<p>See thats the problem, I have not idea where I am going to end up. My undergrad degree will only be looked at during med school admissions but I have no IDEA where I am going to go to med school. I am going to apply all over the country so I can get at least 1 acceptance.</p>
<p>I think this is what it comes down to. How does prestige factor into med school admissions? While I would agree Rice is more prestigious, its not that much more, even on the east coast.</p>
<p>Square:</p>
<p>I would not say that, at least with my peers out east. The east coast is funny about most public universities, because they have traditionally relied more on private institutions, although that is changing. That is why CCers can sometimes be seen as hyper-competitive.</p>
<p>Maybe, I'm mistaken since I go to a private school. Rice, on the other hand, is better respected. Just look at the caliber of students Rice accepts versus UCSD. Maybe there would be less of a difference if you're talking about UC-Berkeley, UCLA, UMichigan, UVA, or UNC. But, at least on the east coast, where the school you go to seems to matter a bit more, Rice would be the way to go.</p>
<p>I'm from Washington state, so UC's, UO, UW seem similar, and good enough. </p>
<p>Again, just an opinion.
IB.</p>
<p>PS--in the interest of transparency, I will go east instead of go to UDub...unless there is a huge difference in cost. I like the personal attention and close-knit feel of LACs.</p>
<p>are you sure rice has a higher percentage of students getting into grad/med school than ucsd. i was under the impression ucsd has one of the highest med school admit rates of any school in the country.<br>
-also saying that uc's, especially top uc's like ucla and ucsd are similar or looked upon similar to u or oregon and u of washington, well i think that is somewhat of an insult to the uc's. but again that is personal opinion. i believe most people on cc wouldnt consider u of oregon anywhere near schools like ucla and ucsd. an argument could be made for u of washington. but i think the us news rank backs me up. i agree though with you that public schools on the east coast, even high ranked uc's, are seemingly looked upon not as prestigious as privates, likely because most publics on the east coast cant compare to their privates. Yet, top tier uc's are ranked higher than pretty much all schools other than cal tech and stanford on the west coast. </p>
<p>"Maybe there would be less of a difference if you're talking about UC-Berkeley, UCLA, UMichigan, UVA, or UNC."</p>
<p>-theres what, one or two spots in us news public school rankings between unc and ucsd. and in many other rankings ucsd outranks unc.</p>
<p>and a further argument would be location. in la jolla in san diego or in texas. i know where i would rather be.</p>
<p>Like I said....I'm not a big USNews or ranking fan. And, I'm not sure why UO and UW would be an insult.</p>
<p>Rice does produce a larger % of students who go on to grad school.</p>
<p>As for the other universities...look back over the last 15-20 years. The other public schools (including UCLA and UC--Berkeley are consistent)...UCSD, according to USNews is a recent thing....after schools realized how to game the rankings.</p>
<p>BTW, look at the stats at the West Coast public schools...they are all pretty similar, with some exceptions. They all have larger class sizes than privates, larger populations, and they are dependent on public funding. Last I heard, CA had some issues with funding in general, just like Washington.</p>
<p>As for location, that is dependent on the individual. Again, fit is often more important than rank. If rank was the last word, why would anyone go to anything outside the top 10???? Also remember that the top tier in USNews was expanded to include the second tier as well. If they were to do the rankings like they used to....most of the schools outside the top tier (used to be top 30) would be seen as second best...including UCSD. Rice, on the other hand, would still be in the top tier according to USNews.</p>
<p>IB</p>
<p>PS--The privates out east are ranked higher than their public counterparts, because there is a greater empasis on individual attention, small class size, and expansive facilities. Also, they tend to recognize that the undergraduate experience is primary. As for the UC's (Berkeley and UCLA) being great schools I'd agree with that, but not UCSD. It's the halo effect, with so many kids going to a UC school. Can't get into UC-B or UCLA, go to next best. That is why the other UCs become more selective, which increases rank with respect to USNews. You can't seriously think statistically that UCSD is better than Rice. Use the USNews to check for that.</p>
<p>Well, if money were not in question. I would go to Rice. No question. But the fact remains that ucsd is $15k cheaper than Rice per year. Is the extra prestige worth $60k?</p>
<p>"It's the halo effect, with so many kids going to a UC school. Can't get into UC-B or UCLA, go to next best. That is why the other UCs become more selective, which increases rank with respect to USNews."</p>
<p>Can't agree more. Also SD gets quite a bit of funding, tho almost all of it is channeled to research. The only thing that UGs get are state funding (low) and endowments (also low due to ucsd's short history=low alumni giving rates). </p>
<p>Choose SD if you can stay motivated in the campus environment for four years. I'd choose Rice and try to find funding (scholarships,etc)/work over the years.</p>
<p>Rice placement in med school - aprox 90%
UCSD placement - About 47%</p>
<p><a href="http://career.ucsd.edu/sa/PMedHis.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://career.ucsd.edu/sa/PMedHis.shtml</a>
<a href="http://students.rice.edu/students/Default.asp%5B/url%5D">http://students.rice.edu/students/Default.asp</a></p>
<p>Rice is pretty unknown though while everyone has heard of the UC's.</p>
<p>rice is UNKNOWN????????</p>
<p>Who are you kidding?</p>
<p>They are pretty lowkey. Small ugrad and a bit introverted. Realize I never said anything bad about their academics. They are just playing it downlow, like a guy who just robbed a 7eleven.</p>
<p>lol....
Sorry.. I kinda pounced a bit aggressively on that. I get your point.
I like the small atmosphere of Rice and like. Thats why I applied there</p>
<p>Rice is okay but I prefer macaroni.</p>
<p>Actually, both schools have excellent academics, so I think it comes down location and feel of the campus and town.</p>
<p>Rice = Houston, hot and humid.
UCSD = La Jolla, perfect weather and casual - right next to the beach. Ever watch the PGA golf tournament from Torrey Pines? The gorgeous Torrey Pines ocean scenery you see on TV is about a quarter mile north of the UCSD campus.</p>
<p>Ahhh...</p>
<p>what's with the weather? Can't stand SD temperature....prefer the temperate climate of say....northern Oregon myself. Houston is okay but hot as well.</p>
<p>Rice has excellent academics in general, UCSD has very good academics for a state school. Compare the student body info, and thay are not THAT similar....jeez. Compare the weather and they are, at least to those of us who live a bit further north.</p>
<p>PS--as for the $15k difference, I would say it's worth it; but, others would say it is not. It just depends on the fit or how you feel about that.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>Houston is okay but hot as well.<<</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>As well? San Diego is not hot in the first place. Typical summer days are in the low 80s with nice ocean breezes, and a typical winter day is in the 60s or low 70s -- pleasant year-round </p>
<p>In Houston the summer days are 90s & 90s --> temps in the 90s with % humidity in the 90s -- in other words, miserable. That's why they built the Astrodome. Without indoor air conditioning it's too awful in the summer to enjoy a baseball game.</p>
<p>But most students aren't THERE in the summer! You will have some obnoxious heat and humidity in September and May. Otherwise, no problem with Houston.</p>
<p>San Diego, not hot? you're kidding, right?!</p>
<p>My sister actually attended UCSD and she certainly didn't have the easiest time getting placed into a law school. She graduated with honors and had a very high GPA as well. Maybe they just have a better success rate with placing people into medical schools though...</p>
<p>"San Diego, not hot? you're kidding, right?!"</p>
<p>You would be surprised. San Diego (and other costal citys) can be very cool. The ocean really tones down the heat. Check the weather mid-day tomorrow. It'll probably be in the 60-70s.</p>
<p>I've been to San Diego...it's kinda hot, when there is not a strong breeze. Hawaii is like that too...and Hong Kong. A bit humid, but nice when air is circulating...not so nice when it is not. The week I was there last Fall must have been out of the ordinary warm.</p>