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<p>This one had me rolling on the floor laughing…UCSD is ~25 white, so unless Asians (47%) are dyeing thier hair…</p>
<p>but to the OP, SD is 14% Hispanic</p>
<p>This is a great question. We are in a similar situation, while not discouraging, we are not going to encourage our 2012 hs graduate to go to the UC’s he applied to. The OOS public schools he has been accepted to and we visited had such a positive vibe toward him attending. They are in states where college funding is on the upswing and the out of pocket cost with WUE will be significantly lower than going to a UC.</p>
<p>Aunt Bea: This may be just your daughter’s way of saying she isn’t comfortable on the big campuses and may be more comfortable at a smaller college.</p>
<p>I’ve heard mixed reviews about the UC system in the past few years, especially regarding budget cuts, availability of classes and class size. Perhaps, as another poster recommended, your D can spend some down time on the campus in question to get a better feel.</p>
<p>The UCs are world-class - few schools on the planet have the renown of a Cal or UCLA. I’m a Cal grad, and I can’t believe how many people are impressed by that degree – all these years later – nationwide and internationally.</p>
<p>I still believe that for the confident, outgoing, self-directed kid the UCs offer tremendous opportunities, tremendous value for your money, and a great experience. </p>
<p>Notice my adjectives: confident, self-directed, outgoing. I think those qualities are pretty important to get the optimum benefit from the UCs. If that doesn’t describe your kiddo, perhaps the UCs aren’t the best option.</p>
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I must be doing something wrong. I would love to have 300 students show up to my office hours! </p>
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Well, enrollment statistics and how the campus actually looks/feels are often different. Despite a 15% Hispanic enrollment, UCLA feels about 50/50 white/Asian and very different from LA in general. (Spotting a black student on campus is often like playing Where’s Waldo?)</p>
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People are often referring to a frame of mind rather than actual hair color with that descriptor.</p>
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Just going by UCLA, I think there is very much a set clothing style. For guys, for example, skinny jeans and flannel/plaid shirts are popular in the winter, and (jean) shorts and tank-tops appear in the spring/summer. I can count on one hand the number of Mohawks or interestingly dyed hair I’ve seen around campus. </p>
<p>Most publics and especially the UCs are large and diverse enough that pretty much any student can find his/her niche, however. One glimpse at the many organizations along Bruin Walk or Sproul is enough to verify that. </p>
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Attending a UC is what you make of it. I have some students who love their experience and some who are, well, not as happy with it. (I had one student inform me I was his first instructor he felt comfortable approaching during office hours. This horrified me, though it is a tribute to how highly students regard their professors and/or are intimidated by them.) As anywhere, there are good professors and bad professors. I do think that, at least here at UCLA, the focus is by no means on undergraduate education or even teaching in general, and majoring in a smaller department will not necessarily alleviate that.</p>
<p>D has had a great experience at a mid-tier UC. Of her peer group, I think the ones attending UCs have generally been happy and engaged. I’m puzzled by what I hear about not being able to graduate from UCs in four years. D is graduating early, as are most of her friends - including a number with double majors. I honestly don’t know of any case where someone was unable to graduate in 4 years - though I can imagine it could happen if you changed your plans late in the game. Maybe its school-specific, but kids I know in a variety of UCs all seem to be graduating on time or early.
I have to add too, that D has found accessible professors and a good deal of nurturing along the way. I would say the atmosphere is more nurturing than either my or S’s experience with LACs. D is not necessarily self-directed or confident, but honestly, her UC experience has helped her in that regard.</p>
<p>My D is a junior at a UC and could probably graduate next quarter if she wanted (she doesn’t want). They gave her a lot of AP credit, and she hasn’t had any trouble getting classes. She has also had great work, research and internship opportunities. Her study abroad experience was outstanding. As a freshman, she could take special seminars which were very small. Her UC is very diverse both ethnically and socio-economically. She will graduate as a mature, independent, confident young woman. I don’t know what more she could have gotten out of her college experience at any price.</p>
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<p>However, if the family is in the income range that would be full pay at UCs, note that some OOS public schools’ OOS list prices are lower than the in-state list prices of UCs (e.g. Minnesota - Twin Cities among big research universities, Minnesota - Morris and Truman State among small LAC-type schools).</p>
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<p>Did she apply to UCSC? It is one of two UCs that is majority white, and likely among the most accepting of “goofy” dress (although it is hard to imagine “goofy” dress being that unusual at many college campuses).</p>
<p>What is “goofy dress”?</p>
<p>Maybe I pictured that wrongly in my head, but I just thought it meant a bit unconventional …very casual…very comfy…maybe some goofy T-shirts…Which is fine at nearly any campus.</p>
<p>But if it truly means wearing goofy things like costumes (wings!! crowns!!) or other bizarre apparel, then that’s going to be odd on most campuses. </p>
<p>As much as kids like to be “individuals”…kids don’t usually like to be so “out there” that even their peers are staring in disbelief. Pink hair fine, Purple streaks fine, tats fine, a few odd piercings fine, coming to class in flannel PJs fine.</p>
<p>…but when you start getting where your FACE is oddly tattooed or your piercings look downright scary (and painful!!), then many of your peers will think it’s too much!</p>
<p>To the OP</p>
<p>Really, it just depends upon what environment your daughter prefers. You won’t need to discourage her from the UCs. She’ll likely make that determination on her own depending upon whether she likes a big campus and a big student population or not. Of course, visiting schools really helps you get a bit of a feel for the environment. </p>
<p>If she does decide she likes those schools, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. My daughter had a grand old time at a UC and completed a double major in 4 years, completed two undergraduate theses (one in each department), had great relationships with professors who later wrote recommendation letters for grad school. Truly, she loves her alma mater and loved her whole college experience.</p>
<p>I would think that the size of the schools might be daunting for someone who needs more guidance or is less of a self-starter. Still, I found that it fostered a tremendous amount of learned-independence. Right after graduating she got a job and an apartment and was completely self-supporting.</p>
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<p>I think this is very well-stated, I have a kid who did very well in a small HS and decided she wanted to be in the big pond, she is the kind of kid described above and she had a great time at a UC. Though she did fight red tape now & again, she usually won that fight.</p>
<p>I have another who felt a bit lost at the UC and later said she does best in classes where the professor knows her and where she feels the professor notices how she does and cares.</p>
<p>Students can graduate on time from a UC, with solid planning and not changing majors & wasting units. There is such a diversity of people on the campus, politically, ethnically, ECs, etc., there should be a niche that fits.</p>
<p>If your student shuts down in that big school situation and won’t take advantage of the offerings it is not the right choice, but that is student specific.</p>
<h1>25, what does the word NOBODY mean to you? The majority of the people on campus?</h1>
<p>I guess If I were a student today, I would say the same thing. Outside I look like a lot of people, but inside, I feel like one big gorilla(or whatever flavor of the month). Geez, thanks for chiming in.</p>
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No problem! </p>
<p>Although I must defer to the knowledge of parents, whose vicarious experiences through their offspring undoubtedly lends them extensive insight that dwarfs my own, I like to think I provide a modest contribution to these forums.</p>
<p>More info on us and the daughter: We haven’t used any negative language regarding her decision. We’ve told her she needs to go where she feels best. She’s a very compassionate kid and my hubbie and I think she was born in the wrong decade. When she was in kinder she would wake up and say: "Mom, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed; to which I would reply, “well go back to bed and wake up on the right side of the bed.” and she would return 5 minutes later saying: Can I have chorizo and, isn’t it a lovely day?? No idea where she got that; she’s still like that. Today I heard her early in the garage looking to create something to wear for “PI” day (3.14). Had Mickey Mouse slippers in hand. (Son just got a marker and tee shirt.) Daughter had to have the whole PI/pie ensemble!</p>
<p>So I don’t know where the discomfort is coming from. (Her friends are a mini United nations and she does help them with their Spanish homework). </p>
<p>RE UCSD: She’s been a frequent visitor to UCSD for conferences and for her daily internship at the NCMIR at the School of Medicine this past summer (Natl Ctr for Microscopic Imaging Research). She doesn’t like the UCSD campus for whatever reason and has emphatically told us so, in no uncertain terms.</p>
<p>Our daughter actually liked Bruin Walk and UCLA! But she is feeling that the competition there is fierce and that she won’t get in. She felt most comfortable there; those issues of no one looking like her came from her-we don’t know if that was a message from her, or from the children of those parents whom we’ve seen constantly in the last month. </p>
<p>As her parents, we haven’t really discussed anything about the UC schools, she’s watched the depressing news on the local news stations and has heard her AP Government teacher discussing some of those issues in relation to the next elections. We’ve heard what the other local parents are saying and haven’t really said too much to her. Her older sibling in upstate NY school has had a really positive experience in OOS with 30K students (except poor access to Mexican food), so we don’t know how much that is influencing our middle child. I think our daughter wants us to confirm that the UC’s are getting more crowded with less money. It will be less expensive to send her OOS because we’ve already been told she won’t qualify for any financial aid other than loans in CA. The OOS schools we’ve heard from will be providing at least half-tuition which definitely looks more attractive.</p>
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<p>Well, there you go. It sounds like you have nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>“Still, I found that it fostered a tremendous amount of learned-independence. Right after graduating she got a job and an apartment and was completely self-supporting.”</p>
<p>I agree… the practical “life lessons” my son is learning at UC are invaluable. By age 20 he’s learned how work the bureaucratic university system, make everything happen on his own, rent/live in an apartment, find/work at internships, and basically run his own life. I don’t think he’s having quite the carefree college experience of kids at private schools, but he is becoming fully capable and confident, which counts for a lot in my book.</p>
<p>I am certain that UC Merced has more than 1/3 Hispanic students in the student body. I’m pretty sure that is also true with UC Riverside.</p>
<p>This is the same thing we’ve had on our visits to OOS schools!!!</p>