snlink: Did you also visit USC? What did you like/dislike about the schools??
USC also has a very pretty campus over all. It is small, nicely planned out and very collegiate feeling. Unfortunately, the law building is old and really not in great shape. All the classrooms are windowless and the library looks a little like a bomb shelter. I believe that they want to build a new building but I'm not sure if that is going to happen in the near future. Campus wise, I preferred USC because it was smaller, thus a little more convenient. Building wise, UCLA law is a lot nicer. I rarely travel beyond the UCLA Law building.
UCLA is in a nicer part of Los Angeles, though it is less central. You are closer to the beach but you are a lot farther from Downtown. West Los Angeles has some of the most heinous traffic in Los Angeles. If you are looking at places to live outside of Westwood, know that a quick hop on and off the 405 freeway can be a real crawl.
Westwood is a lot more of a college student friendly area, while USC is really not in the best part of town once you get off campus. USC has cheaper housing in the area, but you might not feel comfortable being out alone at night.
Overall, I think you could be happy at both, though I think that the quality of the library at UCLA (where you will be living for the next three years) makes it a much nicer school to be at.
Bias Disclaimer: Undergrad at USC; Law school at UCLA; Put seat deposits down at both schools before deciding on UCLA; Still sports a USC license plate frame on my car and tries to fit all the USC football games into my study schedule.
Um... yeah. Not for me. I'll have enough stress as-is!
I hear ya!
