My DS was accepted to these UCs. We are currently considering a CS Engineering at UCSB and UCI with Regent & Dean’s Scholarships. We have 3 concerns:
How easy is it to sign up for impacted classes at UCSB? I have read some kids complain about this issue. Since he has Regent at UCI, it will be easier to sign up for classes and dorms.
UCB party culture. Is this going to make kids who don’t participate feel uncomfortable?
Also, his main goal is grad school. I have heard that Grad schools require a good GPA and letters of recommendation. Which UC is the best to achieve this goal?
from what I understand, UCSB party culture is there for those who want it, but people who dont party are also numerous and will find each other. there are many quieter, studious parts of campus . also, UCSD is very competitive for STEM which may affect opportunity availability
Your subject mentions UCD and UCSD but you’ve posted in other threads that you didn’t like UCD. Is it just down to UCSB vs UCI?
UCSB has a college town and is a more traditional college experience than UCI. UCI tends to be pretty quiet on the weekends as a lot of people go home. UCI is divided into several colleges. Double check that your priority registration applies to all classes in all colleges or just the college of your major. Three years ago when we went to the honors open house, they made it clear that priority registration was only for the classes in the college of your major. Things could have changed since then so please verify with the school.
There is a lot of partying at UCSB. I don’t think the kids who don’t participate feel uncomfortable. They find friends with similar interests and arrange other things to do on weekends.
@lkg4answers Thank you. We emailed and they replied that the priority window is available for Regent. This is the exact reply:
“Hello,
Priority enrollment means your class registration window will be available at an earlier time than most students. It does not guarantee you a space in a certain class.”
@nella2024 well that doesn’t really answer the question, does it? I do not know how UCI does class scheduling as their website is not very clear. They may have changed their policy or the person presenting at the honors program 3 years ago could have quoted the policy wrong. I don’t want to mis-lead you.
UCD has a pass time when you can sign up for up to 17 units in any college/department. Some (few, mostly upper div) classes are restricted to students in certain majors. Priority registration would allow you to sign up for any non restricted class before other students. The second pass time allows one to sign up for classes that were restricted during the first pass time and allows you to sign up for up to 19 units. UCSB limits the units you can sign up for in your first pass time to 13.5 units. UCSD is similar to UCSB in that they limit you to 11.5 units during the first pass time. Their website says that they also check major, college and class standing in determining registration restrictions.
@lkg4answers Thank you! I just did a search. Reddit has the answer:
“Veteran here, priority enrollment is pretty sweet. Get a choice at the classes I want anywhere from one week to three weeks before most of the campus population. Major restricted classes are still in effect though”
So you are right … However, I looked at the class schedule: we are good. Most of the restricted classes are upper-division, which he doesn’t need to take. All the GEs are non-restricted.
@crisprr We are down to UCSB and UCI. We like the UCSB campus much better BUT UCI has more resources (i.e. teachers). Still trying to decide. Let me know your decision.
I was deciding between UCSB, UCI, and Emory, but UCSB has been pretty much eliminated for me. I liked the campus feel and social setting more at UCSB than any other school but UCI has all the resources I needed (has a med school , not in an isolated location so internships are near by, plus the priority registration w/regents) and Emory is similar to UCI in these aspects.
I was super sad to let go of UCSB since I loved it so much but I think career-wise (I plan to go to grad or med school) UCI/Emory is the smarter choice for me. Now just have to decide if Emory is worth the extra $30,000 per year.
@crisprr For med school, you need a school that will allow you to get the best GPA!!!
My friend’s daughter chose UCD over UCLA and that was the best decision ever because now she has a 3.97 GPA from UCD and can apply to med school with a good MCAT.
I know the program at UCI is rigorous for bio, but I think in terms of premed opportunities it will present more than SB since research is a requirement for honors and the OC area has tons of hospitals for clinical experience.
Since your son is interested in CS Engineering, SB might be a better choice for him than it is for me, because I have heard good things about engineering at UCSB. He could also apply for honors in sophomore year, and if he has enough research experience already, he should apply for the College of Creative Studies program ASAP