<p>forget about the tour guide; tell your son to pretend they had never met. You can google the “halo effect” and see how that might distort his decision.</p>
<p>UCLA or any large U is going to be what you make of it. For the student that is somewhat outgoing and willing to spend the time & effort to meet fellow students, to get to know some profs, to take advantage of the alumni connections for internships, it is a paradise. But for someone that expects profs to reach out to them with advice, for clubs to be clamoring for them to join, for the career center to be contacting them with “we just heard this; maybe you’d be interested” it is going to be a long and disappointing journey.</p>
<p>You know your son the best. If he is willing to make the appropriate effort than UCLA will be everything he could hope for, but if he is more passive then it might not be the right fit. See my “Some tips” post at the top of this forum for more suggestions.</p>