What distinguishes UCLA?

<p>Whenever I wear UCLA (my dream school) gear around my current school, I sometimes get dirty looks from other students. A few times I have people come up to me to claim USCs superiority (and not in those kind words ha). Now I have no problem with USC but I am a little bugged by people who equate the quality of a university with the success of their football team. </p>

<p>So I come here to the UCLA forum to ask, what exactly distinguishes UCLA from USC and other universities? What are UCLA’s strongest points?</p>

<p>…I want to better defend my dream school whenever someone makes a stupid boast.</p>

<p>UCLA receives the highest number of applicants for a reason - first class education in an awesome location. UCLA is the premier school in southern california, hands down.</p>

<p>i’m glad someone appreciates my tight jeans as i walk around campus… just kidding! UCLA, what can be said about it. Div 1 athletics, surrounded by Westwood, Brentwood, Bel Air and Beverly Hills, top ranked academic programs in dozens of fields, beautiful campus that will definately tone your calves, internationally known, excellent research and interning opportunities, cutting edge med center on campus… the list goes on! Its late, so i say just surf the web and you’ll find scads of info on why so many people (45,000 i believe) applied to the university last year alone!</p>

<p>UCLA offers several top 10 departments, a vibrant research community, a fantastic campus, and great social cache to all its graduates.</p>

<p>Oh, and evil squirrels.</p>

<p>I posted this in another thread, but I guess it’s appropriate to put it here :). </p>

<p>UCLA is a huge, diverse, reputable school in the best, glitzy-cool area of the most diverse, one of the biggest, happening cities in the world. Thing is, even if you NEVER leave campus, you’re in what is essentially, a city that has more activity than most places. </p>

<p><em>WithIN</em> the city that is UCLA, you have the opportunities to do everything and anything your heart desires: eating great foods from all parts of the world (inside and outside like when the culture clubs cook on Bruin Walk.) taking nice walks, reading the second(?) most widely read newspaper in the city (Daily Bruin) while admiring natural scenery, chasing squirrels, visiting art exhibits, protesting, counter-protesting, going to one of the literally billion club meetings, hearing interesting, famous people speak, watching new rising star bands perform, rooting for future pro-athletes/olympians at whatever sport happens to be going on from basketball to gymnastics, watching <em>world class</em> theatre, dance, spoken word, and music for a discounted price, party hopping on frat row, shopping for books, clothes, even brand-name cosmetics at the store(s), sleeping in your dorm, hanging out with your floormates in the lounge, listening to jazz bands play at Kerckhoff coffee house on Monday nights, taking a bus into town, rock climbing inside the Wooden Center, taking yoga classes at Sunset Rec, playing video games at the arcade, going to Powell media library to watch some obscure movie from the 40s or even an old video of a ballet just because you’re a nerd and you felt like it and its available, finding about the cheapest rates for study abroad trips at the student travel agent office in Ackerman, research with professors, network at the Alumni center, going to mass at the Catholic center, finding jobs through what seems liek monthly career/internship fairs, and of course, studying…learning, taking classes of your choice…and stuff LoL. </p>

<p>Gosh and if you’re deathly ill and need world class medical treatment. you never have to leave campus because of Ashe Center and its pharmacy, and not to mention UCLA medical center LoL. </p>

<p>This is not to say I’ve done all this. It’s just to say I realize it all exists (and I know there’s more that I just don’t know about) and that’s what makes this place so great. You’re not given a small bubble wrapped package and expected to make the most of things. You’re given a WORLD to live in, constantly explore and discover, and in the process you do what everyone can do at any college: learn things about yourself, figure out your direction in life etc… What sets UCLA apart from other schools though, is that you have an infinite amount of opportunities to do hands on, real world stuff without even having to set foot outside the campus. Just the students alone, and the diversity of backgrounds, viewpoints, etc…represented on campus expose you to so much. </p>

<p>Here’s the thing. You’re at this huge, crazy, place, and all its opportunities are waiting, but they don’t seem to just jump out at you and aren’t necessarily immeidately visible. So what do you do. Yes you’ll get SOME guidance, esp. your first couple of weeks (and during orientation and stuff you’ll get a tour and some tips on how to do well.) but from then on, you’re on your own. What you want your experience to be is fully up to you. If you like the school big great, if its too big to you, then there are so many ways to make it smaller. You want to get involved in a club? Read fliers, check out websites, there are ALWAYS people tabling on bruin walk as long as its not raining, ask people questions! Need counseling? Find out about where to go and who to go to. Again, ask people, look it up online, etc… And then there’s all the cliche: go to office hours (one can’t stress enough how helpful that can be.) </p>

<p>As much as I love it here, I can also see how someone can feel lost or unhappy. (its not an easy thing though, there IS enough guidance and info given to you once you enter the school that set you on the right path so its your choice to take it or leave it.) You do have to be aggressive yes in finding things, very proactive, but there are a LOT of nice people willing to point you in the right direction and a lot of ways to find your way around. I don’t believe in the “you’re nothing but a number at UCLA” crap. You aren’t. You’re entire application was read and talked over, you were accepted for a reason and its up to you to make the most of your time here, get involved, and make the impact you want to make. </p>

<p>I’m not trying to say UCLA is this perfect la la land happy place where everything goes your way. There are definitely a few negative things. You’ll have those classes you’ll hate, the professors that bore you to death and aren’t so helpful (um this happens at ANY COLLEGE!) you will have to be aggressive when it comes to enrollment time (esp. if you don’t have priority) because you’re not always guaranteed a spot in the classes you want. There’s also a lot of debate about how some people qualify for priority (like if you’re a minority and in AAP and don’t do anything else like extra work etc…you automatically get it and some people find that unfair. At least I do.) </p>

<p>But EVEN STILL, there are lot of ways to curb this stuff. I find that a lot of people who hate their classes hate them because they chose something they’re not interested in or just because it sounded like an easy GE. TRY ENROLLING in classes that are the slighest bit of INTEREST to you, and if say there are no interesting science GE’s that are available one quarter, then try taking an arts GE that actually IS interesting instead. Go to bruinwalk.com to read professor reviews, talk to other students about their experiences, and try your best to avoid the super bad professors. </p>

<p>And yeah, if you’re failing school, you won’t necessarily have counselors knocking at your door to help you UN-fail, because heck, unlike private school, nobody’s all that dependent on you for money. Yeah, there’s more reason than “personal love and care for you” as to why private schools don’t want a student to fail out. One less student, means one less paying…customer or client shall we say. Its all a business attitude. Public schools don’t have that concern, at least not to that extent. </p>

<p>All in all I feel very spoiled at UCLA. UCLA costs 22,000 dollars a year if you’re not on financial aid and an in state student, which is practically less than half the price of some places that can’t even give you a 1/3 of what UCLA can. (ahem like a school halfway across town and yeah, even lil old ivy leagues don’t COMPARE.) Other little things people might take for granted is the fact that there is always construction: yeah its annoying, but constant construction is a good sign, that the school is always trying to improve and develop itself. Also I feel the school’s priorities are in the right place. Luckily UCLA already has a worldwide reputation and great image for academics, athletics, arts, culture, and the like—but it’s not just worried constantly about artifically going up in the rankings and advertising itself. (it doesnt need to) It cares about its STUDENTS. As populated of a school UCLA is, by next year, you’re guaranteed FOUR YEARS OF HOUSING, and the new dorms are pretty nice! And at least, here, off campus housing isn’t a nightmare because the area isn’t bad. That’s something meant to be appreciated. (at USC for example, the dorms suck, the food isn’t half as good, off campus housing is scary, and you’re not guaranteed 4 years even though you pay your life’s savings.)</p>

<p>UCLA rules and its completely up to you how you take advantage of the infinite amounts of things it offers.</p>

<p>^I’ve been at this website for nearly two years and that might be the longest post I’ve ever seen. :)</p>

<p>However it’s a good post, and makes some great points. UCLA does offer some incredable opportunities. Just know that in many cases you’re going to have to go out and find them on your own. Personally I prefer having to do things like that on my own, but I know not everybody likes things like that.</p>

<p>People tend to overlook one aspect of UCLA’s academic reputation that made us nationally more respected than USC – research. There is more research happening at UCLA in the fields of neurology, civil engineering, astronomy, public policy, etc. than in any combined state university system outside California. There are hundreds of one-on-one research and assistantship opportunities for undergrads planning to go to grad school, especially at the UCLA Medical Center, knowing the professors are more research-oriented than those at lesser schools. We create the knowledge that is disseminated to public and private think-tanks throughout the country. California is indebted to the research output at UCB and UCLA, for improving its economy, reputation and standard of living, but the can’t be said for some less academically-oriented schools. :rolleyes:</p>

<p>On a side note, one of the typical counter-arguments from USC students is that USC offers the “complete college experience” while UCLA doesn’t… Any student at either school who takes charge of his/her life would disagree, because college is, after all, what you make of it. I could argue that a lab assistant in the CNSI who burns the midnight oil to publish a journal article in Science would have an equally rewarding experience in college than someone who spends all his time rushing frats and drinking with his buddies. Your college experience is entirely up to you, regardless of which school you go to! :rolleyes:</p>

<p><a href=“http://uclabruins.collegesports.com/trads/no-1-combined-program.html[/url]”>http://uclabruins.collegesports.com/trads/no-1-combined-program.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Need we say more?</p>

<p>Of course flopsy your experience of college is what you make of it at any school…but there are even MORE ways to make your college experience whatever you want to at UCLA. There’s just way more offered there than anywhere else LoL. simple.</p>

<p>First of all, don’t worry about what the other 17 year olds at your high school say about UCLA vs. USC. They don’t know any more than you do. Success in football does not equate to the quality of an academic institution. </p>

<p>Ask anyone. When both UCLA and USC have an academic program, UCLA’s will be better, maybe other than film. (USC has a few majors that UCLA doesn’t, like business, so we can’t really compare them there). The Trojans always talk about their alumni network, which I will admit is very strong. But that network is not nearly as strong outside of California. Many east coast companies look at USC as a regional school and don’t give it anywhere near the respect that they give UCLA.</p>

<p>All that said, USC is still a pretty good school, but if you get in to both schools and they both have your major, there’s no reason you shouldn’t pick UCLA.</p>

<p>Many East Coast companies look at USC as the University of South Carolina.
Makes sense for them, geographically speaking. :rolleyes:</p>

<p>Yeah agreed. USC is by no means a bad school, but if reputation means anything to you. Outside of southern California, USC gets respect as a fun party/football school and for people that don’t watch football LoL, it’s the University of South Carolina (no JOKE.) This is within the country. </p>

<p>And in other countries, they know neither of a USC in South Carolina or a USC in California LoL – But EVERYONE knows the names of main ivies: Harvard, Yale, Brown, Princeton, Columbia (not so much the smaller schools like Dartmouth or Cornell) + Stanford, Cal Tech, MIT, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. blah blah </p>

<p>Reaction wise when I told my friends back east, that I got into the USC over here I got responses like “party it up Jen” and the reactions I got for my UCLA acceptance was “woah…damn, good job. didn’t know you were that smart.” haha how sad…but i took that as a compliment :). </p>

<p>(part of the national “wow factor” also comes from the fact that UCLA is an out of state public school, so the acceptance rate might even be lower than the overall acceptance rates of super famous private schools.) </p>

<p>I’d seriously consider USC if you have aspirations to major in business (particularly if you plan on staying in So-Cal) communications/journalism, film, architecture, music, and the like. Those are some fields they definitely have the upper hand in I believe.</p>

<p>Because there’s UniCamp. `05 Session 5!!!</p>

<p>A lot of chest thumping here:)</p>

<p>After read for a while, I realized you guy already became true bruins, that is you always need to yell “we did this better than USC” to make yourselve feel better and worthy, in your whole life. Yeah, that is how sad it becomes!</p>

<p>As in pixie’s post, USC is equally or has upper hand in business, film, architecture, communications/journalism, music, etc. Maybe I should also include planning/public policy, some of engineering displines, etc. What is left out there for you to study at UCLA? Hard sciences? No, if i were a science nerd, I would’ve gone to CAL or Caltech. Besides, you may get a lot of scholarship money if you want to study sciences at USC. A lot of LAS students at USC I know have scholarship and work in professors’ lab earning salary.</p>

<p>QW553,</p>

<p>I think the whole point of this thread was chest thumping. That’s why I find it silly for you to burst in on this thread and start down a road that will only lead to some very jingoistic Bruins yelling at you.</p>

<p>Plus, not everyone can get into Caltech. However, many of the science programs at UCLA are easily top 10 or top 15, which is by no means bad. </p>

<p>And I would study political science at UCLA before Caltech or USC anyday. Berkeley is a tough call, as is UCSD.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>However, it doesn’t seem like they have the upper-hand in correct grammar. :p</p>

<p>Grammar Nazi! Grammar Nazi! =)</p>

<p>QW553,</p>

<p>i also think you missed the whole point of the thread. see what the OP wrote:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>we are SUPPOSED to compare UCLA against USC. i’m sorry if you felt insecure about that. </p>

<p>i’m sure if someone was asked to compare USC against UCLA at the USC forum, you’d get the exact same attitude.</p>

<p>I see nothing wrong with the comparison. It’s completely erroneous statements like “When both UCLA and USC have an academic program, UCLA’s will be better, maybe other than film” and “And in other countries, they know neither of a USC in South Carolina or in la” that I’m sure QW is taking issue with. </p>

<p>To be completely evenhanded, if you compared every major both schools offered, UCLA would come out on top in terms of having more ranked above the other. But that doesn’t mean USC doesn’t have at least a dozen that are ranked above UCLA, some significantly so. </p>

<p>And really cardinalfocused, be weary of posters who like to state what the “perception” of each school is. Basically, you have first years at UCLA who are from California (<em>cough</em> pixiedanzer <em>cough</em>) who purport to know what east coasters, corporate America, and the international community at large think of each school. Oh really, people outside of the US don’t know USC? An amusing statement considering USC has the highest international enrollment of any university in the US (the Daily Bruin says so: <a href=“http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=30918)%5B/url%5D”>http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=30918)</a>, is among the top 5 in number of international applications received, has four offices abroad, and has 19 international alumni groups (to UCLA’s 6). </p>

<p>And yes, companies think of USC as a regional school. Mmmhmm. Surely the bulge bracket investment banking firms visiting the career center next week for USC’s annual ibank round table (note that ibanking, with mgmt consulting, is widely considered to be the most academic prestige conscious industry with respect to on-campus recruiting) made a mistake when scheduling USC… and have been for the past several years. Quick, someone inform them that we’re a regional school and that all we can analyze are beer pong toss trajectories.</p>

<p>Please, if you want to differentiate UCLA from USC, say something like “prettier neighborhood,” “better on-campus food,” or “a functioning basketball team.” Not a perception of other people’s perceptions.</p>

<p>My experience in Washington and New York has been that USC and UCLA both have good reputations. UCLA seems to be seen as a bit more “academic,” but USC seems to be a definite hot name. </p>

<p>But everyone seems to know about the “bad neighborhood” that USC is in. I always found that funny.</p>

<p>Oh, and UCLA’s PhD programs, on the whole, seem to fare better. But we’re talking undergrad, so who cares?</p>