I’ve been waitlisted to UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz, accepted to Occidental College
I majored in Environmental Studies at UCSC
Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning at UC Davis.
Urban & Environmental Policy at Oxy
I don’t know what to do if I get off the waitlist for either, or both UCs. I have visited both UCs.
I’m interested in going into environmental policy-making, being a policy adviser, law, etc. There’s a possibility of going to grad school as well.
I live in state, in Los Angeles, so I think the tuition at the UCs would be cheaper. However, I can afford Oxy.
The large class sizes/undergrad student bodies at the UCs are unappealing (fighting for classes, internships, etc).
The small class sizes, campaign semester and UN semester at Oxy are really appealing to me. Additionally, they have a program with Cornell that allows students to transfer and study law there. I like living in Los Angeles, and I wouldn’t mind living here the rest of my life.
On the other hand UC Santa Cruz has a great location. The campus is beautiful and it’s situated next to a nice town. UC Davis is more rural, but is known for its agriculture and is half an hour away from Sacramento, the state capital (opportunities there). I think the UCs are more well-known of than Oxy. I think the biggest ‘pro’ with the UCs is that I’d save more money by going to one of them.
At this point, I’m not sure which college is the best for me.