@rtkumar
I find it quite diverse. The data mixes Asian and Southeast Asian together.
Fall 2022 enrollees:
Asian 43%
Latinx 26%
White 14%
Black 4%
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Thank you! This is helpful!
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You can look up admissions by ethnicity at each campus here
What does your daughter want to do with Cognitive Science? The major, and options available, are very different at those three campuses.
She has not thought that completely through and from where we live and the limited school exposure she thought cognitive science would be the path for her interest in Psychology, biology and neuroscience. So I would like any guidance that you can provide on the options available among the 3 schools.
Do you think BioSci is competitive at UCI? Also, what are the cons in attending this school?
UCSD has been known as having one of the top Cognitive Science programs for decades (from back when Cognitive Science was first becoming a major). I think you’ll also find that it would likely top the rankings (compared to UCI & UCD) for neuroscience and biology, I don’t know about psychology. UCD is also great at bio, but I think it’s strongest in animal & plant bio (one of the best in the world at that). And UCI is definitely moving up the ranks (as many rankings have a reputation component, it can take a while for rankings to catch up to the current reality). Just as a quick comparison, I looked at USN global rankings and UCSD is 11th in the world for Neuroscience & Behavior; 7th in the world Biology & Biochemistry; 25th in the world in Psychiatry/Psychology. By comparison, UCI is 46th for Neuro, 160th in Bio, and 39th in Psych. And, UCD is 97th in Neuro, 38th in Bio, and 32nd in Psych. As you can see from those rankings, probably not much difference for Psychology, but if she’s leaning towards the neuroscience/bio end of cognitive science, UCSD is probably the best fit academically.
I believe both UCSD & UCD would be less of a “commuter” campus than UCI, however I don’t know the stats on that comparison. But my understanding is all three have very significant populations living on-campus or very near to campus these days.
Biological Sciences is competitive at all the UC’s since many Pre-Professional students major in Biology to cover their Medical, Dental, Pharmacy school pre-req courses. A Con for some students would be a Pro for others. A quieter campus but great location near beaches and plenty of activities in an urban area.
According to the CDS: 77% First time Freshman live on-campus while 23% commute. After first year, on-campus living drops to 42%.
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UCI doesn’t have as many options for concentrations as UCD or UCSD. Cognitive Science at UCI is housed in the department of Social Sciences. In our experience, that created a limitation for students who were considering a career in health sciences.
I see that your daughter has quite a few acceptances and is waiting for more. Has she narrowed it down to just these three schools?
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We are OOS from Seattle. My son will be choosing UCI for CS. I am also worried about the UCI being the suitcase school. Not sure if there will be enough to do on weekends? And if choosing a more traditional campus will be beneficial ?
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UCI is 1 hour from LA, 1.5 hours from San Diego and 15 minutes from the beach. I would think there is a lot to do in that area. The campus is beautiful and borders Newport Beach. I’ve heard the suitcase idea as well but did not get that feeling at all when we toured. Students looked happy and a lot of diversity. Dorms looked nice.
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I’m a little confused about the causes of commuter school wrt UC Irvine even with 2yrs of guaranteed housing.
UC Berkeley is within the Bay Area with a lot of BayArea high schoolers joining but it is not considered a commuter school even with housing issues etc.
UCLA has guaranteed housing & lot of outsideof LA students, so that’s understandable.
Where are you from ? Is your kid choosing UCI ? Which major ?
Irvine is the tech mecca in Orange County. My student is choosing between a few UC’s of which Irvine is one of them, we are LA area. Not a CS major.
Just adding to things to do for others who do not live as close:
Irvine Spectrum- shopping/food/movies/escape rooms/Dave and Busters- 10 min away
Sports- Honda Center(Anaheim Ducks hockey) and concerts- 30 min away
Angel Stadium baseball- 30 min
5 Points Amphitheater in Irvine- concerts- 10 min
Balboa Island in Newport- paddle boarding/kayaking, 10-15 min
Newport Back Bay- hike/bike- 10 min
Disneyland- 30 min
Really so much to do along the coast. Irvine is a suburban area where the school is but an urban area if you look at the big picture.
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Also have a Seattle senior who may opt for UCI CS too! Our impression is there is a lot to do there…but we plan to go again for Celebrate UCI next month to check it out some more.
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I agree there is too much to do in LA & OC, only transportation issues if you do not drive. And you’ll be stuck in traffic if you do. 
I would be more worried about not much to do in UCSB (I’m an alumni), UC Davis college towns but even those campuses give a good balance btw the activities & studies.
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How will you compare it to Purdue ?
My daughter is a sophmore at UCI. She is not a partier and is more studious/reserved. We live 1/2 hr away and she never comes home on the weekends. She has a friend group mixed with kids from SoCal, NorCal and OOS, and they spend weekends hanging out trying various ethnic eateries around town, going to the beach, and attending school-sponsored events. She is also very busy with schoolwork, volunteering and research (the 10-wk quarter system is fast-paced), and active in her professional club so she simply doesn’t have the time.
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My student is from the SF Bay Area. There are so many out of area and out of state students there. There is plenty to do. Students just have to reach out and try different actives to find people they connect with.
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A happy and diverse student body doesn’t mean that many students don’t go home on weekends. Students don’t go home because of the dorms.
Yes, there is a lot to do in Orange County but most of the things you listed require three things that college students don’t have - time, money, and transportation.
First year college students tend to spend most of their time on campus, in the dorms, or in the community that is within walking distance of campus.
Many students like that UCI weekends are more quiet. Many become friends with those who don’t go home. However, some students are more reserved and have a difficult time reaching out to meet friends. For some, an active social life is important to them. There is no right or wrong choice. It is just important for admitted students to be aware of campus culture prior to committing.
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