Okay. I 100% regret choosing Cal. I am also 100% positive that if I e-mailed UCSB (I was accepted but declined) begging them to let me attend in the fall they’d e-mail back with a big fat NO. But part of me wants to try, just to see. If I can’t do that then I’ll most likely withdraw from Cal, wait another year and reapply to UCSB. It’s not something I want to do because I’ll be kicked out of my house and have to fend for myself, but I could manage. So can any of you provide some insight about my predicament?
What has made you regret your decision before even attending?
Call UCSB and ask. The worse they’ll say is no.
If the answer is no, apply again in the Fall, TAG, and go there next year.
I’m really sorry about your housing situation, do you have somewhere to stay?
- I was just told that I’m most likely not going to have campus housing, which was something I was really counting on.
- The campus itself is horrendous. On my first tour I didn’t think it was that bad but after walking alone during Calso I realized how much I hated it. My feet were bleeding by the end of the day despite wearing good walking shoes.
- A lot of awkward people
- Cold. And no, I’m not from SoCal so I don’t live in perfect weather to begin with.
- The city itself is ehh
I don’t want to alarm you, but the walking thing is pretty much at every UC.
That’s too bad, I’m sorry. What makes the campus so bad in your eyes? Just because it’s big? Because your classes won’t likely be all that far away from each other. Besides, you can get anywhere on campus within 10-15 minutes, and that’s if your classes are on opposite sides, which is unlikely.
It’s really not that cold. It’s pretty moderate all year long. I can’t argue with you about the city itself, I don’t like it too much myself, but you get used to it. Hope everything works out for you.
It’s not the amount of walking that bothers me but the hills you have to climb to get anywhere. UCSB is a nice, flat campus which I have come to very much appreciate.
Have you called UCSB?
No, I’m going to call admissions in the morning right when they open. I’m actually starting to seriously consider applying to UC Merced for spring semester, since I live in the next town over.
Hmmm, well if you aren’t happy, but I don’t think the berkeley campus is that hilly or overwhelmingly big. You want big, you want hills, try UCLA! Berkeley grows on you, and I’m not sure CalSo is a good representation, but that being said, if you really don’t want to go, then now is the time to withdraw.
I would reach out to UCSB. If they say no, just wait a year and reapply. Once you’re at Merced, you’ll have a harder time transferring, although you might want to stay there. I have a soft spot for Merced. And it is FLAT! :))
@lindyk8 the hills at UCLA are no joke. I now understand why all the students have really nice legs, I walk at least 2 mi to and from class/parking, and up and down tons of stairs! :))
@luckie1367, Yeah, I’m still trying to figure out where the hills are on the berkeley campus. :). Going to and fro from the UCLA housing hill will sure get you in shape!
Davis is completely flat. Flat campus equals 40,000 bikes!
Yeah, gonna admit, some of these bikes are out of hand. As we were discussing recently, you take your life in your hands walking across the Stanford campus.
I don’t know, I think you would seriously regret turning down Cal for Merced because the campus isn’t flat enough…flatness must be a huge priority for you. That’s not a shot at Merced, but that just strikes me as such a strange reason.
@music1990, I was thinking the same thing - Berkeley to Merced. As a parent, I am wondering if OP, you may be getting cold feet moving away from home. It’s understandable. Everyone goes through that. If that is the case, I wouldn’t make a hasty decision. I cannot tell you how many kids last year felt that way, and frankly even felt that way the first month or so – and then it all turned around. I hope you give it a bit more thought.
I don’t think Berkeley is appreciably colder than Santa Barbara on any given day. In fact, much of the summer the reverse is probably true. But, it is unfortunate you didn’t discover your aversion to hills before turning down UCSB.
Though flat, the weather and air quality are pretty awful in Merced much of the year. Davis gets a more reliable delta breeze on hot days and the tulle fog doesn’t stick around as long…
You are clearly really bright but, are kinda stuck and kinda late. You have options, including a gap year (though no guarantee you’ll be admitted to UCSB next year). I get the feeling you’ll have a tough time selling a gap year at home.
You could attend a CC then TAG to UCSB with Jr status. I bet you’ve got a ton of AP credit so, you could accumulate the 60 required units in a just a year. This is probably the path of least resistance - and you could sell it as a money saver… parents dig that.
If you are really going to get kicked out of your house for backing out of Cal, you probably should go. Look into a transfer as soon as you can.
I hope you find what you are looking for.