Is UCLA Overrated?
DANNY GRACE
Opinion Columnist

The clarity of college athletics must in part explain its popularity. On football Saturdays, the public can confidently make statements that at any other time would fill a thinking person full of doubt: Berkeley is better than Stanford! USC is better than UCLA! We are better than them!

Unfortunately, that such a large majority of Santa Monica College students hope to transfer to UCLA demonstrates that thinking people are thinking less when it comes to judging the academic merits of colleges. There is a whole college rankings industry, led by the U.S. News and World Report Magazine College Issue , that is successfully curing students of the uncertainty that afflicts them when choosing a college. The fact that UCLA is a perennial high-scorer on college-rankings lists makes it automatically more coveted than most other local schools.

The old saying goes, "If you're not confused, you're not paying close enough attention." Before SMC students decide they're Bruins or nothing at all, a small amount of uncertainty might be called for.

UCLA and the UC system as a whole do have a lot to offer prospective students: brilliant scholars, bright students, and beautiful campus locations (Westwood is practically the only place in Los Angeles where one can live a functional existence without a car.) Perhaps the biggest advantage of the UCs is the atmosphere outside the classroom. Some of the biggest political battles of the last few decades have been fought most fervently on UC soil, including the Free Speech Movement and activism revolving around the Vietnam War, affirmative action and the Iraq war.

This is all well and good. But the California state schools are also research institutions that boast premier faculty and bright students. They have all the features of the UCs (big time athletic programs, fairly diverse student bodies, campus housing etc.) at a much lower price. As for private schools, cost is high, but specific factors, such as the superb faculty in a particular department, can make the price appropriate for some students.

Students eventually move beyond such generalities when choosing their school. Unfortunately, encouraged by college rankings magazines, they often choose the wrong specifics. Whether it's the quality of food on campus (you'll be tired of it at any school eventually), the weather (it's not that bad anywhere in California ) or the school's status as a party/non-party school (there are frats and Christian clubs at all universities), none of these factors will assure your happiness at college.

Remember: while at school, you will (ideally) spend most of your time in class and studying.

As potential transfers, most SMC students have some idea for their major, and this is probably the best place to start when picking your school. Departments within large universities function somewhat autonomously from the rest of the school. Just because a university is highly ranked, doesn't mean its history department is any good, and vice-versa. So how to find out?

Each college website will have department links where you can view a list of the tenured faculty and the classes they teach. Professors write books, so a quick author search on amazon.com will most likely turn up some titles. Read the descriptions. Do you want to be thinking, reading and writing about this material for a whole quarter or semester? For science students, search a professor's name online and you're sure to find something about his or her research.

Another great resource is websites where students rate the teaching ability of professors. Here's one from uclaprofessors.com: "He is condescending and arrogant, and does not care about student learning. If you are looking for a professor who cares about history, look elsewhere-he is on a power trip, and he isn't coming back to town any time soon." Trust that if you find yourself in that guy's class, your school's high ranking will provide little comfort.

Finally, it's full disclosure time: I'm a graduate of UCLA. I'm now at SMC because of altered career plans, so let my story stand as proof that college is a beginning not an end. Understand that acceptance or rejection from your first choice does not predetermine the quality of your college experience. It is here that we can take some advice from college football.

Whether a team is up or down by 21 points in the first quarter, a good coach will look at his team, clap his hands, and say, "Long way to go guys, long way to go."