<p>I have been admitted to both schools as an out-of-state student who used to live in southern California (moorpark). I am having a hard time choosing the right school for my major of biomedical engineering. I know Cal poly is a great engineering school, but I also want to make sure I can have a good time out of the classroom. I'm a big partier and am looking to get good grades while still party on the weekends and have a good time. Advise?</p>
<p>TOP UC’s:
- Berkeley
- Los Angeles</p>
<p>Middle UC’s:
3. San Diego
4. Davis
5. Santa Barbara</p>
<p>Low UC’s
6. Irvine
7. Santa Cruz
8. Riverside
8. Merced</p>
<p>As you can see, Santa Cruz is considered a low tier UC. Cal Poly SLO is probably equal to the mid UC’s. However, budget cuts are a big problem so you will most likely take around 5 years to graduate if you go to Cal Poly or Cal State’s. I would probably go with Santa Cruz.</p>
<p>How is UC Davis below SD? They are literally ranked the same. & Cal Poly is definitely on the conservative side of the spectrum.</p>
<p>Davis is definitely a notch below San Diego. Check out the common data sets for both colleges.</p>
<p>UCD and UCSD are ranked the same so I don’t know what you’re basing your list on.</p>
<p>As an out-of-state student, the OP will likely find Cal Poly SLO to be much less expensive than UCSC. At list price for out-of-state, even if Cal Poly SLO takes an extra year of school, it will be less expensive.</p>
<p>(Might want to find out why Cal Poly SLO has a low four year graduation rate. If it is due to taking time off school for co-op jobs or extended internships, that is benign, since a quarter off school at a co-op job does not mean paying tuition to the school.)</p>
<p>XtremePower, That is in general, but I have heard that cal poly’s engineering school compares to Berkeley’s.</p>
<p>wait…what?? We are talking about bioengineering here. </p>
<p>UCSD has the one of the best biomedical degree in the country. It’s been 3rd under John Hopkins and Georgia Tech for a while now. </p>
<p>UC Davis is ranked better than UCLA for bioengineering actually. (yes I know biomed is different from bioengineering). </p>
<p>for bio engineering the ranking would be:
UCSD</p>
<p>Berkeley </p>
<p>UC Davis</p>
<p>UCLA
UC Irvine</p>
<p>Those are top 30 schools. Then the rest. </p>
<p>But for the OP, Cal Poly will be cheaper with excellent job options coming out. If you want to do research then UCSC.</p>
<p>Cal Poly, hands down! The reason for the low 4 year grad rate is because ALMOST no one graduates in 4 years!! You will get an amazing liberal arts plus engineering degree and be sought after from employers. The hand’s on education is one of the best in the nation, with your senior project finishing off your degree. I also know they’re setting up a 5th year Master’s option as well for BME. Lots to do in SLO and the area, plus you are only 3-4 hours from SF and LA, plus minutes to the beach or great hiking and mountain biking opportunities.</p>