Background: I was accepted by a handful of schools after shotgunning to 26 universities and ended up choosing between UCLA and Georgetown. I plan to major in Environmental Science (B.S.) at UCLA and Biology at Georgetown. I know that UCLA mostly dominates the rankings and has well-developed STEM programs while Georgetown is more well-known for its political science / international relations, etc. However, it seems like Georgetown has a great program in specifically Biology and is creating a new Environmental Studies major that I’m excited about. After considering the costs, I’m genuinely unsure of which school I would rather attend so any opinions are appreciated!
Things I care about the most:
Program (courses offered, facilities, etc.)
Competitiveness for Research/other opportunities
Living Conditions (Food, Dorms, etc.)
Community (People, faculty, etc.)
Level of support (academically/mentally)
Something to think about is that Georgetown has 7,900 undergrads. UCLA has over 33,000. That is a huge difference and will have knock-on effects on lots of other aspects of college life (including many of the things you highlighted in your list). Our D22 is at Berkeley (roughly the same size as UCLA), and as we’re starting the process with our twins who’ll graduate in 2025, we’re looking much more closely at smaller schools, with a sweet spot right around 6,000–8,000.
Maybe there’s something about UCLA that specifically appeals to you, but it sounds like, from your post, you’re excited about what Georgetown is doing. I would listen to that gut feeling.
When I read living - UCLA is known for food and Gtown is known for kids who eat out because the food is not well thought of - so I’ve read. Maybe it’s gotten better. Niche gives UCLA an A+ for dorms and food while Gtown gets a C for dorms and B- for food. It’s third party based on surveys - but you might research better as this is important to you.
What are you looking to do with your degree - ie after you graduate.
Typically, you can find research opportunities - you just have to ask - but look up faculty and find out what type of research they are doing.
I can’t tell you about the community or support level - you should research more but on the surface, it seems to me UCLA would be the better choice.
Plus GT has a Jesuit education - does that interest you?
My daughter is a freshman at UCLA. It’s an absolutely enormous school, the classes are huge and impersonal, it can be hard to get the classes you need. It is an amazing resource for CA families that don’t have the resources to attend an expensive T20 school, but it is not something I would pick over Georgetown if costs are similar.
That said, the dorm food is definitely incredible.
My daughter is a freshman at UCLA (OOS from East Coast). So far, she over-the-moon loves it! UCLA is large but the freshman class isn’t as big (6,500) because of transfers. She hasn’t always gotten her first choice in class or time, but neither did our kids who attended small private colleges. She has gotten to know profs by attending office hours. UCLA requires a lot of self-advocacy and independence. Things to consider: 1) does the school guarantee housing, UCLA does for 4 years. UCLA has triples in rooms that really should be doubles, if that bothers you, but its freshman housing clustered on the “HIll” is a nice place where students live/eat nearby each other, 2) how important is Greek life to you - UCLA, it isn’t a giant part of the school, about 10%, but it has a traditional Greek life with houses, parties, etc., Georgetown doesn’t have them recognized, 3) location - do you want to study/live in LA or DC, 4) of course, cost, 5) food - as you mentioned, UCLA is amazing. Seriously, off-the-charts amazing, 6) quarter system v. semester - I’ve heard advocates both ways, so far, my child seems fine with quarter system, but she’s never been more than a couple weeks from a test/assignment. My wife and I both attended schools with fewer than 8,000 students - so maybe we are living vicariously through this one, but UCLA seems to offer the ideal mix of school spirit and rah-rah energy and an extremely respected, selective, high-ranked (if you value that) school. Georgetown is, of course, a brand name (in my mind, due to St Elmo’s Fire, Patrick Ewing, and Bill Clinton). Whatever its ranking that particular year, it has a top-notch national reputation. If you prefer Georgetown, and its size/location/private/Jesuit identity, that is an excellent option - they are peer schools academically. They each have their pros/cons - you have great options and wish you well!