@rjkofnovi, I am really grateful for all the help you have given me so far. Michigan definitely has a stronger reputation than UCLA in the Northeast.
One of the concerns my parents have for UM is that when I graduate, it would be harder for me to find jobs outside of Michigan/Northeast. If I want them to pay premium for UM, I have to convince them that I would be able to find a job pretty much anywhere in the US after I graduate.
I looked at the annual job report for UM engineering students.
http://career.engin.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2014/12/annualreport.pdf
Indeed, it looks like the majority of UM engineering graduates stay in the Midwest, especially Michigan. But this does not mean that top engineering firms in, let say, CA or Texas, are less likely to hire UM graduates?