<p>I am deciding between a full ride from UCLA and 32k of debt(after 4 years) from Barnard.
At UCLA I plan on majoring in music and eco (minor in accounting)
At Barnard I plan to major in dance and eco (minor in music)</p>
<p>Not sure yet, but I might be an accountant or go into finance after undergrad.</p>
<p>I definitely want to go to Barnard, well because it is New York and the opportunities just seem endless. But are the connections worth giving up a full ride? I have heard of crazy miracle stories that came from connections. Truthfully, New York just sounds like lots of fun but I might be too poor there to really enjoy it.</p>
<p>I am leaning towards UCLA because for the first time in a while, I can just focus on school without having to worry about money and work. </p>
<p>What do you guys think? Is New York and the connections there worth it?</p>
<p>Don’t you think you’d make valuable connections through UCLA? Does UCLA offer the opportunity to take a semester away in NY, either through an internship or at a different college? That might offer you the NY connections you’re seeking though I’m not sure whether you’re looking for connections that you might find via a NY experience or specific school connections via alums or advisors. I’m not sure Barnard is going to offer anything on its own that’s so magical it’s worth giving up a full ride at a very fine school.</p>
<p>The idea of a small school and more attention is nice but truthfully, I am fine with any. I am sure UCLA offers a semester in NYC but it definitely wont be the same as 4 years in NYC. I am a ballet dancer and musician so I am definitely tempted to go to Barnard. I don’t know much about the connections offered at UCLA but I think it wont be anywhere close to the connections offered at Barnard. </p>
<p>Short answer: take the full ride from UCLA. NYC is a city, LA is a city. We have nothing here like the beautiful, clean, cheap Korean restaurants you have in the San Gabriel valley, nor the warm winters. NYC is my favorite city, I am from here, but UCLA will keep you plenty busy learning all you are able to learn for 4 years.</p>
<p>Nothing else should matter very much. Except the money, and money is very important.</p>
<p>agree, it will be a fool to pass a full ride from UCLA, not even Harvard.
A D of my friend who went to UCLA full ride and now is in UCSF dental school, along with students from HYPS.</p>
<p>I am from NYC and love the city. BUT, I think your idea of attending UCLA and doing a program in NYC for a semester/year makes a lot of sense. Barnard is a great school, but it is hard to turn down a chance to graduate from another great school with no debt. </p>
<p>Hi! It seems like the majority (or everyone) is saying ucla. I really want to go into finance and I’m sure Barnard is the place for that. Is 32k of debt after 4 years that horrid? It scares the heck out of me but maybe it is doable? Or is any kind of debt too much?</p>
<p>You can do a lot of NYC on $32K a year on top of getting a great education from UCLA. If you can get your parents to split some of the savings, you’ll be all set to settle in to the city in style. NYC is great if you have some money, but miserable for those without. </p>
<p>That’s a very personal question. Personally, I don’t think NYC itself is worth giving up a full ride - especially when the competing city is LA, which is also a global city with tons of connections and opportunities - but the experience of going to Barnard might be worth going into $32,000 in debt total, if you really wanted to go to a small LAC as opposed to a large research university. (I don’t think it is, but it might be for you. Personally, I would rather skip the monthly payments! I have a little bit more debt than that from undergrad + grad, and even with the income-based repayment it’s going to be about $300/month.)</p>
<p>I also think college students think they are going to make far more “connections” than they actually make. You might get an internship in the city that helps you make some work connections, but it’s not like you’re going to be schmoozing in the business world. Besides, you could probably get an equivalent internship in LA.</p>
<p>I think UCLA would be better for finance coursework than Barnard unless you were cross-registering everything with Columbia, or are thinking of internships in NYC. UCLA actually has a world-class reputation in Finance – google Richard Roll. Barnard has nothing like that. Big banks and financial firms recruit on campus there, so it might not be harder to get a job from there than from Barnard, in fact maybe easier. Firms that recruit at Columbia won’t necessarily recruit at Barnard.</p>
<p>My d. is a Barnard grad, and former dancer. If you come to Barnard and want to major in dance, you would likely want to supplement the Barnard dance offerings with courses in outside studios – I think it’s typical for students to take class at Steps, but obviously in NY there are also other studios and classes to choose from. So you’d have to factor in that added cost as well.</p>
<p>“Connections” are what you make, not what the school offers. I’m actually a little puzzled by what sort of “connections” you think that you would get from the school. Yes, you met people … but you’ll meet people in LA, too. </p>
<p>To answer your original question: 32K in debt is doable IF and ONLY IF you mean the federal loans - not if you mean cosigned or private loans. And would that pay for tuition+R&B, or for full cost of attendance (meaning you can reduce some expenses)?
Then, it all depends on your personality, whether you like a LAC better than a large research university, etc.
You seem to lean very strongly toward Barnard: why? What pushes you there ? </p>
<p>^^ My cousin went to Barnard and she has been a dentist for over 30 years now. I am sure there are dentists who went to HYP.</p>
<p>Is that 32K total debt for all four years? or it is only for one year? That make a big difference. Living in NYC, its like $300/month more than living in Westwood, unless you do not go out at all.</p>
<p>The only 2 reasons that I can think of to go to Barnard are (1) if you’re considered a Columbia alumna, then the alumni base in NYC would be huge, and much stronger than UCLA’s, and (2) being on the ground in NYC would make it easier to intern there in the summer.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I’d go with UCLA. It’s certainly a well-known school and should be well-considered when you want to interview for NYC jobs and jobs elsewhere.</p>
[quote]
My cousin went to Barnard and she has been a dentist for over 30 years now. I am sure there are dentists who went to HYP.
[/quote ]
Harvard Dental School is not as good as you think, some of my dentists told me this when I told them I had my dental work done at Harvard. It’s not the same as Harvard Medical school.
BTW, the best dentists I have are from UCLA. Absolute top notch.</p>
<p>Yes! So like 8k of debt every year and 32k in total after 4 years.</p>
<p>This is the thing with Barnard, I love the idea of living in NYC. My whole high school knows that I would do anything to live there, I like the idea of a fast paced life. I can’t imagine being idle. I mean even now, my schedule is jam packed. But if I go to Barnard, I’m worried about over working myself (like right now) and not really enjoying the city. Plus, I have been hearing of the crazy brandname internships that apparently most students get.</p>
<p>I just feel that there is less to do in L.A. While I there, I really had to go out of my way to find fun activities that fit my interest.</p>
