Hello,
I’m transferring out from a CCC in Fall 2017 and I need help deciding which is the right school for me. I am planning on majoring in economics. I understand that the decision will ultimately be up to me. But I just need some quick guidance. So I’ve actually done my HW, and I did look at each schools websites and I know what classes I need to take, what the school has to offer, and etcetera. Of course, I’ll admit I can’t really get my information with certainty, and I know I’ll have to visit my schools once more and make a decision.Nevertheless, I probably can’t decide with certainty. Anyways, I’ll get to the point .
UC Davis
Pros
-People say this school is in the middle of no where but I kind of have to disagree with them. It’s a few miles away from Sacramento and it’s a farm town. With that being said, I feel as if I could be set up with more opportunities to be involved with firms and get experience with hands on learning and such. Also, I feel as if I would have a better chance to network and connect with firms from Sacramento. (Although I do want my first job in the silicon valley) (Major)
It’s 2 hrs away from home which is really good distance and I could come home more often (minor)
The people down there are supper friendly and down to earth (minor)
There’s a good balance between academics and social life, which is what i’m looking for (minor)
They have a football team and the school spirits good. Also very bike and environmental friendly (Major)
I really like the Managerial Economics major. It’s a great way to peruse an MBA and it’s what I really want to study
Cons
There’s not much to do on campus and I heard Davis kind of gets boring at times(Major)
-They’re aren’t too many school clubs that are business and economics oriented (Major)
-Compared to other schools, there are less intramural sports and housing does not provide the best services(minor)
The campus is pretty big (minor)
UCSB
Pros:
I absolutely loved the campus and I loved the environment! The campus was beautiful. (Major)
Right next to the beach/Ocean (Medium)
Housing is great! In addition, as a transfer student I would be guaranteed housing for 2 years! (Major)
Not too far from home (4 hrs) (minor)
-Very attractive girls (medium)
-It’s a small school (medium)
More people stay on campus (medium)
Cons:
As an economics major, I have to get a B or better in a class to declare my major (econ 10A). And to be honest, that’s very risky (Major)
UCSB is an isolated beach town. With that being said, there are like no firms in that area. (Major)
It has a party school rep. Although I can easily look past this since It’s a UC and I’m planning to go to grad school (Minor)
-I know a lot of people are very nice at UCSB but I feel like there a few of people who are kind of judgemental ( at least more proportionally) (minor)
There can be a lot of distractions. However, I handle distractions well (minor)
I know they have a solid accounting program, but I don’t really want to do accounting. (major)
Next to SBCC (crime rates may be higher around that area)
Everyone seems to be happy there while no one regrets going there (major)
UC Irvine
Pros:
-There are a TON of research opportunities (major)
-The campus looks really nice (major)
There are a lot of firms and big business around that area (major)
Ton of clubs, and and overall great academic programs and the career center is amazing there (major)
The beach is pretty near (major)
Near big cities like LA and San Diego(Major)
Cons:
It’s a commuter school (Major)
Big campus (minor)
“Socially Dead” (medium)
-Far from home (minor)
To basically summarize my stand point, I honestly really want to go to UCSB and I feel like I would be most happy there. However, I understand that UC Davis or UC Irvine are better options for me from an academic standpoint. I’ve had a horrible time at my high school and at my CC too. I don’t want to party or anything cause I won’t really have time for that but I just want to have fun in college and make connections.I feel like I can do this best at UCSB. But in terms of the studying and learning part, I think UCD or UCI is better. Nevertheless, UCSB also has good academics and I can also have a great time UCI and UCD.
Now between UC Davis and UC Irvine, UC Irvine has way better academic programs (etc. clubs, career services) and a much better campus. But the thing about Davis, is the Man. econ major and the fact that it’s closer to Sacramento make a big difference.
Now that I provided information, I would really like opinions and feedback
Your future at a UC after transfer depends on how you make it. No matter how cheesy that sounds it really is true. People can go to the most prestigious universities and the high UCs like Berkeley and LA but what you do with those opportunities is what makes your experience and future all the more special. Remember, other schools can have more programs but it doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right school for you. Although it is easier to network that way, your future depends on how hard you work for it despite the challenges. It seems like you really enjoy UCSB and if that is what you want then go for it. I’m pretty sure you can find firms to intern for if you really tried. I really do hope you do go to the school you want if you do get admitted good luck deciding!
Are you planning on driving to UCI or flying? I was thinking that flights on Southwest Airlines to John Wayne Airport wouldn’t be that expensive. UCI is about 10 minutes away from the airport. I’m not saying that you should fly home that often, but it wouldn’t be that much of a burden travel-wise, if you had to come home for an emergency, like a sick family member. I’m only talking about SJC to John Wayne, so if you were thinking of SFO, then I don’t know their rates.
You have a good synopsis of each. All 3 are in the top 10 for public schools nationwide, so you really can’t go wrong. If you like UCSB best, go for it. It’s a great school.
I go to SBCC, so here is my input. UCSB is about a 20-minute drive from SBCC, so the two campuses are rather far from one another. SBCC is by no means dangerous, and if anything, I have heard of more crimes being committed in Isla Vista (a small community next to UCSB where many college students live) as it can get pretty rowdy there on the weekends. Although UCSB’s party school rep has died down over the years, it is not a myth! That being said, greek life doesn’t have a very big presence at UCSB (and I never feel like I’m being judged or excluded by groups od people when I go to parties). Isla Vista is unique and I’ve had some great times there, but Goleta (where UCSB is located) is pretty dead. Hence, the “isolated beach town” vibe. There is a lot of nature around the Santa Barbara area, but if you don’t like nature and are tired of frat parties, downtown Santa Barbara is one of the only choices for nearby entertainment. You mentioned you liked big cities, so this is definitely something to take into consideration.
As for Davis, I have a few friends there, and they never complain about being bored. I think the fact that the city of Davis is so small and consists mainly of students, lets students interact with one another easier. Friends make your experience!
I didn’t apply to UCI (the socially dead/commuter reputation turned me off), but I did apply to UCSB, UCD, UCB, UCLA and UCSD. I’d personally go for Davis (it’s my 3rd choice after UCB and UCLA), for similar reasons to yours. Good luck in making your decision!
@seokminnie0218 The same recruiters basically come to all of the UC campuses and I don’t think going to UCSB will affect my chances of getting a summer internship.However, during the school year, It would be more ideal for me to be around firms because I do want to do research with them, I want to do job shadows and field trips to see which companies (and potentially work or intern for) and I do want to participate in experiments/programs with them. And idk if I can do this at UCSB since as I mentioned, is an isolated beach town. Do you know if most people spend their time on campus.
@TheLongRun Driving lol, I live in the bay area. UCSB is about 4-5 hrs from home. UCD is 1.5-2hrs aways from home, UCI is 6hrs away.
@doihaveashot2016 Hmm you probably know way more about this then I do. But, idk I heard a few years an indecent that happened at UCSB with an SBCC student. Additionally, I thought UCSB was a big party school because of SBCC and the fact of the location and the fact that the freshman are well rounded. Anyways, I mean yeah I’m not really trying to party or anything. I definitely dig the beach and location without a doubt, but yeah for the reasons I explained above, I want to be in a big city to do those things. In addition, I want to go out and explore the cities in the weekend I’ll get tired of staying on campus or going to the beach haha. I read a lot of threads here saying they didn’t like Davis bc it was boring and they wish they hadn’t gone. But yeah definitely Davis is a pretty good school haha.
There is a LOT to do. That’s why the campus can be empty on weekends because everyone is out exploring!
She went everywhere from Davis: Sacramento, San Fran, Berkeley, Tahoe, Sierras, Napa and white water rafting, hiking, biking. The train station is an easy straight walk from campus.
Sacramento is up the I-80 and takes 20 minutes from Davis.
She shopped in Woodland at Costco and Walmart/Home Depot.
She did her clinical internships in Sacramento.
She recently was accepted to UCSF for grad school with stellar grades and EC’s.
Choose where you want to go; only you can decide that.
@aunt bea Yeah Davis is a great school and I wouldn’t mind going there either. And I’m a guy who’s really into sports too. And I think Davis is better for that in comparison to UCSB & UCI. See the thing about San Fran, Berkeley, Tahoe and all is that they are really far from Davis tho.
Those are two things I know. UCI may be a commuter school but you can live in great areas close by i.e. Newport Beach, Long Beach, Seal Beach. If you want to do accounting UCI gets recruited heavily for OC area and UCSB students go to SF & LA area. UC Davis is isolated like UCSB, but UCSB is isolated right on the beach
UCSB has a good economics program though, last year they had a federal reserve bank conference near there and admission was free to students i think? (or very very low like $20… average price for non-students was over $200)
they do a lot of research , so you could get involved with that to even out the lack of close major businesses. but LA is also about an hour away so you could intern there too. when i visited that’s something several students said they did for internships (though obviously that doesn’t beat the proximity UCI has w/ its downtown business center. that and it’s a bit misleading to say ‘you can intern at LA it’s our backyard!’ when in reality it’s really far away…especially considering traffic).
i wanted to apply to UCSB too for physics and economics as a transfer, but then ended up going w/ ucsd/uci/ucla/ucb… and i HIGHLY REGRET not applying to ucsb. i had my reasons (i felt that the attitude towards transfers was very ‘get in and get out in 2 years’, they weren’t supportive of my desire to double major in physics and economics, and even in the college of creative studies they said they rarely allowed transfers to join) so perhaps i only regret it because i didn’t apply, but if i had applied i dont know if i would still be as crazy for it as i am now (what do you call this? opposite of buyer’s remorse?). well, i dont know if this paragraph helped you at all, but that’s my experience with it.
i always loved the idea of UCSB but whenever i was actually on campus to ask about these opportunities i was met with closed doors and discouragements so that left a bad taste in my mouth. but the second im not on campus im like “god that place is beautiful i should have applied.” even though when i was on campus i could barely see because the sun/glare was so bright, didn’t matter if there were marine layer/clouds or clear skies, that place leaves you squinting whenever you’re outside. you always want what you can’t have and once you kinda have it you don’t want it lol
i apologize because i dont think this really helped you much but hopefully that gives you a small perspective from one other prospective UCSB transfer
i guess what i wanted to say was to apply so you don’t regret it like i did, but you’re just trying to decide on which school to attend next fall, right?
@enpz45 Yeah I think you’re definitely right on with the accounting and lifestyle part. And I know there are a lot of jobs in acct and even though I think I am pretty good at it. I’m not sure I want to do accounting in the future(just seemed boring to me when I took the intro classes). I definitely do want to get an MBA and major in a business orientated econ program during my time in undergrad.
And yes, UCI has a ton of different majors, it’s near LA and SD, there are a lot of firms nearby and it does have a business admin major.
As for Davis, yes it is isolated, I agree. However, there are many farms there and it is near Sacramento which is of course the CA capital.
And UCSB is near the beach, but not many firms there. However, I know they have great professors in their econ department. It’s a very research heavy school. Same with UCI
@otoribashi Yeah UCSB does have a good econ department and I also think it’s slightly better than Davis but lower than Irvine. But nevertheless, i think it comes down to me, what I want to study. And yes, you are right the professors are very into research and yes, you are right, I can get involved in that. And the thing about LA is that’s still too far for what I had in mind. I can’t do an internship there while attending.
You are right 10a though, it’s a weed out class. I wouldn’t go to UCSB just because of that class. Around 50% of the student don’t get the B that is needed, and have to change major( and ucsb doesn’t have good major ). I am currently going to UCSB and had to change major because of that. Well, I got the B that is needed but later realized that the curriculum was too demanding and generally no flexible for economics compare to CAL-states. I can only compare UCSB with cal sates, sense I have have a friends that goes to economics at CSUN and the main difference is that the curriculum at UCSB is rigged in a way that it makes you take the hardest economics classes, at least compared to the curriculum at CSUN. Just FYI, the problem with passing 10a is not the problems dificulty, even though some can be tricky, is the time that is given for you to pass the exam - you only have 40m to answer around 7 question, which include a mixture of economics and calculus question, of which you can’t miss more than 2 question to get the B.
And @deus360 yes you are right, I agree with you 100%, UCSB is a great school and the cons I listed above, I can overlook most of them. But the one thing I can not overlook is that 10A class. I actually did a pro/con list and I actually would prefer UCSB over UCD. But given that 10A class bs, I don’t think UCSB is worth it over Davis. Given at Davis, I’m in already. I’ve taken Math thru calc 3, and I’ve done well in all of my CC classes except for those calc classes. And, I have great study habits as well. So I honestly believe I can pass with a B or better or on the re-takes but I still simpily do not think it’s worth it.So what I’m doing now is I’ll only go to UCSB, if I really really want to go and i’m visiting again. Does this sound okay?
So I guess for now It’s down to UCD and UCI.
UCD and UCI sounds good, just research well about the weed out classes for them and make sure you have good majors available for them, other than econ, just in case you need to change later – you never know. For example, if you get a C in 10A you can’t retake it, just FYI , because they only allow this when you get a F ( It’s my understand that because of this a lot of students got Fs on purposes and the department got annoyed of this and created a special exam to waved the C only after you first attempt ) . Double check this just to be sure. Additionally, if you get a C now they are allowing students to retake a special exam that lets you into the major, even after getting the C. your grade keeps been the same for the class, a C, but if you pass the exam with a b or better you get into the major.
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good luck deciding!