<p>My brother just got accepted to UCSB and UCSC as a freshman applicant. He's interested in computer hardware engineering and is brilliant (35 ACT) but has been lazy throughout high school (3.2 GPA). He was rejected from Cal Poly SLO, his first choice, but is going to appeal (I know, fat chance), and was waitlisted at Davis, his second choice. If he doesn't end up getting into Cal Poly or Davis, which has a better engineering program: UCSB, or UCSC? Alternatively, he could try and go the CCC transfer route to Berkeley, Davis, or Cal Poly. Any input is appreciated!</p>
<p>Worth considering: UCSC is within the proximity of Silicon Valley. I do know someone who was recruited while he was a student there but I don’t know which campus has a “better” program though. Also, maybe he should tour both campuses and get a feel of the culture I guess.</p>
<p>That’s a good point; I hadn’t thought of SC in the context of Silicon Valley. Thanks.</p>
<p>Though UCSC is in closer proximity to Silicon Valley, I think UCSB has a vastly superior Computer Engineering program. I know that UCSB’s graduate computer science program was recently ranked in the top 10 by NRC. Further, US News ranks UCSB’s engineering program as 21st in the nation. Now, rankings certainly won’t dictate your brother’s experience, but they do imply that UCSB’s engineering is PROBABLY very strong. Engineering at UCSB is also significantly harder to get into than at UCSC, so his peers will be a brighter group on average. This is not to mention that UCSB is in a ridiculously cool, fun, and beautiful area.</p>
<p>If he really wants to go to Berkeley, he could take the CC route. However, if he’s a bit lazy (as his GPA suggests), he may not wind up getting in in the end anyways. UCSB is certainly not a bad choice for engineering. I think it’s as good a choice as Cal Poly and a much better choice than Davis.</p>
<p>Easy decision in my opinion, but maybe there are some things he’s interested in that I hadn’t considered.</p>