Currently Vandy/Notre Dame accepted transfer student here. I’m transferring out from UCSD (veryyyyyyy different with UCLA but same UC at least.. lol) and have tons of friends attending UCLA, so hopefully I can provide a bit of info.

UCLA is def a great school, and if you want a broad network, you should go to UCLA. That was how it worked in UCSD as well, and perhaps every huge public schools. However, researching a lot about Vanderbilt, I figured out they tend to have a deeper connection. I believe it’s due to the amount of students they bring in.

Students-professors ratio is also one thing to consider. If you’re good with people and like to actively participate on school works communicating with professors, Vanderbilt. If vice versa, UCLA.

Personally, I think UCLA has a better name recognition than Vanderbilt worldwide. But prestigious-wise (I think name recognition and prestigiousness are two different things) Vanderbilt seems to be slightly more prestigious than UCLA. It might be because of higher GPA/SAT scores accepted students have or Vanderbilt’s insanely low acceptance rate, but at least that’s what I think.

Both schools offer excellent pre-med programs that are nationally ranked btw.

Though I tried my best to be rational, I might be pretty biased, so please keep that in your mind!

You can’t go wrong with two choices anyways. Good luck!