<p>I am currently considering UWisconsin-Madison and UCSB. At Madison, I would get in-state tuition, but I like UCSB as a school better. Is it worth, in your opinion, the $50,000 for OOS students at UCSB?</p>
<p>This, of course, depends on your financial status. From the standpoint of mere academics and how much it would advance your career, probably not. But if you're to take into account other factors and it doesn't put you into any debt, then it certainly won't hurt you.</p>
<p>Wisconsin-Madison has the reputation of one of the best academic public universities, sort of like the Cal-Berkeley of the midwest, so there is nothing to be gained from academic prestige.</p>
<p>In terms of selectivity, neither does UCSB have the advantage, if the rough-and-ready indice of average SAT scores is compared.</p>
<p>Wisconsin</p>
<p>Critical Reading:
560 - 670
Math:
620 - 710
Writing:
560 - 670</p>
<p>ACT: 26 - 30</p>
<p>UCSB</p>
<p>Critical Reading:
530 - 650
Math:
540 - 660
Writing:
530 - 650</p>
<p>ACT: 23 - 29</p>
<p>Wisconsin has the further advantage of being well known, and you've got all that Big-10 sports, so that the rest of your life you'd be able to cheer on your Badgers, and adorn your car with big red W's and all that. If you plan to live in Wisconsin after graduation, having all your fellow Badgers around could be advantageous.</p>
<p>If you are looking to bust out of Wisconsin, however, and re-brand yourself as a Californian, UCSB will certainly do that, with academics that suffers only slightly from Wisconsin. When you arrive in Santa Barbara you will, as did Toto, know you aren't in the midwest anymore.</p>
<p>I don't think its worth the out-of-state cost. For $50K you could spend an awful lot of time vacationing at CA beaches and have tens of thousands left over. Or, more realistically perhaps, that amount of money would give you a great head-start out of college in buying a house or going to grad school. In-state UCSB is a great deal, but like any large state school it has large classes, an impersonal advising system, not a lot of faculty contact unless you go to office hours, etc. For what an OOS student spends on a UC school they could go to a good private that offers much more.</p>
<p>One thing I should add - your cost estimate may be low. CA faces a huge state budget deficit due to the recession. Right now the governor has proposed a 10% cut across the board in state spending. One usual outcome is that fees for gov't services are then increased; since the UC system doesn't see its primary mission as educating out of state students, I would expect significant (as in thousands of dollars) in increases here. And that's just this year; if things stay bad for a few years the OOS tuition could rise quite dramatically over the next 4 years.</p>
<p>My s is highly considering UCSB coming in as a freshman Portuguese major w/ internatioal study minor. Does anyone take UCSB seriously or does everyone just figure it's a party school?</p>
<p>i'm considering going to UCSB for my freshman year then transfer out, if that fails, then after my sophomore year, try again. if that fails, then i guess i'll be the UCSB c/o 2012</p>
<p>My S seems to have that plan too. He really wanted UCLA but we all know how hard that was. I wonder what it takes to transfer. I've always heard those spots are "saved" for community college kids with the theory being if you already have a spot at a UC, give the CC student a chance.</p>
<p>UCSB is also considered a "mid tier" UC, and FWIW, is considered among the best national universities. I understand it has some really good departments, marine biology among them.</p>
<p>Still....I wouldn't pay 50k for a public.</p>
<p>3down: that is partly true, but if you take a look at USC's transfer rate, 64% come from cc's, 10% from the UC's and CSU's. now i know 10% isnt much but atleast it's something and that i can be sort off proud i graduated from ucsb... but nowadays, undergrad doesnt amount to much, its all about the grad school</p>
<p>
[quote]
i'm considering going to UCSB for my freshman year then transfer out, if that fails, then after my sophomore year, try again. if that fails, then i guess i'll be the UCSB c/o 2012
[/quote]
If you're thinking of another UC, they only accept transfers for the junior year.
[quote]
He really wanted UCLA but we all know how hard that was. I wonder what it takes to transfer. I've always heard those spots are "saved" for community college kids with the theory being if you already have a spot at a UC, give the CC student a chance.
[/quote]
A significant number of spots are saved for CC kids as part of the State Master Plan on Education, but not all. Here are recent UCLA transfer stats. UCLA</a> Undergrad Admissions: Profile of Admitted Transfer Students, Fall 2007</p>
<p>i was thinking of USC</p>
<p>I suspect once my son is at UCSB he'll find his niche and UCLA will be a past dream</p>
<p>i know USC wont be a past dream... which is kind of funny cause i mentioned "past dream" in my personal statement... XD</p>
<p>I am 90 % sure i am going with Madison.. .thank you for the thoughtful posts. Muller, your post made me laugh!</p>