Hey CC, I’m new to this discussion posting thing, so please bare with me.
Alright so here is the dilemma.
MAJORS:
I applied to both UCI and UCSD for Engineering Undeclared. I got the major I wanted at UCI however I got my alternate major at UCSD (Warren) which is Undeclared-Physical Sciences.
**Should I go to UCI which is offering me my Major or go to UCSD and attempt to get into engineering? At UCI will I have to apply for Computer Engineering with the rest of the Undeclared freshmen or do I get some sort of guarantee/priority since I’m already in the engineering school? Also I am not 100% sure I want to do Engineering for sure. 77% sure I do. ORR should I go to UCSD like most of my friends are telling me to, because of its prestige and better opportunities and not worry about my major? I want to do Computer Engineering, which university is the better of the two in that field?
FINANCIAL STUFF:
UCI- Net cost ( I pay out of pocket)- $6,300/yr (Was $9,300 but I got the Discover Scholarship-Lowered net cost by $3,000 for two years)
UCSD- Net Cost- $8,800/yr
Campus:
I visited UCSD on Triton Day and I had mixed feelings about it. It look great, but it seemed massive with all the walking and very intimidating. I have yet to visit UCI (Will do so this Friday)
My Preferences:
I don’t mind commuting to UCI (I live in Corona- 43 minutes away) if it saves me the housing costs. But at the same time would like to stay on campus for the full college experience. I also like the idea of being close to home (extremely family-oriented).
–On the other hand at UCSD ( 1 hour 17 min. away from home) I would be much more independent. I have this irrational fear that if I get sick I’ll have no family or anyone to look after me, and that’s when I’ll curse myself out for picking UCSD— I’m probably being dumb. A lot of my friends are going to UCSD so that’s plus ( I know i shouldn’t be influenced by where my friends are going, but I wouldn’t mind seeing familiar faces).
–UCSD’s Prestige and credibility as on of the top three UCs is really getting in the way of me finalizing UCI. *** Would I look better to an employer or grad school if I were to apply to their organization from UCSD versus UCI?
–Also would it be wiser to go to UCI (following Malcolm Gladwell’s “Big Fish Small Pond Theory”) and do better there because it would have lesser competition and easier classes relative to UCSD allowing me to stand out at UCI in the top tier of students rather than being an average student at UCSD.
–Ideally would like to keep the cost of education down however I believe education is one of the greatest investments someone can make that’ll keep repaying so I don’t mind paying more for a quality education.
**I know I’m all over the place but even if you can answer one question it would help tremendously.
Thanks GUYS!!!
UCSD’s CSE/ECE programs are ranked higher (and La Jolla/San Diego will offer more research and internship opportunities), but the fact that you aren’t going to be in that program right off the bat does make it more difficult. Getting into the school of engineering is not impossible, but it’s difficult. If you’re only 77% sure you want to pursue engineering, though, look into the rankings and opportunities for other majors that interest you.
(All the walking isn’t too bad, most days aren’t as hectic as Triton Day)
Corona still isn’t too far from UCSD! A difference of half an hour should be enough that you can be independent when you need to, but close enough that you’ll still be able to see them when you absolutely need to (my friend from NorCo visits home every two or three weeks). The fact that you’ll already have friends there, plus the likelihood of making new close friends, means you’re still gonna have people looking out for you on campus.
Don’t look at the prestige, both are good schools. Decide which one would beef up your resume better and go from there. A UCSD degree is respected, but a UCI one isn’t anything to scoff at either (and the UCI one is more likely to say “School of Engineering” on it).
UCI is not going to be a significantly smaller pond. If you’d be at the tippy top tier at UCI you’d still be top tier at SD and most other UCs.
Nice philosophy towards the cost.
Let me know if I can answer any other questions for you! Good luck with your decision
Thank you so much groverrohan! I am currently leaning towards UCI because I plan to go to grad school, and I’ve heard that where you start (do undergrad) doesn’t matter as much as where you finish. Do you know anything about the on campus life of either university?
I think it’s important to consider your major, especially since there is no guarantee that you will get into your major at UCSD. If you want to be in engineering, you should go to a school where you are able to study engineering. It doesn’t matter if UCSD is or is not more prestigious than UCI. If you don’t have the engineering degree, it is going to be much more difficult to convince employers that you are qualified for an engineering job.
Have you considered what you would do if you went to UCSD and did not get into the school of engineering? If you would not be happy at UCSD without the engineering major, then I would lean towards UCI.
Time-wise, there’s really not that significant of a time difference. You won’t be stranded if something happens at either place. It’s not nearly far enough that someone couldn’t come help you if there was a serious concern or issue. However, you’re an adult (or nearly an adult). You can handle being sick without your parents there to help you. Figuring out how to take care of yourself is part of growing up, but don’t worry, you would still be close enough that you could go home for a weekend or have help if you really needed it. I wouldn’t consider the distance to heavily.
The ponds aren’t that significantly different at UCSD and UCI that you would jump from being the big fish at UCI to a tiny fish at UCSD. I wouldn’t worry too much about that.
As for the campus, UCSD’s campus was built with walking in mind. You don’t typically have to walk from one edge of campus to the next. The lecture halls are on the edge of each college closest to the center, which cuts down the size of the campus that you would be walking around down tremendously. And besides, walking more is good for you =D UCI’s campus also isn’t exactly tiny, so you’d be walking around a fair amount there was well.
What are you concerned about in terms of campus life? I think both would be pretty comparable in terms of their opportunities to get involved.
I’m faced with a similar dilemma right now. I’m pretty sure that I’m going to take the risky route, but safe route might well be a better option if you’re set on the major.
One small note of warning though: if you do go into computer engineering, double check that you’ll actually want to go through graduate school. I know that many people in CS go straight into industry with a bachelors (with the majority of people who go through graduate school either doing it to become a professor, or for a research position at a company). I would bet that computer engineers go to grad school more often than computer scientists, but it’s still worth checking up on before you make any assumptions.