Hey everyone,
I also posted this question on the UCLA forum, but I am torn between these two schools and want to make a decision by the end of the weekend. Both schools are obviously excellent academically, and I know I will get a good education from both. Wash U, of course, comes with the perks of a smaller school. I am admitted to the School of Engineering at both, however I am still not sure if an engineering discipline is what I want to major in. If not engineering, it will definitely be something STEM-related. One big pull of Wash U is that it offers Systems Engineering, which is an engineering discipline that I am interested in, which is not available at UCLA.
Cost is about the same.
I am quiet, introverted, and academically-inclined. I’d much rather chill in my dorm watching TV or playing Xbox than going out and partying. I’m guessing I would find more people like that here than at UCLA, but correct me if I’m misinformed. Is there a large amount of “preppy,” “frat-bro” type people at Wash U? The dorms at both are good, but I give the edge to Wash U because I’d live in a double as opposed to a triple at UCLA.
Whenever I tell people that I got into Wash U, they always mention the city of St. Louis and how the weather sucks. Is this blown out of proportion? Hot, humid summers and icy, frigid winters? Of course LA beats out STL as a city and weather, but to be honest all I really need are movie theaters and some nice restaurants, which I’m sure I could find at both. LA is closer to home and a direct flight, whereas I would have to take a connecting flight to get to home from STL. For those from far away, is this really annoying or not that bad?
I want to live and work in California after I graduate, and this is the biggest pro that I give UCLA. My tour guide was talking about the Bruin family and how it is easy to find a job. Does the Wash U name carry weight on the West Coast, and do students find jobs/internships there?
Basically, I just want to know any thoughts you guys have on this decision. Dispel or validate my concerns. Anything that might help me make this decision. Thanks 
This is an important decision, and no one on CC can make the decision for you. Everyone is biased. Some will say Washu and others will say UCLA, but this is your decision and I think you should go to the revisit days for both and get a feel for it, since I know for sure there are student panels and questionnaire opportunities where you can ask everything you’re asking right now (if you haven’t done so) rather than asking strangers online to make a decision for you
My son made that choice in. 2011 and chose WashU. We always thought he would go to UCLA since he was raised in CA. He loved it and is now at WashU’s medical school which he chose over 11 other acceptances, including two in CA and two Ivy med schools. He actually enjoys the seasons and loves St. Louis. He was never In a frat there. He lived in the dorm his first year where he met 3 other kids that he ended up living off campus with for his remaining years there.He probably would have loved UCLA ,too, but never regretted his decision to pick WashU.
Just saw the part about wanting to work on the west coast. No, it will NOT have the name recognition UCLA has on the west coast. (WashU used to rank much higher than UCLA but I have not followed rankings for a few years and have heard it’s dropped. When my son started it was ranked 12 and UCLA was 23)
UCLA and USC have Godlike statuses within CA.
Engineering is relatively easy to get a job in, though. I would think having a degree in something that not every school offers might also give you an edge.
Have to agree with @dts1dlm though there is no question about WU greatness … but only few are aware of that in CA in comparison with the household names such as UCLA/USC!
One other advantage of WashU is that I’ve heard they are extremely flexible as far as switching majors and switching schools. You probably have more attention from your advisors as well, considering that WashU is much smaller than UCLA, which would probably translate to better information as to which classes you should take to fulfill the requirements for whichever major you end up picking. Therefore, for someone who is really not sure about what area of study they want to pursue, WashU is an ideal school. That being said, I am by no means an expert, and I’m not as familiar with UCLA. They may have equally exceptional counseling/advising (but I kind of doubt it just based on the logistics of 30,000 students vs 7,000 students). Whichever one you pick, I’m sure you’ll be happy. Good luck.