<p>D is strongly leaning towards either Berkeley, UCSB or UCSD..in that order. </p>
<p>She really liked USC...but only got Spring admit there, and they haven't sent a financial aid offer yet, just a lot more forms to fill out for me. It was aggravating because she applied by the Dec 11 deadline (killer app too with all the scholarship apps she did), and I had the FAFSA and Profile done early..but then at the last possible minute she got this spring admit and they asked me for more financial forms...we are both kind of "over it" with USC</p>
<p>But...she was accepted EA at U Miami with a nice scholarship. I see UM as kind of another flavor of USC in some ways. I keep thinking we will regret it one way or the other if we don't at least visit UM before her final decision. I'm in school too and it will be hard and expensive to get away. I also am not thrilled with her being on the other side of the country if she did decide to go there, but we do have some family in the southeast. Her dad is even less thrilled with that aspect (we're amicably divorced).</p>
<p>Her passions are marine bio and coastal conservation/environmental policy law. She has many interests, is well-rounded and an outdoorsy beach girl.</p>
<p>Berkeley seems like such an exciting opportunity. She feels she wants/needs a stimulating environment and some competition to motivate her. She tends not to be totally self-motivated currently, but she says that will change in college. I don't know whether or not to believe that :) she tends to be a bit of a procrastinator.</p>
<p>I see U M as more of a work hard/play hard scene, which may be a better fit than Cal. I think she would enjoy the ethnic mix at U M, whereas Cal has basically only 2 groups. U M is similar in some ways to USC...the one that got away.</p>
<p>fyi - My D is in engineering (CS) at UCSD and I can tell you that the engineering and science courses are quite challenging. If your D ends up there I don't think she'll have any problem finding challenging courses. It also has the Scripps Institute of Oceanography but I don't know if it's of any value to an undergrad.</p>
<p>Here's the first thing to do--get all three courses outlines online and lay out three spreadsheets with the courses she would take over the four years--at all three places.</p>
<p>If UMiami has too many fantastic courses to fit into all four years--then that is a GREAT reason to make an emergency visit. Antoher thing to ask Miami is whether or not she oculd skip some core courses that she feels may be redundant.</p>
<p>USC and Miami are different. Coral Gables is about the furthest thing from Central LA as you can imagine. That's one thing. The other thing is that the city of Miami is much more Cuban than Los Angeles is Mexican or Central American. Miami is an island off the coast of South American and Cuba more than it is a US city. In my opinion.</p>
<p>UMiami has great school spirit but it is embedded within the pervasive Cuban culture of Miami. It's more subtle than "Go trojans!" </p>
<p>Congrats to her for putting such great options on the table for herself! Great girl. You'll both have to get credit cards with FF miles on them....</p>
<p>I don't know U Miami at all, but if she is a well rounded, outdoorsy, beachy girl looking at marine biology don't discount UCSB. My kid is at Cal but he thought long and hard about UCSB.</p>
<p>Miami's Rosenstiel school is absolutely fantastic. Biological oceanography, marine geology, meteorology- you name it, they've got it. I got to meet the assistant dean (Ellen Prager) before she left, and I was <em>very</em> impressed with their program.</p>
<p>That said, she'll be looking at grad school if she plans to advance in that career. Staying in-state for undergrad and then heading to Miami, URI, MIT, etc. for grad school might not be a bad option.</p>
<p><<... is well-rounded and an outdoorsy beach girl... She tends not to be totally self-motivated currently, but she says that will change in college...</p>
<p>These do not seem congruent with Cal. (My son attends currently.) Cal is urban, gritty and intense. Depending on the major, it's also very competitive. </p>
<p>UCSB is the most beachy and laid back and has a wonderful marine bio program. UCSD-- also great marine bio -- has become much more nerdy/studious, according to friends' kids who attend. </p>
<p>I have no idea about U of Miami. I think you should visit!</p>
<p>From what you've said, Cal doesn't seem like the best fit for your D.</p>
<p>ucsd/ladad- ucsd definitely would be challenging enough, but it does feel somewhat lacking in the social element that I think she likes; they don'[t seem to have as much as UCSB for actual marine bio classes..but she isn't dead set on that for a major either..ucsd is her dad's favorite as it is closest to home</p>
<p>cheers- that is a fantastic idea! we will definitely do that..very interesting about the Cuban cultural atmosphere of Miami vs LA. Is it a Miami vibe or a Coral Gables vibe at UM? That would be best absorbed through a visit, most likely..and yes, we have been working on those credit card/freq flyer miles for awhile now! Wonder if we can pull off using them before D (decision) day? </p>
<p>Bec- so how is Cal working out? Any regrets about not choosing SB?</p>
<p>warblers- good point about maybe saving the out of state option for grad school; I'm not clear on how much undergrads at UM get to do at Rosenstiel..do you know?</p>
<p>momof2- love your description "urban,gritty and intense".. she is doing an overnight there in a few weeks and that will help give her a better feel..she was there for debate camp last summer and loved it though, as far as the urban and gritty part (but that may have just been the novelty of it all, vs where we live). As far as major, she is in the College of Natural Resources, undeclared, but looking at their Environmental Policy major</p>
<p>keep the ideas coming, this is very helpful! thx!</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm not clear on how much undergrads at UM get to do at Rosenstiel..do you know?
[/quote]
I looked into it as a graduate program, so not really. Looking over their website, it seems like they have a strong undergrad program as well. The departmental activities (scuba club, marine mammal strandings) might be of interest; it would probably be a good idea to get info about those when visiting. I suspect UCSB would have similar activities. Miami seems to offer more in marine policy than UCSB, which focuses on the biology.</p>
<p>The city of Miami may have a large Cuban population, but a good part of the population of the university comes from areas such as the wealthier New York suburbs. I do believe that Coral Gables is very upscale as well.</p>
<p>The description of your D and her interests screams UMIAMI. Both the undergrad and grad programs at Rosentiel are amazing. I really think you should try to get her there for a visit. FLL usually has cheaper flights than those into MIA. Check Southwest and JetBlue from San Diego into FLL.</p>
<p>I considered U Miami many years ago for music. The campus was really a relaxing, wonderful place, and the students there were a nice combination of laid back and very hard workers. </p>
<p>The spring break scene in Miami is a bit crazy, but I did like the school a great deal.</p>