<p>Title says it all! What would you guys recommend to a transferring mechanical engineering student who aspires to attain a PhD someday! I currently go to UCSB (maybe I will stay!). Experiences from undergraduates from either schools (UCSB included) are much appreciated! Thanks!</p>
<p>^ bump anyone? :D</p>
<p>well USC has hot girls and nice parties, it also costs $$$$$$$$$ more.
UCSD generally is considered on par academically (some places rank USC above UCSD, others rank it way lower) not sure about the major specific things though.</p>
<p>humm, ask google too.</p>
<p>USC is going to outrageous pricing compared to either of the other schools. UCSD’s mechanical engineering is impacted, it is very competitive to get in and only transfer students are allowed. USC would be awesome to go to as long as you dont go off campus…cus you’ll get shot</p>
<p>Oh pooey, be objective ppl, you won’t get shot! I don’t know about UCSD, but here’s a pro USC post. USC’s Engineering (my bf is Aerospace) is pretty intense and the professors are awesome. Be prepared to study your toosh off to keep up with the competetive students. Classes smaller usually than UCs, so you actually get to know your prof for recommendations & such. Really great internships & job opportunities (although you’re competing to get them with many qualified students), & the USC “connections” are true.</p>
<p>UCSD’s rank for engineering is greater than USC’s. If I remember correctly, ARWU ranked UCSD at number 9 for engineering and USNews ranked it at number 12. But really, in the end it’s all about where YOU want to go. Both of them are excellent schools. I personally prefer UCSD over UCB.</p>
<p>USC USC USC!!! FIght on Trojans… I would sell a KIDNEY to go there, and I’m sure you could get scholarships/loans/whatever to help you pay</p>
<p>Take the cheaper price tag.</p>
<p>Haha thanks everyone for your input! I’ll be visiting each school pretty soon in order to make my decision. As far as research and graduate school, which school would be better as an undergrad? Knowing that USC’s graduate engineering ranks higher than UCSDs, would it be easier to get into USC’s grad program if I was an undergraduate at USC (similar to UW’s medical school… I heard you should not even apply unless you’re an undergraduate of UW because they practically only take UW students)?</p>
<p>Generally USC only has bona-fide great programs in business, film, psychology, and pharmacy. i’m not bashing on them or anything, but UCs are generally better than USC for anything that isn’t listed above.</p>
<p>and yes, it’s easier if your grad school is the undergrad school you’re attending… at least for privates. rank almost doesn’t matter when you apply to grad schools. admissions don’t look for that. they look for ECs and an overall GPA of ~3.5+. Most schools teach the same thing at this point.</p>
<p>ohnanoko why do you want to leave UCSB??</p>
<p>USC of course</p>
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<p>what a great unbiased and objective analysis of the situation! you sure swayed him with reasoning and intellect!</p>
<p>@Fenris Ya, I see your point. USC isn’t really “known” for their engineering. The UC’s are strong research institutions and UCSD is well-known for their engineering program. Haha true. But so is undergrad, no? We’re going to school not really for the quality of education (everything is pretty standard) but the people we meet, the opportunities that are presented and the reputation of our college? Haha, I’m pretty much a noob so let me know if I got anything right in that last sentence…</p>
<p>@shellbelltaylor Hmmm, I’m sure it’s not UCSB’s fault… but I haven’t found a group of friends that want to go out and do things in the world. Don’t get me wrong, the people I meet are amazing and great people. But they just don’t have that drive. I could be looking in the wrong spots… I also might not be putting myself out there enough at UCSB. I’m hoping I’ll be able to find others who are more driven… perhaps it’s me and not my university… we’ll see :D</p>
<p>@BallaBabyBay & Fenris lol. you two are funny.</p>
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<p>i realize, but “connections” aren’t really necessary for engineering. a lot of it is individual work, and when you collaborate on projects, you are generally fielded with people who are specialized in your area of study. There are plenty of conferences to attend in order to network in the future. Unlike business, it’s very easy to get your foot in the door for engineering. USC has a private alumni network which you wouldn’t need for engineering. </p>
<p>In my opinion, the better engineers you work with, the more your education is affected. The people you meet at USC in terms of networking aren’t worth more than the minds at UCSD. </p>
<p>However, if you were talking about business, then USC has a nearly invaluable network for business students. I would take USC over many schools because of that network if it weren’t for the cost.</p>
<p>@Fenris Oohh I see. So it all boils down to what I want to do with myself after undergrad engineering? How does this look? :D</p>
<p>USC = MBA/ Law School
UCSD = Masters/PhD</p>
<p>depends… if you’re going for an MBA, i’m going to assume you’re doing quant analysis for hedge funds? high math = quant. you can make a lot of money ~400k a year starting.</p>
<p>but i’m not too clear on what you’re asking. want to elaborate?</p>
<p>I think quant analysis would be a great career! Although I read somewhere that employers will look more for PhD students? If I graduate with an MBA from USC, would their famous networking help me land a job with a large finance company?</p>
<p>ibanking/quant analysis is hard to get into. they basically recruit top of the class talent only haha. ph.d students in physics, math, engineering, etc (anything to do with top flight level math) are recruited for quant because you need to input algorithms into programs for hedge funds.</p>
<p>if you graduate with an MBA from USC, their famous networking will definitely help you haha. they have a program at marshall that allows you to look up personal numbers for executives that work at large companies if they participate with usc’s program.</p>
<p>Haha I bet! I’m afraid that a MBA won’t have the appropriate math to suffice for a quant analytic. Is it unheard of for students to get an engineering undergrad, masters of business, then an engineering PhD? Or would the student need to have maters in an engineering field before going for a PhD in engineering?</p>