travel and internships

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

Hi long time lurker, first time poster.
I have been accepted to UCI, UCSD, and UCSB as an econ major. I’m interested in working finance/consulting in Los Angeles (UCLA was my dream school :frowning: and as im sure you know I have to SIR by Monday.

So here it goes:
I was born and raised in Costa Mesa, so ideally I’d like to get out of O.C. but I also want internships and jobs lined up when I graduate so If Irvine offers the best of what I want I don’t mind staying.

Although UCSD is “ranked” higher than the other two schools their OCR is poor at best for what I want to do, and for the city I want to do it in.
How is OCR for UCSB? do banks recruit there?
From what Ive seen UCI gets the best ocr for these three schools, but UCSB has the best travel abroad program.
As my name and post title imply, i’m very interested in travelling abroad. multiple times.

How many quarters am I able to travel abroad? I was reading something where at UCSB I can even spend winter break in another city volunteering, can I do this at UCI or SD? If I study abroad in the spring, is it common, through hard work and networking, to get offered an internship in the said city over summer? How likely is it to get into your top choice city for study abroad?

My personal thoughts are:
UCI best ocr and placement in oc/la
SB doesn’t do “too bad” and their travel abroad program is better
They especially have a program with a University in Barcelona, my top choice city, something that UCI doesn’t seem to have.
SD is “more prestigious” whatever that means, but they don’t get ocr like the other two schools
I know I’m a little scattered, I’m just trying to narrow my choices and have very limited time left.
Thanks for any insight

2

I have yet to see a lot of on campus recruitment at UCI haha. There are a few job fairs here and there but it is not a big deal by any means. There is a career center and zotlink, where you can find postings for jobs and internships, but a lot of people search for jobs on their own for the summer and beyond graduation and whatnot. It takes initiative to get a decent job, as well. The study abroad program is fairly standardized across the UC system through UCEAP (http://uc.eap.ucop.edu/home). You won’t be at a disadvantage for choosing one over the other in that respect. I did some searching on that website and it does look like you can go to Barcelona if you choose to attend UCI.

3

Hi @fncrane, are you econ? biz econ? I did a quick search through linkedin and saw quite a few students in banking (mostly mm) and I’ve heard that Deloitte recruits quite often. Or am I misinformed?

4

I am biz econ with a math minor at UCI. I haven’t heard anything about them recruiting but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t actually happen.

5

If you don’t mind me asking, what other schools were you accepted to, and why did you choose UCI over the others?

6

Hahaha I’m actually trying to transfer out of UCI, currently on the waitlist for UCLA. I originally chose it out of high school because it had the best physics program out of the schools I got into (physics was my original plan…lol).

7

Oh hahah well good luck with UCLA!

Also, is there a reason most students only study abroad for a single semester? (financial costs? etc)

8

Mostly for financial reasons - it can get expensive. It can also be hard to find enough classes that will count for your major/minor/GE’s if you’re abroad for that long, and there’s the issue of quarter vs semester units because most foreign universities are on the semester system.

9

If anything, most schedule their second study abroad to begin the summer after they graduate when it doesn’t affect their unit standing but they are still considered a student for financial aid purposes. Additionally it allows them to test the waters for international employment since they already received their degree.

I’ve also heard about MBA hopefuls doing this and coordinating it to their advantage. For instance spending a semester at the University of Copenhagen which is a short ride away from the Copanhagen Business School or National University of Singapore which is a walk away from INSEAD Asia.

10

Also, some degrees/majors have certain required classes that can only be taken at a UC.

Or, so many units need to be ‘in residence’, meaning taken at the UC.

11

So for argument’s sake, let’s assume money isn’t an issue (it is, but I just want to have a clear understanding and get my ideas on paper)

If I find programs that fulfill my course requirements I can study up to a year through UCEAP? But I can also study under different programs not directly endorsed by the UC system?

For example, If I spent my first semester at my uc then winter/spring went abroad, through IOP found a summer internship over seas, and then I can either stay my last year at uc then travel abroad the summer after graduating OR do a non-endorsed uc travel abroad program in the fall i.e: semester at sea, then stay at uc for my last spring/winter quarters, and still study abroad the summer after graduating over summer?

@luckie1367 I looked at I/SB and can’t find a fixed amount of units required “in residence” but thanks for the tip!

Keep in mind, I am doing my own research as I apply, I don’t want ya’ll to think I’m being lazy and looking to be spoon fed answers. lol

12

@ActuaryorBust Thats really clever thanks for that! Are you aware of the start date for full time offers upon graduation? I’m assuming it’s after summer if study abroad is a popular option post graduation

13

I think a UC study abroad is considered in residence. But I’m not sure.

14

I believe while all UCs offer similar programs they have different policies on when you can go.

For SB/I it doesn’t look like there are required quarters at the UC although it may be difficult to get into a program for my first quarter.

http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/Pages/TransferStudents.aspx

Should I take into consideration that at UCI/SD I would be competing with business majors and bizecon majors where as at SB I would typically only be competing with other econ majors for jobs

15

If you only spend one quarter at your new school and then study abroad, you might find it hard to get settled there and make friends, etc. Just a thought. Are you talking about competing for jobs after you graduate or while you study abroad?

16

I assumed I’d study abroad with students from my school? I see your point though. Right, so if I’m an econ major at UCI would recruiters have a preference for merage students first, then biz econ students, and then if there’s anything left, econ students? Or is that an over simplified dramatization?

17

I agree with the point raised by @fncrane, studying abroad as a transfer really truncates the overall campus/friend experience.

18

I don’t think there is a set limit of semesters/quarters you can study abroad as long as it’s within the residency caps:

For UCI it’s 36 out of the last 45 total units. See: http://catalogue.uci.edu/informationforadmittedstudents/requirementsforabachelorsdegree/ under “Residence Requirement”

For UCSB its 20 out of 27 of your specific major required units. See: http://my.sa.ucsb.edu/Catalog/Current/UndergraduateEducation/AcademicResidenceRequirement.aspx

These limits are soft and can be modified with prior approval if you are on a UCEAP approved program. The hard part is getting the faculty to sign off on the approval as at some point it will be hard to give a good rationale to support additional study abroad experiences (Diminishing returns). Also consider how hard it can be to get the exact course equivalents required to meet your graduation requirements. Generally if it will cause you to graduate later than normal, they will be more hesitant to approve–though, as an Econ major, it’s likely easier for you as usually your last semester or two are upper division major concentrations which have some leeway but it still requires a significant amount of planning.

Take careful consideration of your recommend plan. (For example: https://econ.ucsb.edu/undergraduate/Econ_Tranfers_2014.pdf) Looking at UCSB’s plan, if you take Econ 101 in your first Spring quarter, you open up your whole second year for study abroad as it’s all more flexible econ electives.

For instance:

Let’s say you are planned to take 153 (Economics of Education), 171 (Game Theory), and 181 (International Finance) at UCSB. The University of Copenhagen, which is UCEAP approved, hosts all those courses in the fall so all three courses would not count against your residency limit with prior approval. Let’s say you wanted to also take a UoC course on private equity. Since that course does not have a UCSB equivalent, that course would against the cap.

See: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/denmark/Pages/univ_of_copenhagen.aspx

Compare that to let’s say Ritsumeikan University in Japan, which is not UCEAP approved, which all transferable courses you take there would count against the residency cap and is generally not recommended.

As far as employment offers, it really depends on your possible employer and the immigration laws of the country. Generally if they really like you, they usually are willing to hire you right then and there and once an offer of employment is established, then immigration is much easier to deal with. The advantage of coordinating it with a summer study abroad is it minimizes the risk for the company as they can interview you while your there and some even offer to work as an unpaid intern to really explore if its something both parties want to do.

That said, to reiterate @fncrane, your study abroad opportunities will be similar if not the same at whatever UC you choose and it should be more about which program you will enjoy more.

19

I sincerely doubt they would prefer someone else just because of their major. It depends on GPA, courses taken, job experience, what your interests are, etc.

20

You’re also competing with students from other schools. When you graduate from UCI, you’re not competing with other econ/biz econ majors there. You’re competing with the class of 2017 across the country.