<p>Ok, so I got into the Sixth College at UC San Diego and I got in Boston University...i got in both undeclared but I really wants to get into arts and communications. I love the urban surrounding and diversity of boston, but I am a california resident so it may be smarter to go to UCSD. At the same time, I worry about the arts program at San Diego, and I hope that I can find cool, relaxed people that just want to have a good time at San Diego...I would appreciate input...thanks!</p>
<p>visit both campuses and see which one you fit in at better! then you can decide if the difference in tuition is worth it, since you seem to lean towards boston.</p>
<p>The Visual Arts Department is bomb here and so is the communications department (ranked #2 for theory)! The professors are really chill and cool to talk to. Have you heard of Professor Ricardo Dominguez? He created a site called banglab and he basically hacks into websites. He created a fake resignation letter from the UC President, Mark Yudof and hacked into the UC website. Unfortunately, he’s being sued for that. I think the vis arts department staff are really cool people.</p>
<p>BU is ranked like 20 spots behind UCSD in USNews. I don’t know how important that is to you but it’s certainly a large gap. Are you planning to go to grad school? It may be smart to save your $$ now and then head to the east coast for grad school, which also has a more fitting social environment if you’re over 21.</p>
<p>maloosy, I am in the exact same situation as you except i’m from Massachusetts !</p>
<p>The choice between UCSD and BU has been really tough for me (and still might be), but I’m leaning toward BU because of their strong liberal arts departments. I have no intention of being a medical doctor or engineer so UCSD - essentially a research institute for molecular biology and chemistry - has little sway over my decision. True UCSD, is higher overall in the US News rankings, but I believe the Boston University name is more well known, particularly on the east coast. If you mention UCSD in New York City, very few people would know it (outside of those in the medical, pharmaceutical, and engineering fields). If you mention Boston University, everyone knows that name immediately no matter what field you’re in. It may not be the best university, but it certainly is up there in basically everything.</p>
<p>Then again, this is from my East Coast perspective, which is probably different from the reaction you would get working in California. I have heard that UCSD is a strong name, right beneath (or alongside if you’re talking Biology) UCLA, Berkely, and Stanford. From where you’re standing I would go to UCSD because of the in-state tuition and because UCSD is a very strong school overall. They may specialize in science fields, but their arts programs would never be called bad.</p>
<p>Let me know which school you end up picking (via PM), if you can be bothered.</p>
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<p>Is BU more well known than UCSD? Yes, but I think that EVERYBODY knowing that name is an overstatement.</p>