<p>It is true most people, even on this Board, don’t pay much attention to Emory… not sure why. I just checked the stats and Emory seems to be higher ranked than UCLA in the USNWR (17 vs. 25), and the student testing scores are much higher.</p>
<p>UCLA has in its favor being in the top 15 in almost every one of the 41 individual subject areas for Ph.D. rankings by NRC.</p>
<p>To me, it’s a push overall. As prestige is mostly driven by Ph.D. rankings, UCLA wins on that. Yet, we’re talking undergrad here. Emory would offer more individual attention, and an across the board higher testing student population.</p>
<p>P.S. It is <em>not</em> smoggy in the UCLA area. What smog is left in LA (huge improvements b/c of auto emissions standards and the AQMD moving pollutant prone businesses out of LA proper) is east of the coast by at leat 10 miles. UCLA is situated about 4 miles from the ocean in the rolling hills of Westwood.</p>