My son got accepted in UCDavis ,UCSD , UCI for biomedical engineering. He is having tough time choosing the right college. We visited only UC Davis . We live in Bay Area . Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks!
What kind of college experience is he looking for?
Are all schools affordable and FA packages similar?
What did he think of UC Davis?
Does he want to be in Southern California vs. Northern California?
Has he compared the Biomedical Engineering curriculum between the 3 schools?
What is his career goal?
Does he prefer a more collaborative school environment or a competitive environment?
Will program rankings make a difference on his decision?
The curriculum for biomedical engineering is mostly same in all 3 colleges. UCSD and UCI will be Little expensive than Davis .
He likes collaborative environment. He is looking for social life. He likes UCDavis because it’s a college town and an hr from home … college ranking doesn’t matter too much for him . He wants to work after 4 years of college. His main concern is what if he wants to switch major later like biomedical engineering to CS . Will it be possible in any of these UCs .
These are my opinions so take them for what they are worth.
UCI has a cool layout with all of the buildings around a large central green. It is an easily walk-able campus. See the map here: https://uci.edu/visit/
If you look at the map, you will see that there is a bridge that takes you from campus to the University Center where there are restaurants and stores. https://www.shopirvinecompany.com/centers/irvine/university-center It is more commercial chain restaurants as opposed to the mom and pop feel of Davis.
When we toured UCI, they said that housing is available for two years but every tour guide said that most students move off campus after one year.
The big con (for us) about UCI is that it tends to be pretty quiet on weekends as a lot of the local kids go home. That said, the kids that stick around on weekends find each other early and develop their own social groups.
UCSD is much larger and very spread out. Lots of eucalyptus trees across campus. Kids walk, skateboard, scooter to class. There are occasional bike riders but no bike paths like UCSB or UCD.
Which college did your son get into? Gumbymom’s question about competitive vs collaborative is probably directed at UCSD as sciences at UCSD are pretty competitive. It is very difficult to transfer into CS at UCSD - done by lottery. https://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/cse-capped-admissions-program I am not sure if it is any easier for kids who are already in engineering, probably not.
UCSD is located in La Jolla which is a very affluent community. More students stay on campus for a second year at UCSD than at UCD or UCI but many move off campus as well. Student housing tends to be farther off campus but they have a very efficient bus system to campus which I believe is free for students… I suppose the con would be that once you bus to campus, you aren’t as likely to bus home in between classes.
I am a bit biased towards UCD as I have a child who is a 3rd year there. You saw the college town so you have an idea of what it is like. Students at Davis tend to be more earthy, organic, bohemian. The freshmen dorms (Tercero, Segundo and Cuatro) are for 1st years. The vast majority move off campus for their second year. Davis has some University owned apartments but there are a lot of houses and apartments available just off campus if one wants to rent privately. Davis also has a very efficient bus system that is free for students.
Davis is a large spread out biking campus. I think it got voted as one of the friendliest campuses and it is very collaborative.
Obviously these are my just observations and feelings. Hopefully others will chime in and share their perspectives with those that are unable to visit campuses.
UCSD would be the hardest to switch into for CS as stated it is done by lottery. Both UCD and UCI would be slightly easier to switch majors, but he still needs to take pre-req courses and maintain a specific GPA to facilitate the change of majors. UCI has had issues with non-CS majors trying to get into the pre-req courses and as CS continues to be a popular major, I am sure UCD may have some course constraints also.
Since he is already admitted as an Engineering major switching majors within the College vs between Colleges helps. UCI’s CS is not in the Engineering college so again another hurdle.
UCI change of major:
**Changing From a Major in Another School to ICS
ICS accepts applications for change of major after requirements are met and grades are posted on your transcript.
Change of major is not automatic. It is a carefully thought out process that takes early planning, a good work ethic, academic strength, and a clear graduation plan toward your new major.
Please watch this short video: How to Change Majors (requires a WebEx download to view)
Then, take these next steps:
Visit the UCI Change of Major Criteria website for a listing of specific change of major guidelines for our majors.
Note: we do not make exceptions to policy.
Most majors have a unit cap.
BIM is a capacity restricted major. Change of majors will only be admitted if space is available.
Change of major criteria applies to students with 120 units or less. Please see UCI’s change of major guidelines for additional information.
Meeting with an academic counselor or peer academic advisor is recommended. They will help you determine the most efficient way for you to meet the degree requirements of your new intended major.
If you are eligible to change, submit a Change of Major Application online through your Student Access page.
Applications are processed after grades are posted. Allow for 2-3 weeks’ processing time.
Please be aware that submitting an application does not guarantee that you will be admitted. Should your application be denied, you will be contacted by an ICS academic counselor.**
https://www.ics.uci.edu/ugrad/policies/Change_of_Major.php#Another
UCD change of major: https://cs.ucdavis.edu/undergraduate/non-majors/changing-majors-double-majors
UCSD change of major:
https://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/cse-capped-admissions-program
@lkg4answers is spot on with her assessment of the campuses and I also have a bias toward UCD since my older son graduated from UCD.
There are no bad options but he really needs to decide which school is best for him overall academically, financially and socially. He is the one spending 4 years at the school.
Thank you so much he got in John Muir as bioengineering/ bioinformatics major .
Something else to look at is how AP scores are used at each campus. UCD does not allow APs to replace GEs. I believe UCLA is the same. You get credits for the units but you don’t get out of a required GE. I am not sure about UCI.
UCSD allows AP scores to replace GEs. Here is the chart that will tell you what Muir allows: https://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/pdf/APC-chart.pdf