Anonymous wrote:Dear OP - I'm a former Californian now in D.C. I know UCLA well and, frankly, would go to UVA over UCLA because of the size Kids just get lost at UCLA. Your child may disagree and really want California but mine didn't. We flew out and did the tours - also SLACs and LACs but my kids hated LAX, the driving, the smoky fog, the sheer number of cars. So they never applied to any CA schools. IMHO students at UVA get far more attention from the profs. My second year at UVA has sterling letters of recommendation already from two famous profs and is using them to get an internship here in D.C. The cost and unpleasantness of travel would be for me a deal breaker. I know some UCLA and Berkeley moms from this area (also Pomona, and Scripps) who really hate the hassle and cost of flying out to set-up their kids, the flights back and forth for vacations and then graduation. At first, they were excited but it became wearing. Also, you must have a car in LA. and that adds significant expense. For UVA DC uses the train or HomeRide buses. This also may not mean anything to your child, but because we have kids in Virginia universities, we were able to continue our family life on into college years. The kids come home (different spring breaks) and we go on vacation. Or we pick them up and go on vacation. It's much more difficult to do anything like that if your student is at UCLA or Berkeley. I understand the lure of So. Cal for an east coast kid but it is not what it was 30 years ago. Also, if you think you can get to the beach easily from UCLA you are mistaken. You couldn't pay me to drive on the Santa Monica freeway. It's madness out there now. But, as they say, your results may vary. Good luck.
Seek therapy.
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