<p>I got admitted to both UCI and UCSB but was wondering which school you would recommend if I were to pursue the path of a Bioengineer. I have taken the tours at both campuses but I am still struggling to decide which school to pick. Here is what I think:</p>
<p>UCI - Great campus, friendly people. Weekends students go back home making the social life dead on Sat and Sun. Did the “Stay Over Program” and really enjoyed the students and their energy. Although they were very fun and easy going, most of the students I met did not seem serious about their education. They could just be lost freshman…</p>
<p>UCSB - Visited on a Sat, so I couldn’t get a good view of the student life. I went to multiple lectures and found all of them very interesting and well done. I believe the professors at UCSB are more qualified and could give me greater opportunities in the future.</p>
<p>Overall I really enjoyed both schools. I am looking to get a B.A in bioengineering and then later get a MBA.</p>
<p>UCSB does have a well known engineering sector, but I've heard more of its electrical, computer, compsci, chem, and mechanical. I rarely ever hear about its BME (biomedical engineering) program. However, as a UCI student, I have found the BME program here to be noteworthy. There is a lot of interdisciplinary work in the fields of engineering here because BME is popular at UCI. EECS profs, physics profs, chem/materials profs tend to teach for the BME program. On top of that, UCI definitely has a more emphasized biology program. As a BME major, you'll be dealing with a lot of biology professors too, so having a notable bio program helps. Lastly, I've seen many BME students research under bio professors so that could be interesting.</p>
<p>UCSB is the better school, both in terms of engineering as well as having the full college experience. UC Irvine is more of a commuter school and stuck in the middle of white bread suburbia. UCSB is “stuck” next to the ocean and beautiful beaches. UCSB rates higher on the official rankings than Irvine, which may translate into better jobs after graduation.</p>
<p>I would tour both and then see which one feels most like “home” to you. Where are you most comfortable? Rankings and the opinions of others is really not the question here… where do you “see” yourself? Its a very visceral thing sometimes… comes down to the “vibe” you sense on the campus.</p>
<p>UCSB ive heard has a very strong engineering program and is ranked higher than UCI in that field but keep in mind UCSB doesnt have bioengineering iono about UCI.</p>
<p>u cant go wrong with either school although surprisingly more of my friends like being in UCSB than UCI</p>