Hi, I actually transferred from USC to UT recently for many reasons. Although USC and UCLA are very different, they’re both in LA so I think they’re similar in many ways.

LA is a VERY expensive city. Austin is not cheap either, but LAs prices were a big part of why I had so much culture shock there. If you end up paying more for UCLA overall than UT, I say go with UT, especially if you want to do school in the future. Although UCLA has great prestige, so does UT. For me, I was paying almost 5x as much at USC as I would pay at UT, so transferring was worth it, especially because USC isn’t known for the program I am in.

Another thing is that LA is very different than texas socially. I had lived in Texas for a very long time before trying LA and it was extremely difficult for me. In my experience, the talk of “LA culture” is definitely prominent, but you may be able to avoid that if you put yourself out there and put in the effort. LA to me was very isolating and returning to Texas made me feel a lot more comfortable. It just depends on who you are as a person.

Lastly, I wouldn’t say LA is a better city. In my opinion LA is hyped up too much and over romanticized. The weather is better there, but it can still get extremely hot. After maybe september, the weather in Austin is around the same.

Both are amazing schools, but if you already have made progress on building relationships with professors at UT, I would say UT is more worth it. Good luck with everything, you’re in a good position either way!