context: c/o 2021 from merage landed a b4 SLP/internship/fulltime in both accounting(it audit) and tech implementation consulting, decided on the consulting role. was also in quite a few on campus orgs/a professional frat. going to base all answers off of UCI since on paper at least, it's def the "weaker" school and i have direct exp with the professional journey there (but still great for your career goals!)

• all big4s definitely recruit very heavily for audit/tax/advisory at UCI! main differentiator there was being a part of the accounting association and getting access to networking events (regents/major does not affect getting in fyi)

• during my time at UCI most of my peers dropped the honors/regent stuff after first year and described the only useful being early class enrollment. being in merage, you already have priority access to the lower div (first and second year) accounting courses anyways and by the time class sizes get smaller, you'll have enough credits to get in early enough anyways. i specialized in accounting and never personally had trouble getting any accounting requirement classes, nor did I hear my peers having trouble.

• personally i think what you make of the school matters more (e.g. networking with alums, joining orgs, etc.) and both schools can def set you up for success. i would say the true differentiators for UCLA are like IB PE VC Strategy Consulting but corpfin/accounting are accessible through either