<p>I’ll be an engineering student next fall and I chose UCLA over Cal because of the overall feel. Take any rankings with a grain of salt; they’re all arbitrary and are not as critical as people on this forum seem to feel. Sure, if I had chosen Berkeley, I’d be studying at a chemical engineering department that is ranked on some national ranking system to be only second to MIT, while UCLA is somewhere in the twenties.</p>
<p>Guess what – there are over two thousand (?) colleges in the nation. Whichever one you pick, you’ll be attending a top-notch university.</p>
<p>I admit that even I, at some point, fell into the trap of overanalyzing rankings; I feel like CC sort of fosters this mentality, or at least attracts the type of people who are prone to it.</p>
<p>Just go where you think you’ll be happiest. It’s not like you will be at a huge disadvantage in the job market or for grad school admissions if you choose a university that is a little bit less prestigious by some arbitrary, subjective list of schools with little numbers attached to each. Hell, it might even be a little easier to get into a good grad or professional school with a higher GPA at the university that is a little bit less prestigious/challenging (not that this should be a reason to turn down a more prestigious school).</p>
<p>I know I’m going to have a great time at UCLA because I love Westwood, I love the campus, I love the dorms, I love the food, I love the weather (I’m a SoCal kid; Baltimore or the Bay Area would be quite a change), I love athletics, I love the spirit, and I love the overall vibe. Sure, Cal has it’s positives, and hell, maybe the education/brand name are superior there. But don’t let that become a massive weight in your decision.</p>
<p>There’s no place that you “must go.” Relax, go with your gut, and have a good time learning in college.</p>