My daughter (about to turn 17) has been accepted by both GU and UCLA and we are torn between the two. Both are very good colleges we know, but we need some advice to help us decide. Incidentally she has also been accepted in BU with a $20k merit scholarship per year and in Imperial in UK but we think the two tied #1s are UCLA and GU. She has applied as ‘Undecided’ but doesn’t want to give up on either Chemistry or English. She knows more about what she does not want to do though. She does not want to be a lawyer, a doctor, a professor, or an accountant. She does not want a career in political science either. We are less keen on Imperial because the UK system does not offer much flexibility in case she didn’t like Chemistry that much. Our family is from Pakistan and she was born and raised in the middle east. She is a practicing Muslim so it is important for her that she finds a supportive community and the freedom to practice her faith. I understand both colleges are strong in diversity and have many Muslim students. We would be more comfortable with a college that is not a party school, offers a high level of security for girls, provides the best grooming and quality of education with strong departments in Chemistry and English, and is held in high repute internationally. I looked at US News rankings and both colleges are neck and neck. ‘QS world universities ranking’ on the other hand does not rank GU even in the top 50. Both colleges require a substantial financial investment from an about to retire father although UCLA is $ 11k cheaper in tuition fees. Either college would need around 24 hours of travel time. I would appreciate some insight from parents who have had a personal experience with these two colleges. Thank you for your time.
I can speak to UCLA:
Undergraduate English classes at UCLA are likely to be relatively small since rather few students major in English. Undergraduate chem classes are more likely to be large lecture classes.
There is a large and vibrant Muslim community at UCLA, and she would find many others who share her faith. There are daily prayers behind Kerkhoff Hall, so midway between the English department and Chemistry. (Though English classes are not necessarily in the building housing the English department, and Chem classes aren’t necessarily in the building housing chemistry.)
Perhaps she might contact the Muslim Students Association and inquire about housing situations for freshmen? http://www.msabruins.com/
Wow, two excellent choices. At UCLA it may be a bit harder to get some classes - your daughter will have to be proactive to make sure she has all of her prerequisites done in a timely manner to graduate in 4 years. And, UCLA being a public university, there may be a little less “customer service” and more bureaucracy than at the private Georgetown. Both schools have their partiers – and their studious, serious and focused groups. If UCLA is 11K less per year – that’s a savings of $44,000, and therefore probably worth going to UCLA for. If you’re talking a savings of $11,000 TOTAL – I think Georgetown might be the way to go.
BTW, one advantage of the East Coast: public transportation. Living in Washington, DC, your daughter can access Philadelphia, NYC, Boston, the entire eastern seaboard – all by train or bus. In California, public transportation is more limited, and your daughter is unlikely to easily explore the area without a car.
LA does have public transportation. But yes travel is easier on the East Coast and there is an awful lot to see just in DC. I think Georgetown tends to be a little more buttoned up and preppy than UCLA. As a Muslim student she should be comfortable in either place. Georgetown, I believe, was the first college to hire a fulltime Imam on campus. Has she been able to visit either of them?
Georgetown does not have fraternities or sororities, which does not mean people don’t drink, but the party scene might be more subdued there than at UCLA. I have never visited LA, but my daughter attended school in California near San Francisco. In our opinion, and in the opinion of many in the Northeast, California is quite a bit less conservative a place in general than the Northeast. As you may know, certainly the city of LA has a wild reputation. I think your D would be perfectly fine at either school, but she might feel more comfortable with the environment of the region surrounding Georgetown.
Really? I didn’t know that.
The LA Times just recently ran an article about how bad the bar scene is in LA, and even mentioned UCLA:
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-stephens-bars-20150409-story.html
LA has a wild reputation? Georgetown is by reputation a work hard/play hard school. While there are no official frats, I believe there are off campus ones. They’ve made an effort to cut down on the party culture, not sure how effective it has been. Can’t link blogs, but there is plenty on the internet. Google “Prefrosh Preview: Drinking and buying alcohol in Georgetown”. I’m sure you can find similar articles about most colleges BTW.
Still it was the atmosphere of Georgetown that most worried my son when he applied. He didn’t get in so it was moot, but I had concerns and wasn’t unhappy it wasn’t a choice for him.
You learn something new everyday! As I said, I never visited LA, so I guess you can’t believe what you see on TV about all the crazy partying out there lol.
In 2008 a survey of 600,000 tourists placed LA last out of 25 cities in safety, friendliness, and public transportation.
LA, with it’s sprawling bedroom communities, has historically been known in general as more conservative than the SF area.
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I have never visited LA, but my daughter attended school in California near San Francisco
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May this good fortune stay forever with you. :o)
Traffic on 101 and on stinking El Camino and Embarcadero is mickey mouse compared to freeways/roads feeding into Westwood.
The only word to describe the traffic on I405 and I10 is EPIC!
My son will be attending Georgetown in the fall and we recently attended a GAAP Weekend. And while he did not apply to UCLA, we do live in Southern California and are very familiar with the UC system and California’s budget problems.
I was extremely impressed by just about everything we’ve seen at Georgetown – but the thing that really stood out to me (the mom), was the Jesuit influence. We are not Catholic, but we find the Jesuit philosophy “education of the whole person — including the intellectual, social, and spiritual dimensions” to be very appealing. UCLA, I am sure is a great university, but I would find it very difficult to believe that the level of individualized attention – and caring – is anywhere near the same level as it would be at GU. At Georgetown, this is the mission. And as someone mentioned in an earlier post, there are spiritual leaders from just about every faith on campus – in full-time roles.
The other issue, also mentioned earlier, is the occasional difficulty getting classes at larger universities. I don’t know how often this occurs at UCLA, but I do know that California’s budget issues have at times caused problems that trickled down to the UC system. At one point, those problems were forcing kids to graduate in six – rather than four – years.
Having said all of that, I will add that the weather in LA is definitely better. 
yes, well that same survey mentioned LA being last in traffic and intelligence too, but I figured the student wouldn’t be driving much and I seriously doubt tourists can accurately rate the intelligence of strangers.
I have lived in both DC and LA, and while the traffic is terrible in both places, I think LA wins for worst.
I have visited both campuses and both are excellent. I think GU vs. UCLA is the perfect match up for a discussion about private vs. public college education, the differences and does it matter.
Ahem, “small” is all relative. UCLA graduated 360 English majors last year, and only 58 Chem majors.
But yes, English and other Lit classes will be much smaller.
btw: for a US student but out of state, I’d recommend Georgetown which I believe to be a better undergraduate experience for similar price; for an International, I’d recommend UCLA. (College prestige is much, much relevant outside of the US.)
@TheGFG LA is very big, and varies across the city in safety, friendliness, and public transportation. UCLA is in the Westwood neighborhood, a great and safe location. I was very comfortable walking past 2AM on campus and taking runs. There are areas in DC which I would not want to step foot in.
@gradygrad UCLA does not want you past 4 years. You need permission to stay past 4 years, but it may happen to the uninitiated with no direction. I do not know anybody who stayed 6 years, and maybe 1 who stayed 5 years, but that was a while ago. UCLA has some sort of state mandate to get kids out by 4 years. Have a plan, know which classes you want to take, and you can get out in 4 years. Flounder around taking random classes that look “interesting,” and you’ll be there longer than necessary.
@bluebayou I guess I was one of 'em 58.
As a UCLA alumnus now living in the DC metro area, I will say I love transportation throughout DC much better than having a car in LA.
Thanks. No a visit is not really possible now with her exams coming up but she has been to the US when she was around 12 years old. Not something she can base her decision on
I was curious based on this conversation so looked at the 2013-14 Common Data Set graduation information for UCLA (latest available). Here it is …
http://www.aim.ucla.edu/profiles/cds.aspx#cdsB
For comparison, here’s the 2014-15 Georgetown CDS …
https://oads.georgetown.edu/commondataset
I don’t feel strongly about this choice, but as a Hoya mom I did want to say that the single thing that impressed me the most when moving my ds in for his freshman year was the breadth and depth of commitment to a student’s spiritual life. We are a pretty areligious family and didn’t raise our kids in any one (any?) religious faith, but I was touched by how welcoming the Jesuit community is to people of all faiths. Or no faith. Because the OP emphasized their family’s Muslim beliefs, I just wanted to reassure OP that Georgetown would be a place where the dd would feel comfortable continuing/nurturing her faith.
Good luck and let us know what she decides!
@gradygrad Thank you for your perspective. Its very helpful. Wish you all the best for your son
You are very welcome, @SeetheKey! And thank you. I wish the same for your daughter!
I sent a 17 year old off to college last year, and they are REALLY young. Pick the school that will give her the most help, the best community. IMO, that would be Georgetown but it’s where she’ll feel the best. Any family in either area? A faith community she’s somehow connected to? Friends at schools in the area?