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I'm feeling a little confused and conflicted about my options and was hoping to get some impartial feedback. I'm originally from California but have been living in the Midwest for the past six years (school for four, working for two); however, I would ultimately like to end up in California. So, if you were in my place and were choosing from the following offers, which would you pick?

UCLA with $20,000/year
Northwestern with $20,000/year
Duke with $18,0000/year
Michigan with $15,000/year

I would greatly appreciate any input or advice anyone has to offer!

For California, I'd say Michigan's prestige is worth the extra $5,000 per year.

If you are SURE that you want to end up in California, go UCLA. If you aren't SURE, then go to Northwestern and take the higher prestige.

Thanks for your opinions!

Kretzy wrote:For California, I'd say Michigan's prestige is worth the extra $5,000 per year.

Michigan places well in California. I'd argue that it places well above UCLA.

Michigan. Don't even think about UCLA as the expected tuition hikes + COL in LA will probably eat up the 5k scholarship difference plus some.

Oh yeah, and it places better in California and much better nationwide.

HOLY COW...you have some great choices!

I say UCLA, though. But I am biased toward more pleasant weather (and prettier people).

heavenlyhautbois wrote:I'm feeling a little confused and conflicted about my options and was hoping to get some impartial feedback. I'm originally from California but have been living in the Midwest for the past six years (school for four, working for two); however, I would ultimately like to end up in California. So, if you were in my place and were choosing from the following offers, which would you pick?

UCLA with $20,000/year
Northwestern with $20,000/year
Duke with $18,0000/year
Michigan with $15,000/year

I would greatly appreciate any input or advice anyone has to offer!

Can't go wrong with any of the last three. Probably Michigan because it'd end up being the cheaper than NU due to cost of living.

Okay . . . I also just got offered $60,000/year at Cornell.

And I forgot to mention that I qualify for in-state tuition at UCLA.

Desert Fox wrote:

heavenlyhautbois wrote:I'm feeling a little confused and conflicted about my options and was hoping to get some impartial feedback. I'm originally from California but have been living in the Midwest for the past six years (school for four, working for two); however, I would ultimately like to end up in California. So, if you were in my place and were choosing from the following offers, which would you pick?

UCLA with $20,000/year
Northwestern with $20,000/year
Duke with $18,0000/year
Michigan with $15,000/year

I would greatly appreciate any input or advice anyone has to offer!

Can't go wrong with any of the last three. Probably Michigan because it'd end up being the cheaper than NU due to cost of living.

+1

UCLA would be my last choice...in-state means nothing given the tuition hikes + highest COL out of the 4.

Pretty much no reason to take UCLA with the new tuition and OCI bloodbaths. Try to play the T14 options off of each other until you get the right price.

BioEBear2010 wrote:

Kretzy wrote:For California, I'd say Michigan's prestige is worth the extra $5,000 per year.

Michigan places well in California. I'd argue that it places well above UCLA.

AngryAvocado wrote:Michigan. Don't even think about UCLA as the expected tuition hikes + COL in LA will probably eat up the 5k scholarship difference plus some.

Oh yeah, and it places better in California and much better nationwide.

Correct. Among these choices, Michigan places the best in California.

heavenlyhautbois wrote:Okay . . . I also just got offered $60,000/year at Cornell.

And I forgot to mention that I qualify for in-state tuition at UCLA.

I'd take Cornell. That is a huge scholarship. Congrats.

Michigan would be the odd man out. Throw the names of the other three into a bowl, put on a blindfold and pick five times. Whichever school get's picked the most times wins. It's really that close. Michigan is just as good as - if not better than - all of the others, but I wouldn't personally want to be in Ann Arbor.

I was pretty sure Cornell's Dean's Scholarship was 120k and that they didn't offer any more than that. I don't know if it's a math fail or what but that's a huge amount in excess of tuition.

Yeah, you're right, sorry -- I posted $60,000/year, but it's really $20,000/year (or $60,000 total)!

Thanks for all your input, everyone.

I'm going to put in a little plug for UCLA...

Why: I'm at CCN and I have some friends (the 3 I'm thinking of were around the median, 2Ls, California natives, very socially adept) who spent every bid on California firms and struck out at OCI. They all managed to find Cali jobs for the summer in government or public interest, but it can be difficult to do California-focused networking when you're out of state.

Michigan could work just fine if firm hiring bounces back, but you'll be pretty dependent on OCI. If you're comfortable with that, that's great, but you might have more firm options if you're in California.

heavenlyhautbois wrote:UCLA with $20,000/year
Northwestern with $20,000/year
Duke with $18,0000/year
Michigan with $15,000/year

None of these are bad options. And they aren't too far from each other.
Personally, I think I'd cross Duke off of the list. Don't think I would want to go to school there for 3 years. UCLA would only make sense (in this situation) if you were certain about working in California. But between Michigan, Northwestern, and UCLA, I think it comes down to preference.

heavenlyhautbois wrote:I'm feeling a little confused and conflicted about my options and was hoping to get some impartial feedback. I'm originally from California but have been living in the Midwest for the past six years (school for four, working for two); however, I would ultimately like to end up in California. So, if you were in my place and were choosing from the following offers, which would you pick?

UCLA with $20,000/year
Northwestern with $20,000/year
Duke with $18,0000/year
Michigan with $15,000/year

I would greatly appreciate any input or advice anyone has to offer!

I'll take Duke, you take Michigan, and we'll give the other two to charities.