LebronBryant

I got accepted into Brown University and UCLA. I REALLY want to go to UCLA though. My parents seem to think I'm screwing my future by doing that...

LebronBryant

btw i guess my question is...is it a bad idea to pick UCLA over Brown?

seaboard1

Are you from California or OOS? If you're from California, I really don't think it's worth it to pay so much more for the Brown brand. If you're paying OOS tuition at UCLA, it's slightly more complicated.

If you were bright enough to get into Brown, you will probably be very successful no matter what school you go to. In my opinion, Ivy League grads are successful not because of the undergraduate education that they received, but rather because they were ALREADY naturally talented enough to get into such a selective school. Did I articulate that in a clear way? I hope so...

LebronBryant

thank you very much seaboard1

I live in Los Angeles, which makes UCLA a pretty obvious fit. I would also need financial aid if i was to go to Brown, and I received a letter saying I didn't qualify for it, based on my parents income...so Id have to get loans and probably get myself into debt.

I also keep hearing that even if a person goes to an Ivy League school, getting a job in LA will be difficult regardless. For instance, my friend's sister went to Cornell, and she's still looking for work here. On the other hand, i hear UCLA students build really strong connections in LA, making it a lot easier to find job opportunities.

ThisCouldBeHeavn

I don't think that a lower tier Ivy is worth an extra $20k a year, especially if you prefer UCLA. People put way too much stock in branding.

UCLAboi

I'd say UCLA, if you can graduate without debt from UCLA then you can still go to the Ivy League for law or professional school and sink yourself into debt there, and if you don't go to grad school then you'd have a clean start after college. You don't want to have to pick a career based on where you'll be able to make your student loan payments.