<p>Hey guys,
so here is my dillema.
I've always wanted to get out of WA (although it's a wonderful state) and my dream was to attend either Cal or UCLA. I got rejected from Cal, but somehow got into UCLA! According to my ePAL, my EFC is $40k? but $25k of it is loans. UW, my in-state school offered me full-ride. It's really tough for me the decide. I want to major in econ, and I actually got pre-business major for ucla, and social-science major for uw. </p>
<p>my parents are telling me that they will support my decision, but I don't want to put them in debt just because I want ot experience diff environment.</p>
<p>is UCLA econ major really that much better than UWs?
My goal is to just finish undergrate real strong and try to get into a well-known grad school. </p>
<p>i think I'm going to ucla? my parents are actually pushing me to go.. I guess I just have to study hard and make sure and get as much as I could out of it!</p>
<p>"my parents are telling me that they will support my decision, but I don't want to put them in debt just because I want ot experience diff environment."</p>
<p>This was the dilemma I faced early on when choosing between Michigan (OOS) and UCLA. But luckily, I've changed my mind and like UCLA more now anyway, so that became irrelevant.</p>
<p>And yes, UCLA is definitely that much better at Econ than UW, but I'd cringe about OOS tuition myself. Well, if your mind is set, I guess I'll be seeing you at UCLA!</p>
<p>UCLA is a better school than UW, but to be honest, the gap in academic quality isn't worth $100,000 in your parents' loans... Stick with the full ride if you're really not able to comfortably pay the out-of-state tuition.</p>
<p>I honestly don't think UCLA is worth 100K in loans. It really isnt, not at the undergrad level that is.</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation last year when deciding between a commuter school that was less well known than the other school in NYC, but still was as good of a school. The NYC school would have set me back 100K+ for sure, and I was so decided on leaving no matter what it would cost me, but in the end i ended up going to the commuter school which offered me more financial aid. I was sad especially because I had always dreamed of leaving LA and moving to NYC, but within a month i was over it and currently love my school.</p>
<p>It's really not worth spending a ton of money when you're not guaranteed anything. What makes you think that you'll end up with a high gpa at ucla, or even at UW, it's better for it to have not cost you anything than having to have spent 100K to get a lousy gpa that will land you in a lousy grad school</p>
<p>Don't be fooled. The UW and UCLA are comparable. Both are strong and well entrenched at the "superior" level. Therefore, you've got to make your decision on other factors.</p>
<p>Look in the archieves for Alexander's posts on admissions to top business schools. UCLA did not have an impressive track record, sending fewer to top ten B schools than top LACs and ivies a fraction of it's size. Don't know about UW.</p>
<p>you can't compare UCLA to the top LAC schools - those schools are a completely differently breed of colleges.</p>
<p>But as for UCLA 25k/year loans - i know a friend who has that same kinda financial package and I was told that it is because out-of-state scholarships are available only to those who send a letter-of-intent saying they'll definitely attend in the fall - THEN they show the money. (sounds like a gimmick to me)</p>
<p>UW is a great school but I understand you wanna leave your state -besides i havent heard of too many satisified UWstudents... do you have any other options that you can look at right now?</p>
<p>I'm a big fan of ucla, but to me the choice is clear. Go to UW. It simply isn't worth $40K/year as an out-of-state student to attend ucla. The UC schools are a sweet deal for CA students, but for what you pay OOS you could go to any school in the country, so you could find one where you'll have small classes, advising, personal attention, and so on.</p>
<p>At a UC school you're on your own. No assigned advisor, you'll never see a counselor unless you make an appointment, you can't even see a full-time counselor until you're a junior, etc. They put the info out there, its up to you go read thru it all and ask questions if there's something you don't understand. Same holds for career counseling, activities, and so on.</p>
<p>Its too late at this point, but my question would be why you applied to these schools? If you're good enough to get into ucla OOS, you would have been a strong candidate at most private LACs and smaller U's that would have gotten you out of WA and given a better experience than ucla for the same money.</p>
<p>well I applied to Ivies like dartmouth, duke and cornell but got rejected. I'm still waiting on USC. most freshmen @ uw that I talk to regret not taking their opportunity to go to usc, ucla or nyu.. and they tell me that uw is just like their old highschool.. same people, same hangout place, same attitude.. so I don't know.. it's really confusing right now. Is it really hard to get CA residency?</p>
<p>another thing is.. everyone I mean EVERYONE that applies to UW gets in. it just kills it. I have a friend with 1320 on SAT, 3.7 GPA no AP classes, no EC got in... a friend with 3.6 gpa with 1400 SAT got in....</p>
<p>UCLA is to So.Cal. residents what UW is to Washington westsiders - same people, same atittude, etc. Different weather, though? $100k? Just imagine how much extra education you could buy for $100k - trips to Europe every summer, two years learning to paint in Italy, two years of law school, three trips around the world, with money left over.</p>