<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I had my mind set on UCDavis, and was about to sign my SIR, before i hit the brakes because i found out after financial aid it comes down to $24,000 !
UCSB comes down to $14,000! thats a 10k difference</p>
<p>I live in Norcal, and ucd is only a 1 hour and 10 minute drive from my house, so i could visit my parents on some weekends. The big thing is they have a major at davis that seems perfect: exercise biology. That is nowhere else.
I visited Davis on Decision Day April 6th, a day for freshmen to check it out. I can see myself going there</p>
<p>I want to be a physician</p>
<p>bottom line: is it worth overlooking the 10 thousand dollar difference and going to the school i am leaning towards?</p>
<p>You’re right to take this as a serious issue - $10K is definitely a lot of money.
If you’re this hesitant about it, maybe take a weekend to drive down to UCSB and check out the campus. You never know if UCSB actually is the atmosphere for you until you see it.</p>
<p>I’m sure everyone here will agree that the best college for you is the one you feel most comfortable with. Although you seem to be leaning toward UCD a lot, check out UCSB at least once. See what they might have to offer you academically - maybe in your UCD fervor you overlooked something with UCSB. Talk to the professors and counselors there (if you can’t, e-mail them) and then, after you’ve seen all of the facts, make your decision.</p>
<p>Money should never be a factor in stopping an avid education - despite the $10K difference, I’m sure if you put your mind to it, you can make it work, no matter where you go.</p>
<p>It’s always best to make an informed decision when you can. Good luck. =]</p>
<p>thank you 
is there any benefit to sending your SIR to your choice earlier? Because the longer i wait till May 1st, what if i miss out on something (affect housing, etc?)</p>
<p>What exactly is the 10K difference? Scholarships, grants or loans? Seems unusual that 2 UC’s would be that far apart but then again I’m fairly new to this whole process. If the difference is only loans, UCD seems like it might be the better school for you. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>For $10,000 per year, I would definitely take a drive/train ride down to
Santa Barbara and check it out. It is a beautiful campus and you may just fall in love with
it, too. Academically, they are similar schools.
Please make sure you have checked the financial aid correctly. I agree with
a previous post that it is odd to have such a discrepancy between 2 UC’s. Because
if one has a Cal Grant and the other doesn’t, maybe you just need to add Davis
to the Cal Grant website (or make a call to the financial aid office). Or maybe the
$14000 doesn’t include room/board??
There shouldn’t be any hurry in turning in your SIR - just make sure you don’t miss the deadline, though. Good luck in your decision.</p>