<p>Hm. My sons got into Riverside with the same scholarship but while finances are tight enough that we are really only considering UCs since they got into some we like, we seem to have a little more financial flexibility than your family. They are pretty much deciding between UCSB and Davis. UCSB has a good communications department, by the way. UCSB is considered a mid tier UC with excellent individual departments, some of which are in the top ranks in the nation. UCSB is tied at 41 in the nation in US News, Riverside is ranked 112. Barretts doesn’t have a separate US News ranking, so I am leaving that out. Riverside I’ve seen mentioned as strong in a few specific areas, biology, computer science, I think…not sure. and they are a UC, so if she started there she would have the ability to try to transfer later to a higher UC once she decided for sure what she wanted and what her area of study is (not a sure thing, but a lot easier than transferring from a non UC or CC.) </p>
<p>Barretts, I was looking into for a while in the beginning, and so was one of my sons, but that is because he had a mixed stat record and we weren’t sure how UCSB would look at his choppy grades (and stellar SATs and APs). I must say I liked the cost differential, and I looked into it enough that I personally thought it was a good option. (I liked UCSB better though, enough that once I decided he had a safety or two, I didn’t push applying there.) My kids liked it less, and how their ultimate employers would feel, who knows? The University did send someone to Harvard Law school last year, whom I personally suspect was from Barretts, so graduate schools do seem to take their grades seriously. (UCSB sent students there too. One of my sons is interested in Law, and we checked.)</p>
<p>I think finances are a real bottom line, depending on how strict that line is. You have another kid on the way, while both of mine are going to college at once and I only have the next four years’ price change to worry about. I also am not getting any younger, and had some rocky financial time that makes me completely identify with where you are coming from. I guess if UCR is affordable with the scholarship, it might be a middle ground where if she developed a passion that made taking some debt on justifiable she could try to transfer, and even if she didn’t, she’d be from a UC, which is a recognizable degree everywhere. It is NOT in a great area imho, but neither is Arizona imho (this says as much about my opinion as it does about the areas, I am fully aware.) UCSB is on another planet, however, it either is affordable or it isn’t. The $5000 debt if it is the subsidized federal loan, IF she knew she would have a career or grad school where the precise flavor of diploma mattered, might be justifiable. I cut against it (despite my absolute partisanship for the school) only because it sounds like your daughter has no idea what she really wants to do, in which case she may end up working for limited funds and find the debt difficult to repay, limited as the debt amount is. My only issue with Barretts is that it isn’t as known except by those who look into it. If it is the one that is affordable and only that one, then I’d still go there, and focus on how to bolster the resume with honors and internships. I would NOT be concerned that my kid wasn’t getting a good education. I also never got into Barretts enough to look into where their graduates go - - it would be worth having a discussion about that with their career center, I would think.</p>
<p>My bottom line would be to make sure she understands the payments on a $5000 loan if she goes to UCSB, to understand why graduating with no debt is preferable. (Also, if POSSIBLE it would be great if she could work enough in the summer she didn’t have to work the first quarter at college while she got adjusted.) She should figure out how much someone in a degree she is interested in is likely to make right out of school TAKE HOME and figure the loan payments and living costs. That assumes she has a job, but I think those loans have deferment if you are unemployed, so that might be reasonable. Then, it would be her decision, by me, but I know that beach would be beckoning…</p>
<p>My logic says Riverside sounds intelligent, or Barretts if she likes it better (we never got as far as visiting), but I think UCR would look better to employers. (that could be pure personal bias, but you are looking for feedback, and I’m just giving you my personal call.)</p>
<p>Regardless of how intelligent that might be, if the $5000 is the loan she can take out in her own name from the federal government, which is the least expensive money around, I think it would be hard for an 18 year old not to prefer UCSB.</p>
<p>Here is the current NRC ranking of departments by Universities, they only do it once every 15 years, I believe. I clicked on “Communictions” but you could click on a different program, then you have to go down to the talble and click the heading ‘s rank high’ to put them in rank order for that subject as scholars rank them. Note, these are still graduate programs, so they reflect on undergrad by what research is going on where students might be able to get active, and by the quality of professors, and by school reputation. I consider this a little more thoughtful than the US News ranking for my purposes, but your mileage may vary. <a href=“NRC Rankings Overview: Communication”>http://chronicle.com/article/NRC-Rankings-Overview-/124717/</a></p>
<p>Sorry if that was no help. :(</p>
</p>