UNC, UVA or UCLA (all OOS)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For everyone that is claiming one is so superior, I instantly discredit you. All of these are great, acting as if one is far above is so far from reality. Have a preference, sure, but they are peers!

100%. They are all peer schools. In a vacuum, pick whichever the kid likes best and factor in COA. If you throw in majors then I think one or two probably stand out but you won't go wrong with any of these three.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UCLA ….its the only top 20 school in the mix. Gorgeous campus and its t-shirt weather nearly year-round. It also has the opportunity for a lot of year-round internships in Los Angeles which Chapel Hill and Charlottesville do not. It also has a decent D1 football team and an even better basketball team ..more rah rah and spirit than UVA and UNC.

UCLA actually doesn’t have much of a rah rah spirit. First, it’s crazy to compare UNC basketball to UCLA from a spirit perspective…not even close.

Football would have 1000% more spirit if their stadium wasn’t the Rose Bowl. Kids go to some games, but then the bloom wears quickly when you have to commute an hour each way to a game.

For football, none are hotbeds.

[Anonymous]

They are more or less peer schools for undergraduate. Choose what is a good fit and makes financial sense for you.

[Anonymous]

UCLA grad here. I loved my experience as did seemingly most of classmates. For all the complaining one sees online about registration, large classes, etc., UCLA has very high satisfaction and retention rates. Among the T20-30, I think UCLA is one of the best at balancing academic rigor with quality of life.

That said, I consider all three schools peers. I wouldn't choose on the basis of prestige. UNC and UVA are great schools.

[Anonymous]

East coaster here and my child had the same choices last year so we attended all three accepted students days. All three have strong academics, fun sports, and student spirit. Here are a few insights:

UNC: Felt overwhelmingly North Carolinian—not that there is anything wrong with people from North Carolina but 80%+ are in-state and it’s not that big of a state so it just didn’t feel very diverse. The campus is really nice/clean. Greek life but not too big. Great location for internships/jobs in the research triangle. Ok food. Have to figure out second year housing in the fall.

UVA: Felt more diverse than UNC with only 65% in-state. Strongest admitted students day—really spirited with the marching band and acapella singers. Tons of tradition. Biggest Greek life (can be pro or con). Have to figure out second year housing in fall if don’t want to stay in dorms (can be hard if you haven’t made friends yet). Beautiful campus but very limited food choices and just not great food on campus. Charlottesville has restaurants and shops but maybe not the same job opportunities as Chapel Hill or Los Angeles.

UCLA: Where my child chose to go. Super diverse; 75% are from CA but CA is a huge diverse state. Great food. 4 years guaranteed housing (although majority triples which are small). Most second years continue to live on campus but if you don’t, you can wait until late spring to work out off-campus housing. Although average acerage of campus is smaller than UVA, it feels bigger. It’s always crowded—students have to hustle for everything as there are a lot of people who all want activities, clubs, classes, jobs, etc. It doesn’t feel competitive though—there is more of a “we’re all in this together” vibe. Greek life is small—plenty of people if you want to join but not a biggie if you don’t. Rush is lower key. Westwood is a cool college town but does have a higher number of homeless than UVA/UNC which do sometimes make their way on to campus. Protests were also reportedly an issue last year, but they have been promptly shut down this year (no encampments, no overnights, no blocking buildings, etc). I think overall UCLA feels more open to the public than UVA/UNC even though all three are.


My child chose UCLA to experience another part of the country and didn’t want to regret not taking that bigger leap. It hasn’t been without bumps, but overall has really fostered a ton of independence. Would they pick UVA if they had to do it again? Maybe?


Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UCLA ….its the only top 20 school in the mix. Gorgeous campus and its t-shirt weather nearly year-round. It also has the opportunity for a lot of year-round internships in Los Angeles which Chapel Hill and Charlottesville do not. It also has a decent D1 football team and an even better basketball team ..more rah rah and spirit than UVA and UNC.

UCLA actually doesn’t have much of a rah rah spirit. First, it’s crazy to compare UNC basketball to UCLA from a spirit perspective…not even close.

Football would have 1000% more spirit if their stadium wasn’t the Rose Bowl. Kids go to some games, but then the bloom wears quickly when you have to commute an hour each way to a game.

For football, none are hotbeds.

Not in 2024 but I’m fascinated to see what develops now at Carolina with Belichick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:East coaster here and my child had the same choices last year so we attended all three accepted students days. All three have strong academics, fun sports, and student spirit. Here are a few insights:

UNC: Felt overwhelmingly North Carolinian—not that there is anything wrong with people from North Carolina but 80%+ are in-state and it’s not that big of a state so it just didn’t feel very diverse. The campus is really nice/clean. Greek life but not too big. Great location for internships/jobs in the research triangle. Ok food. Have to figure out second year housing in the fall.

UVA: Felt more diverse than UNC with only 65% in-state. Strongest admitted students day—really spirited with the marching band and acapella singers. Tons of tradition. Biggest Greek life (can be pro or con). Have to figure out second year housing in fall if don’t want to stay in dorms (can be hard if you haven’t made friends yet). Beautiful campus but very limited food choices and just not great food on campus. Charlottesville has restaurants and shops but maybe not the same job opportunities as Chapel Hill or Los Angeles.

UCLA: Where my child chose to go. Super diverse; 75% are from CA but CA is a huge diverse state. Great food. 4 years guaranteed housing (although majority triples which are small). Most second years continue to live on campus but if you don’t, you can wait until late spring to work out off-campus housing. Although average acerage of campus is smaller than UVA, it feels bigger. It’s always crowded—students have to hustle for everything as there are a lot of people who all want activities, clubs, classes, jobs, etc. It doesn’t feel competitive though—there is more of a “we’re all in this together” vibe. Greek life is small—plenty of people if you want to join but not a biggie if you don’t. Rush is lower key. Westwood is a cool college town but does have a higher number of homeless than UVA/UNC which do sometimes make their way on to campus. Protests were also reportedly an issue last year, but they have been promptly shut down this year (no encampments, no overnights, no blocking buildings, etc). I think overall UCLA feels more open to the public than UVA/UNC even though all three are.


My child chose UCLA to experience another part of the country and didn’t want to regret not taking that bigger leap. It hasn’t been without bumps, but overall has really fostered a ton of independence. Would they pick UVA if they had to do it again? Maybe?


Hope this helps!

My twin went to UNC with incredibly high grades and scores. He was also a multiple All American in track and was recruited by virtually everyone. He ended up with a 4.0 (out of state from Chicago), and one of his complaints was the very wide gap between in state and out of state students. I am not sure why he complained because his 4.0 in math and Phi Beta Kappa status was reached with relatively little effort while being one of the best athletes in the country. He married a woman from Duke so his frame of reference was a little skewed (Duke not so great but a much different place). A tenure track prof in Econ at UVA who moved on to Wall Street, he had an unusual view into schools. He kept up with UNC and he conceded that the gap which existed had considerably closed. Makes sense given the tremendous growth of Raleigh, Charlotte etc. He thought there was still a bit of gap because it is so darn difficult for out of state admission - a positive thing in a sense. He thought UVa students to have depth and excellence. UCLA an odd comment from him - a fantastic school but through the eyes of a former professor he thought one had to be near Nobel prize in terms of excellence to get tenure there. Said the same about Cal but not in any way a negative comment - we both competed at UCLA back in the day and the weather and facilities were shockingly beautiful. I think you go where you feel comfortable- finances permitting.