UCLA is one of the world’s top schools. It is a ‘better’ school than CSULB by any objective measure but, it may not be the right choice for you.
Not everyone can succeed (socially and academically) in an environment like UCLA. The typical student is a driven person who has excelled in the classroom and elsewhere from a young age. The vibe on-campus is pretty serious, the pace in the classrooms is fast and many programs are competitive as lesser students are ‘weeded out’.
I am not trying to take anything away from UCLA, if you think you can thrive in an environment like that, and you can afford it and gain admission, you’ll get a great education and have lots of doors open when you graduate.
If that doesn’t sound like a place you’d excel, perhaps Long Beach or Northridge is a better choice. Graduating happy and debt free from a CSU beats washing out of a top UC that you chose because it was ‘better’.
In my personal and professional life, I’ve come to know lots of very successful CSU grads - including Drs, lawyers and Sr Execs at fortune 500 companies. I also know lots of grads from UCs and more prestigious schools. Some have done quite well - while others have had trouble staying employed.
Going to a top school doesn’t guarantee you anything in the work world. You have to consistently deliver tangible results for your employer - or you are gone. When I review a resume, I pay alot more attention to the accomplishments than where they went to school.
If you are admitted to both schools, spend some time on each campus - talk to students and an instructor or two. See where you think you"ll fit in and where you can excel. Then make the call. ‘Better’ doesn’t always mean it is the right choice for you.
Good luck.
@ncalrent, could you send me a link to all the fortune 500 top senior execs who graduated from a CSU. I would like to see it so I can reformulate my opinion on the topic. Below is a link I found from the CSU. The pickings are slim and I don’t see any Fortune 500. The ones noted on the site either founded their company, or a few got an MBA along the way. I’m not trying to be difficult, but I do want a clear assessment of the likelihood of becoming a top senior exec at a fortune 500 if you have a CSU degree vs UC or other top private. I’m certainly willing (and am most glad) to reassess. 
Of course, many don’t want to go the executive route, so this subject is irrelevant. And BTW, Steven Spielberg is on the list. I really don’t count the anecdotal exceptions. I’m talking a regular person who works hard.
I don’t mean this as a dig. I really want to see the evidence to change my thinking on the topic.
http://www.calstate.edu/legacy/alumni/
If I remember correctly Raytheon ex-CEO or current CEO graduated from Cal Poly SLO with an Industrial Engineering major.
And the biggest surprise is the WhatsApp CEO graduated from San Jose State. He was on the cover of either Fortune or Forbes magazine. Again his major was either engineering or computer science.
Whatever you wrote I can’t see. 
Post #24, I don’t care whether you can see it, it’s for other people.
I give Cal Poly props. In my mind, it’s a baby UC. So, yeah, I should have qualified that one.
Post #27, please stop. Your snobbishness is wearing on me. Baby UC? Give me a break. In Silicon Valley, it’s just a notch below UCBerkeley in engineering. I’ve worked at firms that the Chief technical officer went to Cal Poly and the CEO went to Berkeley. Baby UC is UC Merced in my interpretation.
@lindyk8
I know personally grads from Sac State with Director or better positions at Intel, Oracle, EMC, Bayer, PG&E. Wells Fargo, HP, Disney and Waste Connections. I also know several ‘small’ biz owners with $M in annual revenue and dozens of employees. Not to mention countless successful teachers, nurses, police officers, engineers, architects, insurance agents, etc. The Sleep Train was founded by Dale Carlsen (whom I’ve met but don’t know), also a Sac State Grad, a couple years ahead of me. He just sold the company for $425M, I’d call him a pretty big success. Frankly, his charitable work with foster kids is more impressive. Other top of mind notables from Sac State are Lester Holt, Tom Hanks and Joan Lunden.
That’s just for one of the 23 campuses. Any other CSU Alum can rattle off a similar list. (as can most UC alums). There are millions of hard working and tax paying products of the CSU system in today’s workforce.
Take a quick look at Linked-In for a feel of where grads from a particular school work.
Thx @ncalrent, will check them out!
I may have to change my thinking (although I don’t count celebrities, they’re a breed apart). 