In Reply to: 'why doesn't one ever meet people travelling with... posted by BrewNGold on January 07, 2026 at 12:26:43
Yes, one of the key things that has always differentiated UCLA from USC is that you can't simply buy your (or your kid's) way in. As a publicly funded school, UCLA is not allowed to factor legacy into enrollment decisions. And while I 100 percent agree that UCLA has for decades done a horrible job of engaging with alumni, I don't think it's a product of the school not giving get in free cards to legacy children, but rather a completely misguided approach where nearly every attempt by the school to engage with its alumni is little more than an offer to write them a check. Obviously every university looks to its alumni for money, but I think a lot of others do a much better job of making their graduates feel like they are a part of something, as opposed to UCLA which contacts me several times a year through email, by phone and snail mail, all with sole purpose of letting me know all the ways I can give them more of my money. And sure, if I give enough, then I may get invited to attend things, but those events aren't alumni engagement so much as they are donor appreciation events. For all its faults, and there are so many, I think one area where SUC excels is making it's graduates feel like they are part of a family (sure a dysfunctional band of degenerates, but a family nonetheless), where I think most UCLA alumni, while proud of their degrees, don't actively feel part of anything beyond a stop on the university's fund raising circuit.