I got into both schools for Chemical Engineering as a junior. For UCB im in the chemistry department, and UCSB im in the College of Engineering. I cant decide between the two, and I would really appreciate some help. I am willing to study hard, and I wouldn’t get very involved in anything outside of my studies (so the party scene at UCSB doesn’t phase me, and all i need is a place to study, so the scenic environment isn’t a factor). I have a 3.8 GPA, and the couple of B’s and one C I have don’t bother me because I understand the material. I am willing to work hard, but I don’t think I would want to work my butt of at Berkeley if I could get the same education from UCSB with less stress, and have the same opportunities from it. I would like to go to graduate school, so my main focus is to learn what I need and then get into a top notch graduate school. Is it worth it to get my bachelors at Berkeley vs UCSB? My main focus is my future, and what can get me a stable job.
Hey I was in the same predicament as you. I ended up choosing UCSB for many reasons. 1) the chemE program is much smaller at SB than at cal. I personally wanted easier access to my professors, and when I visited cal the professors seemed to be more grad focused rather than undergrad focused. 2) I didn’t want to rule out cal for a Phd. Not sure if you know but you cannot do your Phd at the same school you did your undergrad for chemE. 3) GPA is a HUGE factor when it comes to grad school. I called both colleges and found out what the average GPA for chemE at cal was a 3.1, while the average GPA for chemE at SB was a 3.5. That’s a significant difference and will help your prospects for both getting a job and attending grad school. 4) The program at SB is 60% theory and 40% hands on, while at cal it is much more theory based. Honestly, not everyone will get into grad school. I figured it would be better to have more hands on experience just in case I decided to get into industry after graduating. 5) SB has more undergrad research opportunities than cal. The reason being has to do with factors I mentioned earlier. Cal is more grad focused when it comes to research and also the average GPA for undergrads is not that high which makes professors more skeptical about taking you on for research. 6) The faculty! Probably one of the most important deciding factors for me. The faculty at SB is ranked incredibly high on sites like ratemyprofessor, they are hard but are good and fair. Couldn’t find many rankings for professors at cal. However, it is cal and I’m sure those professors are just as good if not better. However, when looking at where the professors at SB received their Phd’s the list includes Berkeley, Harvard, Cambridge, cal tech, Stanford, Princeton, MIT etc. Being that you wish to attend grad school afterwards, I’m sure a letter of recommendation from one of these professors would certainly help.