will we ever compare to the likes of

We are without a doubt equal with UCLA overall, and even better in certain fields. We are close behind Stanford and Berkeley, and are steadily increasing in rank, but if they continue to do so as well, then we will still be behind them. Better ranked than we were before, but still behind. If we are talking about quality of life though, I know zero people who would pick living in Berkeley over LA. Can't speak for Palo Alto, as I haven't been there, but I'm sure they don't have the same opportunities there as those that are presented here. FIGHT ON.

I would say we are on par with Cal and UCLA, slightly below Stanford. USC is a top 25 school ranked close with those schools, while Stanford is a top 5 school. We probably aren't going to catch up to Stanford, but both are great schools IMO.