<p>haha that was a lame joke. moving on....</p>
<p>My college counselor wants me to decide between UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz to add to my college list. I live in Los Angeles, and I'm interested in political science/international relations, that whole bag. Pros and cons of the two UC's? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>There is a huge gap between UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz.</p>
<p>UC SD is considered one of the more competitive UCs and UC SC is considered to be one of the least competitive one. Do you need safeties?</p>
<p>Wow, that was a fast response! No, I don't really need anymore safeties; I'm applying to five safeties already. I just don't know which UC is a better match for what I'm interestd in. I haven't visited either campus, so I don't know what the people are like, what the area is like, how strong the academics are, etc.</p>
<p>I can't say much for the programs... sorry but I have been to both campuses.</p>
<p>UCSC is known for being a party school. It is near the Boardwalk. It is surrounded by trees. It reminds me of being stuck in a forest with buildings hiding behind a bunch of foliage, as you can tell, I don't like it. </p>
<p>UCSD is known for having a strong med school (i know that is not much of a help). Social life varies but I have heard from a friend that the night life is negligible but there seems to be always bonfires gatherings. Also, UCSD has six (not sure about the number) of separate colleges with an specific emphasis. I do believe that my counselor told me something about a school with an emphasis on society. </p>
<p>Grill your counselor on academics of the school.</p>
<p>But with five safeties, I'd say shoot for UCSD.</p>
<p>UCSD - weather is amazing.</p>
<p>UCSD - Political science powerhouse.</p>
<p>Flopsy, do you know which college in UCSD is the political science one? The UC online application is asking me to rank the six colleges, but I don't know what each one's specialties are.</p>
<p>you really need to visit the two of them; are there friends who graduated last year you could visit and stay a nite in their rooms with a sleeping bag?</p>
<p>UCSD tends to be a commuter school in feeling; many students live out in the Pacific Beach area and commute in. Its a great area to live, but you dont' get that college feeling that you might at a school like UCSB where everyone lives on/near campus.</p>
<p>UCSC is VERY left-leaning. If you are just a vanilla liberal its like being a conservative most other places. The pressure for conformity is high. UCSC is one of those love-it-or-hate-it places. For those it fits, they can't imagine any other school. But it does have the highest transfer-out rate of all the UC schools, so plenty of kids are voting with their feet.</p>
<p>Really you ought to visit yourself and spend some time at both to see if either is a fit for you.</p>
<p>why can't you just add both? It's only one application.</p>
<p>but generally speaking, SD is arguably known as the more reputable school.</p>
<p>just from browsing both school's poli sci departments; it appears that san diego does have the better "graduate" program. possibly a good undergraduate program also?</p>
<p>as a ucsc student, i can tell you the liberals here aren't all that militant. people here do not continuously question your political orientation nor are they in your face about it. there is no pressure to conform.</p>
<p>i've never been able to find the statistic about ucsc having the highest transfer out rate. at the same time, i do know that we have the best education abroad program (EAP) out of all the uc's. it's a program where you study abroad for a quarter or more. essentially, you're transferring out of the school temporarily. perhaps this is the reason why i hear this "high transfer rate" thing occasionally.</p>
<p>i'm from los angeles city myself. i'm enjoying it here at sc precisely because of the natural beauty. i take daily walks through redwood trees. i've been within feet of deer. i've biked through praries. i've seen spectaular sunsets from the small hill next to my room. i could see most of the monterey bay from the music center on a clear day. i'm going spelunking. i've been to a harvest festival at a real farm. i've seen the sillouette of a bobcat in the moonlight. rabbits hide in the tall grasses when i approach. squirrels are everywhere. real fluffy clouds in the sky outside my window. strange bugs. not to mention the deer ***** on the grass. all that i've described are just the natural type of things i've seen on campus. i could go on about my fellow students, social life, the cities of santa cruz county, the transportation system, all i can eat in the dining halls, and whatever else. this definately isn't los angeles.</p>
<p>as much as i personally love ucsc, i'd still recomend ucsd to ya because of what you want to major in. academics is the only thing in life that counts, right?</p>
<p>They have very different personalities. Both can have strong programs if you properly take advantage of them, but many people would be happy at only one place and not the other. The decision ultimately depends on you. UCSD probably has a better overall department, but you will face tougher competition, probably have less attention, and fewer opportunities for research if you are at SD. However, you will probably be positively influenced by the stronger student body. Go visit or read as much as you can about them, because they are quite different.</p>