

Williams is a unique opportunity but based on your overall comments and that you seem to indicate that you will return home Michigan is a wonderful choice. If you plan to stay here everyone that matters in your future grad school or sophisticated employers will be fully aware of the williams brand.

^^^^Williams?