Hey guys!
So I got accepted to UW and UC Irvine and I am in Nor Cal. I applied bioengineering for both and I got in - however UW only admits people as pre-engineering (only like 10 people get Direct Admit into bioengineering). I’m just really confused and conflicted between where I should go since both colleges have their pros and cons. UW is ranked higher for undergraduate engineering (#22 on USNR) while UC Irvine is #48. I don’t really know for sure if I want to do bioengineering or not cause I might choose to major in another field depending upon what I will be interested in in a few years. What really is bothering me is the fact that UW’s out of state tuition is so much greater since I only have to pay UC IRvine’s in state tuition. But I have heard that UW has a wonderful campus (and have seen in pics online) and has more diversity and overall more liveliness to the school’s atmosphere while people say Irvine is dull or boring and is not that lively in terms of school spirit. But Irvine has great weather compared to Seattle where it apparently is gloomy most of the time. My parents told me that they are willing to send me to UW and that they can afford it but economically speaking is it really worth paying 20K extra (for UW) for my major. I really don’t know what to do guys. Both are great schools and are well known and I know that some people have different opinions on what is considered an overall good investment for one’s future in addition to offering a valuable college experience. I just wanted to see what other people think of this and what their experience is.
Sorry for such a big intro… I was just rambling for the most part.
If both programs are ABET accredited then I don’t see why you would pay the extra.
@Erin’sDad that is true but I was looking at the difference in ranking between the two as well. Does the difference in ranking really matter in a broader sense?
Find out how difficult it is to get into your major at UW.
http://data.engr.washington.edu/pls/portal30/STUDENT_APPL.RPT_APPLICANT_STATISTICS_YEAR.SHOW_PARMS indicates that it is highly competitive to enter the bioengineering major at UW. Paying more and then not getting into your major can be the worst of all worlds.
I live in Seattle and although the UW is an excellent school, I can tell you that it is NOT worth it! Employers will not treat these schools any differently, if anything the “UC” label will be more prized over UW. The UW campus has a beautiful quad, but it’s also very urban and spread out. Parts of the town is quite run down and not that safe. Over 20% of students are international and most of them are from China. The engineering department is good but as you said, you have to wait until your Junior year to find out if you can get into the program. The weather here is a lot colder and wetter than Irvine. $21k a year for 4 years is a lot of money. Save your parents some money and go to UCI.
@ucbalumnus @JoanneB thank you for the info! you guys made some valid points and I definitely agree. Seems like UC Irvine is more favorable overall.
The difference between #22 and #48 isn’t that significant in undergraduate engineering… and $20K a year over 4 years is very significant (unless your family is wealthy), especially if you have to take out more loans.
In the broader sense they are 2 numbers having zero validity to measure “undergraduate engineering”