<p>I was admitted to the following schools:</p>
<p>USC
UCLA
UC Berkeley
UC Irvine
Pepperdine
Notre Dame
Redlands
UCSB
and was waitlisted at columbia...</p>
<p>I am really considering going to Santa Barbara, but I don't want to regret turning down such "prestigious" in the long run. What does everyone think?</p>
<p>Is this a serious question? You're in the SB forum for god's sake. Why don't you list your intended major, stats, interest, etc. so we can better understand the type of student you are and which school would be a good fit for you. Maybe ask in the General UC forum, as well.</p>
<p>It's a hard decision...after visiting all the campuses my daughter is leaning away from UCSB and towards USC or Redlands (my alma mater), which each offer different things. (She was waitlisted by Williams, BTW, but withdrew, since she likes USC and Redlands so much.) UCSB has things to recommend it -- including the price tag, their science programs, and the Regent's Scholar program, if you're in it -- but part of what has led my daughter to be less interested in UCSB are the larger class sizes and overall campus size at UCSB. For her it's not a "prestige" issue but simply assessing what each school is offering and whether it best meets her needs. That answer, of course, will be different from person to person. Good luck!</p>
<p>No no no I am sorry if I offended you but I did not mean to sound degrading at all! I absolutely LOVE santa barbara but am tired of hearing my teachers and friends be generally shocked when I tell them my decision! I just wanted to get some input from other students, I did not mean to flaunt my schools or anything it is nothing like that and I am sorry if it came across that way... :-(</p>
<p>Always pick a school that will make you happy. It could be its prestige, social scene or whatever.At the end of your 4 year it's all about GPA. A 4.0 GPA will definitely get you into med school, law school, etc...</p>
<p>you need to come up with a list of what matters to you, and use that to make your decision. You wont get everything on your list at one school so you'll have to make tradeoffs. All of these are good schools, but each is a better fit for some students than for others.</p>
<p>The father of a friend of my son's is pressuring his son to go to Berkeley instead of UCSB, which is the son's preference, because of the perceived higher status of Berkeley. I'll say the same thing to you that I said to him: it's your life. "Prestige" is just another word for "other people's opinions." You should feel like you're making the decision for your reasons, not to please other people. There is absolutely no question that you can get as good an education at any of those schools as at any other - what you do with that opportunity is totally up to you.
(To be fair - I spent the weekend in Santa Barbara with my son and was absolutely blown away by the place, so I can understand why you would buck the tide on this one. But the other schools are all first-rate, too.)</p>
<p>of course you're not stupid! ucsb is a great school and it'll help you move on to even greater things. partying is a big part of life in SB, but its not everything. also, when you hear about the crazy parties where **** gets set on fire and destroyed, it's almost always the santa barbara city college kids. so don't let the party rep scare you away. i also got accepted into ucla but i've fallen in love with sb. it'll be a great place to experience college life :)</p>
<p>I completely agree with what Kluge said...</p>
<p>I myself was in the position last week where I was debating between UCSB and Univ. Washington. Then I realized that UCSB is where I WANTED to be, whereas Washington was where I SHOULD go (due to a more recognizable name), but I wouldn't have been as happy. The way I see it, I'd rather go somewhere I'd be happier, still get a solid education, and get a higher GPA than somewhere that was more prestigious, while not enjoying myself as much, and getting a lower GPA.</p>
<p>It took me a long time to realize, but... don't go somewhere just because it's got higher rankings, more prestige, and name. When you are looking at the schools you are looking at, education is what you make of it. If you go to UCSB and put in the effort, you could walk away with a 4.0 and have had the best experience of your life, versus a harder school that you struggled to get through (simply because you weren't enjoying yourself) and getting a lower GPA. Go where you will be absolutely happiest, not where has the most prestige. It's four years of your life, make sure you love every single moment of it. You only live once. Act like it.</p>
<p>If UCSB is where your heart is, don't pick a more prestigious school just because of what others think. Not to mention, UCSB is by no means a bad school, quite the contrary... you don't get ranked #12 under top public universities in the nation for your parties.</p>