Choosing between UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, CSUN and may be USC (if I get accepted)

Hello, I got accepted to UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz (waiting for Riverside and Davis) , Cal State Northridge, San Francisco state etc… I’m thinking between UCSB (major is preeconomics and accounting), may be Santa Cruz (business and economics) CSUN accounting or (if I get accepted) USC ( accounting) ! I’ve heard lot of good and bad things about UCSB (bad that they call it a party school in a negative way…), I haven’t been there but I know campus is beautiful…I’d like it to be more accounting less Econ though…and I don’t know about job opportunities after UCSB…Northridge accounting I’ve heard is also very good…(didn’t like the campus so much…) , have no idea about Santa Cruz…
Of course I’ve heard a lot about USC and it’s accounting program and I’ve heard it’s tough, intense…but as an ambitious person I’d like to choose the best school and of course with great future career oprtunities…concerned about the high tuition which won’t be covered by financial aid…and I don’t know if it’s worth getting into loans…my GPA is 3.9, but I’m taking math 112, math statistics and economics this semester so I don’t think I’m gonna be able to get all A… transferring from community college. And I’m 36, so when I’m asked a question if I’m gonna party with 18 year olds at UCSB , I answer No :)))… also please give me recommendations about housing…where is it better to live in the dorms, or off campus or on campus shared apartments…have no idea…thanks

Go Northridge they are cheaper and have a really good accounting program or USC if you get in. UCSB is more economics oriented and since you are more for the accounting side it wouldn’t make sense to go there. Northridge I’ve heard has a great program and is a hidden gem for accounting plus its cheaper so you cant go wrong unless of course you get into USC which has a beautiful campus and is good for accounting. For now I’d say Northridge unless you get into USC in which I would go there.

I never answer questions here but after seeing your age I had to. I am currently going to UCSB and will graduate in fall. Just FYI, when I started I was your age, 36, now I am 38 ; I went into economics and acoutning and then had to change major. if at some point you need to change major it could be tricky because UCSB doesn’t have very good majors other than Econ( busness oriented majors ). The problem with going to UCSB is that the tipical studient that goes to UCSB, and more broadly to any UC is very young on average, around 21 - this compared to CC students where you can see at least a few older students per class. When I went into UCSB I sow no older students per class. In my case this managed to anyonny me because I felt I had none to relate to. The good thing for me though is that I look really young, people think I am around like 26, and this helps, but still I don’t that going to UCSB was that good idea. I would go to CSUN basically because the students there are much older than in the UCSB