<p>I know I’m asking a lot, but I really need information quick, so if anyone is experienced and knows a lot about the UC’s, please help me out!!</p>
<p>What I really want to know is…</p>
<ul>
<li>What are the rankings in admission selectivity for the UC schools?</li>
<li>In what areas of study does each UC specialize in?</li>
<li>What are the defining attributes of UC social life?</li>
</ul>
<p>If you have any information, please share it!!! I’d like to know what you guys know about UC’s so I can incorporate them into my college list. I really have no idea how to choose between them. I just know UCLA and UCB are the best ones, but I don’t know how to classify the others. Please help!!! I’d really appreciate it!</p>
<p>Ok I live in CA and have visited every UC but Riverside and Merced, so I will leave those two out ( but generally they are the bottom two)
OK in basic order of selectivity</p>
<p>-UC Berkeley (good in everything, amazing in engineering)
-UCLA (good in everything, especially music and film)
-UC San Diego (good all around, especially Biological Sciences and research)
-UC Davis (Enviornmental Science/ biological sciences)
-UC Santa Barbara (marine biology, well rounded)
-UC Irvine (Pre med Biology)
-UC Santa Cruz (not sure, but well rounded)
(Irvine, Santa Barbara and Davis are generally considered tied in selectivity)</p>
<p>In terms of social scene, UCSB and SD have a lot of surfers; UCSC has a lot of pot and hippies, Davis is a classic bicycle college town, UCLA has an upscale so cal feel, being next to beverly hills and bel air, UC Berkeley has a metropolitan feel. they all have greek houses, etc
Is this helpful?</p>
<p>Pretty much every UC will be chock full of premeds… unfortunately because of the curves where certain %s of people will get A’s, a smaller fraction of those people will actually end up with M.D.'s.</p>
<p>As is common knowledge around here, selectivity is not a huge indicator of how great a school is. If we’re looking at Fall 2009’s admissions:
UCLA (21.7%)
UC Berkeley (26.6%)
UC San Diego (37.3%)
UC Irvine (42.3%)
UC Davis (46.2%)
UC Santa Barbara (48.3%)
UC Santa Cruz (63.2%)
UC Merced (77.8%)
UC Riverside (78.3%)</p>
<p>Yet, UC Berkeley consistently tops the rankings and is considered the top public school in the country. If we were to only go by selectivity, then UCLA would be the “better” school. Also, Merced is only several years old, yet it beats out Riverside (which has been around for decades) in selectivity. This shows some of what is wrong with basing on schools on this factor.</p>
<p>Also, Davis, Irvine, and Santa Barbara are generally considered tied. Despite the fact that Irvine had the highest selectivity this year, they dropped 2 spots in US News’ rankings while Davis and Santa Barbara moved up 2. Irvine does not always have the highest selectivity; Davis and Santa Barbara have both been in the same position in the past few years. They fluctuate.</p>
<p>As for social life, you really will experience something unique at each campus. For now, all you can really go off on is stereotypes; hopefully, you will see that, in reality, they are not completely accurate.</p>
<p>Thanks guys!!! Your posts really helped me get a better perspective on the UC schools. I really appreciate it!</p>
<p>How about the campuses? Which UC schools are generally considered to be the most laid-back? Could you guys please classify them as rural, suburban, and urban? I like relaxation, so I don’t want to be caught up in the hustle-bustle of the city. I really don’t know much about their campuses!</p>
<p>And by any chance, do you know which UC schools have the best psychology and social science programs?</p>
<p>It sounds like you’re describing UC Davis. It’s a small, agricultural town that, as far as I know, is pretty isolated. Everyone bikes everywhere and the “hustle and bustle” is pretty much nonexistent. Still a great school.</p>
<p>I can’t say too much about Davis since I don’t go there. I go to UC Santa Barbara. It’s located on the coast and has a beach right on campus! I would describe the surrounding area as more suburban, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. This place is considered a party school and it can get pretty wild (although I’ll be the first to say I know very many people who don’t participate in the party scene). At the same time, the students here are pretty laid back and, combined with the the beach/atmosphere, create a generally laid back scene.</p>
<p>UC Irvine is a suburban school - your typical safe, conservative, upper-middle class town. It’s to the point where some people would call it boring. But boring for some people might be considered laid back to others. Many people will actually tell you that the social life here is actually pretty active if you look for it. The student population is notorious for being dominated by Asians if that’s any sort of factor for you.</p>
<p>UC Santa Cruz is considered laid back - if by laid back your referring to playing WoW or smoking a certain plant. The atmosphere of UCSC can contribute to what you’re looking for if you consider a redwood forest and a nearby ocean to be what fits you’re style.</p>
<p>UC San Diego is full of very studious people. UCSD is academically a great school, typically ranked the third best UC. As you could imagine, it creates a sort of lifestyle centered around studying. A lot of people would consider UCSD one of the most boring UC campuses. But, again some people deny this - you’re experience is based all around you, after all. I describe only the stereotypes (which, as far as I’m concerned, are meant to be broken).</p>