UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles (UC Los Angeles, or UCLA) one of the better public universities in the United States, along with Berkeley and the University of Michigan. It's actually the US university with most Pell Grants, public or private.

Students rarely choose UCLA for its academics; its main attractions are its location in Los Angeles, near Hollywood and Beverly Hills, as well as its relatively low tuition for state residents, being a state institution. Admittedly, a good location isn't something most Columbia students would disagree is a bad attribute in a university.

UCLA has a crosstown rivalry with the University of Southern California. If one had to compare, UCLA is more akin to Columbia, while USC is more like NYU.