Torn Between Cal and UCSB

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Santa Barbara
1

<p>Hey Everyone,
I have been driving myself crazy these past couple weeks after I got into both UCSB and Berkeley. Most of the people I have talked to said I was crazy for even considering choosing UCSB over Berkeley, but I don't really think that the decision should be totally based on academic reputation. Can someone maybe shed a little light on the subject and present an opinion?</p>

<p>First: A little about me (not that most people will care, but it may be be a little helpful to people answering)
- From San Diego, spent entire life in sheltered suburbia
- Can be a little socially awkward initially, but it definitely goes away after I start feeling comfortable
- Great GPA and Test Scores</p>

<p>By the way, I feel like going to UCSB will make the transition into college life a bit easier because I am very used to the campus, as I have been coming here for the Family Vacation Center (FVC) every summer since 1999.</p>

<p>Questions:
1. If I go to UCSB, I'll be majoring in Business Economics, whereas I would be majoring in business at Cal. Do you think this will make a significant difference in future employment opportunities? Grad School?
2. How is the spirit on campus? Do people care about clubs or sports (besides surfing) at all?
3. Have you ever come to the conclusion that there are too many d'bags on campus?
4. What, in your opinion, would be the best thing about going to college at UCSB over Berkeley? (besides the beach, the weather, surfing, and hot girls... I'm from San Diego, so I'm pretty used to that already)</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>i think undergrad is more about the experience and what you make out of it. grad school is more about the reputation
i got into USC and carnegie mellon but im choosing UCSB because of financial reasons and also my major, which is not offered at USC or CMU (UCSB is the only school in california that has and actuarial program) and also because i know i can be a very top student at UCSB and i would only be average at CMU</p>

<p>i think UCSB would be better if you want a better experience in college. itd be easier to get top grades and also your business major at berkeley isnt garuanteed. you have to apply to haas after 2 years.
also people say that if you go to a good undergrad you will definitely go to a good grad - that is a myth. i know plenty of people who went to berkeley for undergrad and ended up at santa cruz, or even state!</p>

3

<p>

Well, Haas is kind of a big deal. Business Economics is being phased out pretty soon, and it’s basically just an economics major. In my opinion, doing well at Cal and getting into Haas (no easy feat, as many of my friends there have discovered) would be a bit more distinctive than getting an Econ degree from here. I think getting into Haas is easier said than done, though. I know a few people at Cal who “settled” for an Econ degree there because they didn’t get into the Business major, but I doubt that they’re too much worse off.</p>

<p>If you were to simply end your studies with a BA or BS, then I’d think that your employment prospects would be better with a Cal degree - something I’d consider heavily is the proximity of the school to top companies. Being in the Bay Area, Cal tops UCSB pretty easily in that regard, and I don’t think that’s just my hometown bias showing.

Well, soccer is pretty popular. The UCSB team is good, but I’m not a soccer fan, so I can’t say I really care too much about that. Basketball games get pretty good turnout when we’re playing good teams, too. I wouldn’t say Gauchos are exceptionally supportive of their teams. I go to baseball games occasionally, but those aren’t very popular for whatever reason. I’d say that there is a lot more interest in inter-mural sports than league sports (you can check that out at gauchosplay.com).</p>

<p>As for other kinds of clubs, the Associated Students here (student government) is pretty expansive, and does have a lot of committees for people to get involved in. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that students are more involved in student organizations here than in many other UCs… in our elections last week, we had 40% turnout, which is pretty good for us. (as.ucsb.edu)

I consider one to be too many, but I wouldn’t say there’s an insufferable amount of d-bags here. Personally, I associate bros with d-bags, and I’d be lying if I said that “bro culture” wasn’t sort of prevalent here. As a Business Econ major, I might see more of it in my classes than most other people. (As an aside, at least it’s not Communications! Just kidding… mostly.)

If you’re an outstanding student, I’d imagine that it’s a bit easier to get recognition for that, whether it’s working with professors, getting internships, or winning scholarships. I’d think that it’s a lot less competitive too, but I can’t say whether that’s a pro or a con.</p>

<p>I think I’m a bit harder on UCSB than most people who go here, and that’s why my answer to people’s questions about the school often seem a bit critical. Don’t take that the wrong way, though - I just don’t want you to be disappointed because your impressions of a place were shaped by some random guy on CC.</p>

4

<ol>
<li><p>haas is always going to give you a little bit of an edge…and being in the bay, there is going to be a lot more job opportunities in the surrounding area. however, the degree alone is not going to make you money.plus if you go to grad school, you can go wherever. this means you can end up at cal for grad school after all.</p></li>
<li><p>their soccer team is superb, they’ve won a national championship and the fans are wild! lots of people go out to lacrosse games, which get wild as well, and other various events. school spirit is VERY high on and off campus. of a friday night you can hear tons of drunk people cheering “ole, ole ole ole, gauchos, gauchos” on del playa… pretty fun.</p></li>
<li><p>there are lots of dbags on campus, but there are plenty of chill, down to earth people. just surround yourself with the kinds of people you want to. </p></li>
<li><p>well, cal has great school spirit, great athletics, and a football team, so they are tied or better in these aspects. for me…weather. i HATE rain and the cold, ucsb wins here. plus, there is a big difference in norcal/socal atmospheres; people just have different attitudes.</p></li>
</ol>

5

<p>Very interesting points here… If I go to UCSB, I could definitely end up at Cal for grad school if I do well.
Seriously, my opinion changes every hour. One hour, I’ll be leaning toward Berkeley, and the next, I’ll be leaning toward UCSB.</p>

6

<p>I chose sb over cal.</p>

<p>Your questions answered:

  1. Not if you go to grad school. Going to SB virtually guarantees a (significantly) higher GPA than if you were to to go to berkeley. This results in going to a (significantly) better grad school.
  2. All I know is that they have a good soccer team.
  3. Absolutely not. A few weeks ago when I toured the campus, I had to ask a few students for help while navigating around, and they were happy to help me find my way. That’s not to say there aren’t any D-bags on campus, but I can definitely say I didn’t run into any.
  4. The fact that there is less competition, the environment and the overall chillness of the students.</p>
7

<p>Honestly, I’m considering UCSB cause I didn’t think I had a chance getting into Cal so I didn’t apply but if I did get in I would go there in a heartbeat. My sister went to Cal so I know a bit more about it than most. There is going to be more academic competition at Cal than at UCSB, but your college experience will be much more diverse. You will get to work with many more highly esteemed professors at Cal and high grades at Cal will mean more than at UCSB. The weather is actually really nice in Berkeley, it gets a lot more sun than most of the bay area, although you will get more rain there than in Santa Barbara. Also, at Cal there will be a ton of people from SoCal just because it is such a highly ranked university. You should defiantly visit though, it’s a great school.</p>

8

<p>dude…come to the men’s lacrosse games. f’in wild. good turnout and they’re currently ranked 10th in the country.</p>

9

<p>LMU was a pretty good game, too bad i didnt get to see the chapman game this weekened. was it crazy ckl?</p>

10

<p>yeah the LMU game was awesome man…Chapman was unreal…HUGE crowd very rowdy too haha. UCSB will be going to nationals again in Denver as long as they win their game this thurs. vs. Arizona.</p>

11

<ol>
<li>Business Economics for incoming freshmen is no longer offered, it has been changed to “Economics with Acoounting emphasis”, trust me, I tried to change my major, but it should still be the same course. Career opportunities will definitely not be based solely on what school you went to; when you submit your resume, if you pulled A’s and B’s at SB as opposed to B’s and C’s at Cal, that may give you the leg up with employers. Plus, academic competition will be <em>slightly</em> less than at Cal, which heightens the possibility of graduating with honors, another plus when looking into graduate school or employment possibilities.</li>
<li>UCSB:definitely very passionate about their sports. My sister has been up there for the past 2 years and has had an amazing experience with sports and the spirit of the student body. I went up during the men’s volleyball play-off push against Hawaii (damn it, the difference was a total of 8 points!) and I was pretty into it. Campus spirit runs pretty high as well.</li>
<li>There’s going to be a handful of d’bags at any college you decide to attend. For the most part, people at UCSB are VERY chill, I think it has something to do with the weather :slight_smile: Everyone that I’ve met on campus the few times I’ve gone up are pretty cool, not a lot of douchiness…</li>
<li>Ideology. You will get a greater mix of people at UCSB BECAUSE it has a “lesser” academic reputation. This attracts more diversity; people who (would) have been rejected from Cal may have the option to go to UCSB, and I’m not just saying those who are less gifted academically, I’m saying people who don’t have the time to study enough to get straight A’s all 4 years of high school (which, to that regard, my school had 17-valedictorians-… only a handful got in and our API index is 832 so it’s not like our academics are ridiculously easy…). I know plenty of people that do less than perfect with academics and are GREAT people. Additionally, Cal attracts very like-minded people. I know of people that have decided NOT to go to Cal simply because of how liberal the mindset is. Albeit, Cal DOES have a reputation for being fairly liberal, but in recent years that has waned, so I don’t think the rep influenced these people that much. If you’re the kind of person that enjoys a slew of ideals and ideology, UCSB will be a better fit in that aspect.</li>
</ol>

12

<p>oh you KNOW 'zona is going down. im gonna cal: it 15-9 gauchos.</p>

<p>ps sorry for thread jacking</p>

13

<p>thread jacking? you’re simply answering question #2 ;)</p>

14

<p>seems like ive been thread jacking lately. semester needs to be over cuz im qualifying as a ■■■■■. </p>

<p>FTL</p>

<p>anyhow; op have you come to a closer decision?</p>

15

<p>Thanks for answering Question 2, you guys. haha</p>

<p>@ajdavidson - Thanks for asking! Unfortunately, I have not come to a decision. My parents are making me decide by tonight, or else they’re going to make me flip a coin (kinda cruel, I know)</p>

16

<p>Is there any financial difference between the 2? If there is, and UCD and UCSB are that close, finance might be the decider…</p>

17

<p>Hey! even though you got most of your questions answered. just consider about grad school because my friends go to CAL and complain about how everybody is so competitive and the atmosphere is tense and their GPA is horrible. one of my other friends graduated last year and said she got into a horrible grad school because of her GPA from CAL. </p>

<p>I originally thought of going to CAL but i changed my mind when I know I can just apply there for my grad school and i actually want to have college experiences and have some fun. like how my parents say it, nobody cares about the undergrad. plus financially its better for me and UCSB is an up and coming university w/ a kick ass social scene. </p>

<p>GOOD LUCK ON YOUR DECISION!</p>

18

<p>Well, after intense discussion, I decided that UCSB was the place for me. I’ve been there every summer since I was 8, and I never wanted to leave. I felt like the vibe there was definitely more well-suited for me and I also liked the quarter system much better. Plus, I feel like graduating with honors would probably put me in the same regard as being average at Berkeley. Thanks for answering you guys, and I think I made the right decision.</p>

19

<p>YEAAAAAAAH JART1014! super stoked to have you as a future classmate! GO GAUCHOS!</p>