Bard vs UC Irvine vs Rutgers

<p>I trying to decide on schools and I’ve narrowed it down to 3: Bard, UC Irvine, and Rutgers. I’m I am from NJ. I am an all-state sprinter and high jumper and have been talking to coaches at Rutgers and Irvine but I also play basketball and am being recruited at Bard. My father’s officeis stationed in Newport Beach so if I attend Irvine I can pay in statetuition just likeRutgers. I was admitted to Bard as a Distinguished Scientist Scholar which is a full tuition scholarship somoney is not really a deciding factor in this decision. I would liketo know more about each school and any opinions about what school to choose. Also I am majoring in Physics</p>

<p>Are you sure you can meet the California residency requirements based on your father’s office?</p>

<p>From the website:</p>

<p>To establish residence a student must, immediately prior to the residence determination date:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Be physically present in California for more than one calendar year, and</p></li>
<li><p>Must have come to California with the intent to make California the permanent home. For example, physical presence within the state of California solely for educational purposes does not constitute the establishment of California residence regardless of the length of stay.</p></li>
<li><p>Students under 24 years of age whose parents are not residents of California will be required to meet the Financial Independence requirement in order to be classified as a resident for tuition purposes.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Or did you father declare himself a California resident on his tax return with you as his dependent?:</p>

<ol>
<li> Dependent child of a California resident. A student who has not been an adult resident for more than one year and is the natural or adopted, dependent child of a California resident who has been a resident for more than one year immediately prior to the residence determination date. The student must also maintain full-time attendance in a California public postsecondary institution.</li>
</ol>

<p>Even with California residency the cost of Irvine will be about $15,000 more per year than Bard. Rutgers, perhaps, would be cheaper. But aside from the money - the physics departments will be very different at a small liberal arts college vs a large public research university. You’ll need to decide which would suit you better - small personal classes and undergrad research opportunities but many fewer choices of courses and professors - or a large research institution with grad students, grading on a curve, but with many more and varied course offerings.</p>

<p>I would also look into how important sports (and a school with school/athletic spirit). Bard’s athletics program is increasing, however, I would assume that Irvine and Rutgers are more sports-centered schools. If you don’t want sports to be central to your life at school, but still a good chunk of it, Bard might be a good place to consider. If you DO want sports to be central to your life at school, it might not be the best fit.</p>

<p>To echo SpiritManager, you really have to think about the differences between these three schools. Bard is very different from Irvine and Rutgers. In the end, it’s about what you’re looking for from school. Are you looking for a small, personal education with less varied classes? Or are you looking to go to a medium/large school that has a less personal education but more varied classes? Both types have their perks and cater to different kinds of people. My brother transfered from SUNY Binghamton to Bard because he realized that he needed a more personal learning environment in order to be a successful student. But there are also plenty of people who transfer out from Bard to larger schools because they need a bigger classroom environment.</p>