<p>the one school i would really like to go to (if i get admitted) is ucsd. but i live an 1.5h from sd so i would have to live on campus. another option is uci (if i get admitted) i would have to live off-campus because i live 5 min from the school. hence, my dad is completely against me applying to sd because he says that we wont find enough financail aid for me to live on campus at sd. also he says that the computer science and engineering departments( what i want to major in) are much stronger at uci. i dont know if this is true. basically what should i do? should i go to uci, even though i dont really want to or should i look harder for financial aid for sd( probably what i should do). also i dont want my dad making my decision for me but if i end up going to sd then the money (other than f.a.) that he was going to pay, might not even be payed and vice versa if i go to uci.</p>
<p>It makes sense to ease the pressure on your dad by not making him pay $10k for housing when you can go to a school with an equally strong department and save that much money. </p>
<p>I dont know how close your dad and you are, but if I had that option I would definitely go to UCI and save my dad the heartache..</p>
<p>If you are eligible for financial aid they will give you money appropriate to the total cost of attendance, which includes housing. In other words, they will give you more money (in the form of grants and loans) if you choose to live on campus.</p>
<p>I think the program quality does differ in favor of UCSD, although that probably isn't the main issue. Your dad is right if he means you can get a fine education in the subject at UCI, but he should not think that the UCI program is better. Perhaps you'll get more personal attention and have less competition there, though. The final decision is yours, but you should try to ask your father something, that if you help raise some money, can you go to UCSD. There are scholarships available, and many students get jobs to help pay for school. As an engineering/computer science major, you are eligible for high paying jobs (compared to other entry level jobs) right out of school with just a BA or BS degree (if you do fairly well). Perhaps by showing him your commitment to UCSD and contributing financially, he will allow you to go there. It probably won''t break your dad's heart if he sees you working hard for something you want and going to a place where you will be happier, and hopefully do better because of it.</p>
<p>thanks for all your comments. i was thinking about this. if i were admitted to ucsd and i decided to go there i could drive home every night (if i cant live on campus) and drive back to school every morning. if i leave pretty early and come home before traffic the round trip would be more like 2 hours. would that be possible or would gas end up costing more than just living on-campus? thanks!</p>
<p>Commuting that far is not feasible. Gas is expensive. And perhaps even more importantly, it will make your schedule become hell. It would be time that you would find much more useful spent on your studies or stress relieving. You don't want to be driving at like 6am in the morning for an 8am class or in the evening after some of the later classes.</p>