How would these colleges be compared for chemical- and Materials engineering?
based off-
difficulty
competition
grad rate
jobs and internships
local fun activities and stuff
food and housing
happiness
diversity and demographics
sports
reputation/prestige
anyone^^^
also social life
location
They’re all wonderful schools. If you are in-state, apply to all three. No sense in comparing now when you have no idea if you will be admitted to any of them. None of them offer an early decision program so worry about it next March (if you are fortunate enough to get accepted to all of them.)
If you are out of state, Cal Poly is the only one that makes financial sense.
also UCSB doesnt have Matsci BS and SLO doesnt have ChemE BS, and only UCB has both but out of the 3 its the one i like the least but still it has best reputation
anyone else^^^^^^^^
compare the schools and can someone also add UCLA in the discussion
they are all great and a quick campus tour would give you the best feel.
They are really selective so, it is a mute point without your stats.
does the workload differ a lot at these schools?
all 3 are very demanding schools, especially in STEM disciplines. Get into all 3, then worry about what’s best for you.
I can’t stress this enough… all 3 are super competitive admits. I encourage you to apply broadly.
Also, all 3 are absurdly expensive if you are OOS.
im in state and also i will apply to all types of schools
how does the learn by doing aspect of SLO make it better or worse than UCLA and UCB?
In the abstract it isn’t but, ‘better’ isn’t that simple.
If you are a book learner, you’ll prefer and perform better at the UCs. If you are more of a hands-on kinda guy, then CP SLO will be a better fit. The colleges offer vastly different student experiences. Assuming you are admitted, you need to spend time on all 3, talk to some students, sit in on some classes then decide what’s best for you. Location too is very subjective. A student that thrives at LA or Berk might hate the smallish school, D2 sports and college town at SLO. While a SLO student loves those attributes.
You really gotta visit. One thing for sure, you won’t ever apologize for a STEM degree from any of them.
The point here is that Cal Poly doesn’t have “big time” college sports, and this is true. However, Cal Poly isn’t actually D2. Schools like Cal Poly, UC Davis, and Sac State are all D1, but they play D1-FCS football (which gets relatively little media coverage or fan interest). It’s D1, but not the same as the D1-FBS football played at schools like Cal or UCLA (which is what you would typically see on TV).
All three schools are difficult to get into for Engineering. You had better have top scores to get into all three schools, especially UC Berkeley which is “Uber” competitive ! You will also have to have some extra money if you don’t get into on campus housing.Apartments are very expensive in Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
As for nightlife, most UCB students either hang out in " trendy" Oakland or take Bart to SF. Weather in Berkeley can be mild and Nov- March foggy and chilly. Santa Barbara is pretty much clear most of the year, with the exception of January/ February when it rains. SLO is North of Santa Barbara. This area starts to get colder around November to about the end of March.
@svcamom Apartments aren’t so bad at UCSB. The university has lots of apartments that are priced $698/month for a spot in a 2 person bedroom. That’s about $6300 for the 9 month school year, a lot cheaper than the dorms. Students are guaranteed a spot in the apartments if they’ve lived in the dorms the first 2 years. If you want a studio in IV by yourself, yeah, it will cost quite a bit more. I think most students in IV are sharing rooms with someone else, so the prices aren’t too far off from the university-owned apartments, but they will be for 12 months.