UCSB vs. USC

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Santa Barbara
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@marleyklein Hi! I’m a UCSB alum who transferred to UCSB from USC after my freshman year. I went in as a Communications major also. USC had some really great professors and I loved the football games. I had also joined a sorority and made a few close friends- so I think everyone was surprised when I transferred. UCSB and USC are very different schools and I just fit in better at UCSB. I can’t speak to the dorms at UCSB, though the dorms at USC weren’t great either so I’m not sure how much I’d factor that in. A few key differences:

  1. UCSB is in a safe, walkable college town full of apartment living. Think outside bbq’s and hanging outside with friends. At USC you really had to find your “club” immediately because housing after freshman year was often dictated by it- so, you either join a fraternity/sorority, are an athlete, join the engineering house, etc.
  2. I found the students at UCSB to just be really nice, and down to earth. Very easy to make friends and there was always something fun going on (concerts in the park, game nights, studying at the beach, etc). At USC, I found it difficult to truly socialize with people outside of the sorority. There was far less hanging out— often it felt like my options were frat parties or studying. I also found the “University of Spoiled Children” to sometimes feel true
  3. UCSB felt very collaborative. Working with your peers was commonplace. Even the library at UCSB felt social. It was just a happy place!
  4. USC has the nod for location in Communications, but with LinkedIn and a strong UCSB alumni network, I’d say that’s changing also. One of my closest friends from UCSB that was a Communications major works for Facebook, another for Linked In, and another for NBC Universal.
  5. Financial aid. My freshman year financial aid package was much better than my package my sophomore year even though my parents financials were the same.
  6. UCSB school spirit was surprisingly very strong! Soccer and basketball games were super fun, and I didn’t miss the football sports culture as much as I thought I would. UCSB more than made up for it!
    Follow your gut! There’s no bad choice here. Congratulations!