If you attend UCI, you may want to consider living on campus in your first year (since it seems that you can afford to live on campus at the other schools), but keeping the option open for commuting in later years to save money if that is a concern.
However, be aware that UC financial aid changes depending on if you live on-campus, off-campus, or with parents (you can check the net price calculators to estimate the effects).
@MYOS1634 idk if I can get a good GPA at Berkeley but also (more importantly) it’s a bunch of money
@ucbalumnus i don’t qualify for aid xd so that’s not really an issue
Can you list your parents’ budget and net cost for each university where you’ve been admitted?
(TO find net cost, add (tuition+fees+r/B) and subtract grants/scholarships you got. Do not subtract any loan.)
Berkeley: 32k/year
UCSD: 28k
UCDavis: 26500
UCI: 15k
CalPolySLO: 20k
I’m probably scratching UC Davis and CalPolySLO. I’m probably super annoying complaining about this problem, but my parents can probably afford paying for instate tuition + r/B, it’s just whether I want to accept maybe not having their financial support through medical school or my family having 60k less to spend on say my sibling or future investment.
Opportunity-wise, (I haven’t thoroughly researched everything), UCI sounds like I won’t have as much opportunity. Honors at UCSD/UCI/Davis all give me more research opportunities and personalized instruction, but I feel like UCI doesn’t do as much for me as my other colleges. They still need to be a junior to start research whereas UCSD lets me start freshman year but maybe I’m ill-informed. I’m worried about graduating from UCI should I decide to enter engineering.
UCSD and UCD are both amazing bargains, especially if you got Honors. Both are superb in the sciences. (As you know, literally hundreds of thousands of people in the rest of the US and the world would like to be you, right now.)
Before you make a decision, call them and ask UCSD whether, indeed, you’d be able to start research as a freshman.
Since money is not a huge concern, UCI can be shelved for now. You need to go and visi UCSD and UCD, as their atmosphere’s very different.
So, essentially, you’re left wondering whether UCB’s still in the mix, if it’s worth 4-5K more a year (as apparently your parents can afford the 4-5K difference - though honestly, if they’ll help pay for med school OR the 4-5K difference… err… considering med school is 70K a year… take the med school help.)
I just got my acceptance packet and apparently UCSD Regents scholars are guaranteed research during their first year. I guess I’ll have to wait until I visit my schools at the end of March! Road trip haha! Thank you so much for your advice!
Even if UCSD and UCB were the same price, I’d go with UCSD due to the honors and guaranteed research (and not having to worry about having to apply for admit to CS in junior year). So the fact that it’s cheaper makes it even more attractive.
I can’t see any advantages UCD has over UCSD unless you want live up in SAC or really like their campus more.
Right now, UCSD really has the edge for everything… so… it looks like your choice is done. 
CONGRATULATIONS!
Haha thanks! Only a couple days for regents decision for berkeley though xd but for now UCSD
Whatever “prestige you might lose” by going to UCSD – and not, say, UCB – will be quickly made up by having “Regents” and “Honors” on your resume. Smart employers recognize and value this sort of thing. So congratulations. You should feel very good about your options because they’re all great.
I don’t really know how the CS education at UCLA and Berkeley differs from that at UCSD. But I do know that if you love to code and are great at it, the UCSD Regents research opportunity can really pay off. One student started immediately as a freshman, as promised, and was skilled enough to be allowed to continue on with the same professor mentor presumably through senior year. He was treated much as if he were a grad student. The experience helped a lot for getting a good internship, too. I know that there are many research opportunities for undergrads at UCLA and Berkeley also. I just don’t know whether it is easy or difficult to get one.
Update: I got Berkeley Regents!
What does Regents entail at UCB?
In any case, it should make your decision easier
UCB Regents’ scholarship has a $2,500 award for no-financial-aid students. For those who would otherwise get financial aid, it meets full need with the student contribution replaced by scholarship money (effectively up to about $8,000 better than the usual in-state financial aid offer which would have up to about $8,000 in federal direct loans and work earnings expectations). For out-of-state students, the baseline amount is increased by approximately the amount of out-of-state additional tuition, or need-based awards can cover the out-of-state additional tuition. There are also some perks.
http://financialaid.berkeley.edu/regents-and-chancellors-scholarship
^ considering Regents at ucsd includes guaranteed research and OP stated that was of the utmost importance… Do the perks include research too ?
It’s not specifically stated but Berkeley is such a big school that it just takes a little bit more initiative for research. UCSD puts me into a class that I can just attend and get a position. Berkeley I have to ask professors. I’m leaning more towards Berkeley right now but I have all the information I need; I just need to look at the campus itself and see the people. I’ll keep you guys updated! Thank you all!