<p>Hey guys,
So after months of debating between the two I ended up choosing Irvine over SD, a decision which i now regret. The reason I choose Irvine was because I didn't like the college I got into (Eleanor Roosevelt). The GE's seemed to time consuming and restricting. I'm a political science major though, so I realize that UCSD has the upper hand, but I might change my major so I didn't want to make a decision based on major. However, I think I made a mistake because because San Diego probably would have offered me the real college experience that I've dreamed about for so long, since it is farther from my home in orange county.I want to go to a top tier law school, and I heard that where you go to undergrad doesn't matter so much. It's not like schools outside of California are going to know the difference in rankings between Irvine or SD anyways so maybe a higher GPA at Irvine will be more beneficial than a lower GPA at San Diego? Do you guys think I made a mistake?</p>
<p>If you are continuing to grad school then your GPA is alot more important than where your degree is from so it’s good you took that into consideration instead of the prestige of your school. I think UCI is “ranked” 5th and UCSD is 3rd so it’s not much of a difference. I grew up in San Diego so I transit to UCSD and it does take away from that University dream/experience of living on campus in a dorm, but it isn’t as important as your education so try not to regret it and make the most out of your decision.</p>
<p>where you go for Undergrad is not that important if you plan on going to Grad school. What matters is which uni you think is the best for you, since you are essentially spending 4 years of your life there. They are both really good schools. I think you’ll also get the full college experience at UCI, it doesn’t matter if it’s closer to your home, it depends on what you make of it. Stop worrying about it, you will be going to a really good university, focus on planning everything for next fall and look forward to college.</p>
<p>I’m wondering, how do UCI’s GE’s differ from UCSD’s?</p>
<p>“San Diego probably would have offered me the real college experience that I’ve dreamed about for so long”</p>
<p>To be honest yes, it’s nice to experience dorm life your freshman year. However, the “real college experience” you have in your mind is likely a romanticized construction of your imagination. After freshman year you won’t have much time to mess around with your friends. Law schools care about two things-- GPA and LSAT. Do whatever it takes to achieve those two. Try to get a good summer internship as well.</p>
<p>College is what you make of it. As long as you make the effort to get to know people instead of just hanging out with your high school friends in the area, you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>As for getting into a top tier law school, your undergrad won’t matter (not a UCI v. UCSD comparison, at least). Just keep your LSAC GPA above 3.9 and score in the 170s. The more important thing for you to do is to figure out a good reason to go to law school. It’s an expensive proposition with less-than-ironclad job prospects even at the top of the food chain.</p>