<p>Its come down to these 3 choices for me and I have no idea which one to pick! I want to be a pre-med, so I want a school that will enable me to get into a decent medical school. Also, as a CA resident UCSB would be a lot cheaper, but Boston and Montreal are amazing. Help me please??</p>
<p>Go where it’s cheaper unless money is not a concern or if the differences are small. Let’s say you get into medical school. That’s 4 more years of expensive education. You don’t want to be crushed by debt.</p>
<p>i’m a california resident, and i’m between ucsb and bu as well. help!</p>
<p>im from california and definitely bu over ucsb… send me a PM if you want to ask me questions.</p>
<p>My advice above is specifically because the person may need to carry debt from 8 years of school. Financial concerns vary person to person.</p>
<p>One additional comment: ever been in winter? Boston can be cold - and sometimes wet - but you would not believe what winter in Montreal is like. And McGill is up the slope a long way, particularly the dorms they usually put Americans.</p>
<p>small world! hahah</p>
<p>Same predicament: UCSB or BU(I’m actually waitlisted) D: </p>
<p>UCSB is a ton cheaper but BU just seemed so great and amazing when I went to visit. Someone help us! I’m not sure if I should put in effort into trying to make myself known at BU or just take UCSB</p>
<p>i just got back from ucsb yesterday, and i’m going to bu for the first time for the april 18 COM open house…so hopefully after i see bu, i’ll know where i want to go. but it’s crazy that there are like three of us deciding between the same schools! hm…</p>
<p>Oh jeez. Boston is so amazing. Don’t get lost in its beauty! D: I’m actually kind of scared of attending UCSB. Heard of so many stories and I love cold weather T~T</p>
<p>Let’s all meet up one day if we all go to the same schools hahah ^__^</p>
<p>yeah we definitely should! having not visited boston, and living in california my whole life, and if money wasn’t an issue, i still think i’d go to boston. everyone that knows me says i’ll love it there, so hopefully my little trip to open house will seal the deal for me!</p>
<p>what’s scary about ucsb? party school? lol</p>
<p>don’t say you like cold weather til you’ve experienced bostonian cold weather! imagine living and walking through snow and rain and slush for 3-4 straight months! invest in some snow boots, rain boots, and a study umbrella (or two). i’ve lived 20 years in boston and i STILL hate our weather!</p>
<p>that being said, my roommate is from california and she loves it here in boston. just be prepared that it’s a big culture change and “cold weather” in boston is NOTHING like even the most wintery days in california, esp if you hail from socal!</p>
<p>but our spring and summer months are really nice. like they say, you can’t fully enjoy happiness without misery - when we have rare nice days of 50-55 degree weather in march/april (like today) people rejoice and go tanning on the bu beach. whereas when it’s 50 degrees in california, my roommate pulls out her sweatshirts and fleece! hahaha </p>
<p>hope to see you all at open house =]</p>
<p>Im from cocal too and am trying to choose between UCSB and BU as well! I have visited both and I can’t decide! BU is great ( a bit large) … but they offered my very little financial aid and the cold weather is a bit frightening… UCSB is amazing too, I love the weather and the location ( and the UC price) … but I want to graduate and have a diploma that will be taken seriously and i know it has somewhat a reputation of being a party school. ( Chapman gave me very good financial aid, has anyone visited chapman??, also in UCSD… but too close to home)</p>
<p>advice anyone?</p>
<p>I think Chapman has a good reputation. Post your question on the Parents forum.</p>
<p>gahh why did this thread die?! Where’s dragonslayer? I want to hear about his experiences in Boston and what he thinks!</p>
<p>bump!</p>
<p>I’m also deciding between UCSB and BU! I love BU! Seriously, being a California girl, BU would be a TOTALLY new experience for me. I would rather get a diploma from BU than UCSB. UCSB is not as well known and popular as BU even though it is ranked a little higher… Tuition and money is not a problem for me… But i still need to decide a little bit more. Anyone else have any input about the pros and cons for BU or UCSB?</p>
<p>i had a friend from cali who came to bu and loved it here, but the reality for her was that she was so far from home that if she really needed to come home for something it would be extremely difficult, so she transferred to ucsb back home. if you’re ready to be 3000 miles away from home and that you won’t be able to see your home friends and family as often and are prepared to come to boston, then go for it. but think about it from that perspective as well.</p>
<p>hmm… I guess the problem for me is really just leaving my friends and family. It seems so hard to be 3000 miles away from the people you grew up with. I also kind of don’t want to be a burden to my parents. Tuition at Boston isn’t exactly UC price tag. What to do guys… What to do… </p>
<p>anyone else have the same sentiments?</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, it wasn’t hard for me at all the first year. I’m not quite 3000 miles away, but still enough that flights are expensive and going home for just the weekend isn’t worth it. Even Thanksgiving break sometimes isn’t worth it. But I stayed for the summer after freshman year, and though I had a blast, I suddenly started appreciating home much more than I did before. I go home now as often as I can.</p>
<p>Of course, many of my friends who didn’t stay their first summer now can’t wait to stay this year and hate going home. Their real friends are here now. So it really will just depend on you.</p>
<p>You go through so many changes in college. I always thought I’d be the girl to get away and never come back, but now I’m more of a homebody than anyone I know haha. But either way, you’ll learn a very valuable lesson about yourself and the type of environment you prefer. Another cool thing is you’ll likely make friends or start dating someone who lives nearby, and so it’s really nice to accompany them home for the weekend or something. I’ve been to friends’ houses for Easter and Thanksgiving now, as well as the occasional road trip visit, and it’s awesome to get to see different cities, states, etc and get a home-cooked meal out of it. Surrogate families are pretty awesome, even if they’re not the real thing.</p>
<p>also, the other thing is that u can always give it a shot at BU and, if you don’t like the distance, transfer back like my friend did. don’t forget that if you’re unhappy in a situation, it’s not as if you’re signing your life away for the next 4 years at the college u choose.</p>
<p>I understand your view point AliAngel but I just don’t really see transferring as an option. I think college should be one of those things where you just make all your memories there! But if one really is unhappy I can see that. I just don’t think all the extra work for a transfer is worth it especially when I’ve heard such good things about UCSB and BU and their environments and people.</p>
<p>USCB is the best, and i am from boston so I am not being biased.</p>