UCI vs UCSB vs UCD for poli sci

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Irvine
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<p>I'm a prospective UC student, and I'm hoping for acceptances into these three schools. Hypothetically if I got into these three schools, I would have a hard time deciding between which one would be the best for me. (Obviously this is a hypothetical situation, and if I get rejected from a campus, it will make choosing easier. I also got accepted into a few other schools so I do have safeties). </p>

<p>I am hoping to major in Political Science and minoring in music. I want to go to the school that has the best reputable humanities/social science department. </p>

<p>I haven't researched on the social science departments at these schools, and for that matter, I have no idea how reputable the programs are for each school. My ultimate objective is law school however. </p>

<p>I live in Irvine, literally 4 minutes away walking distance from UCI. I do like the city, but also I am kind of sick of it and I want to live somewhere else for a change. I have nothing against the school however, in fact I really like it. I probably would not dorm at UCI if I chose to go there, as it would be the best economic choice for my family (at the expense of my social life). But it seems that UCI has a better reputation overall than UCD and UCSB, but I don't know if it's better than those two schools in Political Science. In essence, I want to get out of Irvine, but if UCI is the best school in Poli Sci, I'd be down to go there. Since this is UCI's forum, how would you rate the poli sci program there?</p>

<p>I really like SB's location and campus. It seems to generally have a good reputation, but overall it seems worse that UCD and UCI. I've heard that social life adversely affects academic life, and if you're serious about maintaining a good gpa, then UCD and UCI is better. I still like this school, and for its campus and location, I would be really happy to attend this school. And if it is deemed the best school at political science, I would go for sure. </p>

<p>UCD is the school that I know little about and have not visited. Apparently in rankings, it has been with a stalemate with UCI, although it recently surpassed both UCSB and UCI. Still, I've heard that UCI has a better reputation overall. I'm not concerned about social life, seem UCI seems pretty dull and I'm sure that UCD is better. </p>

<p>I'm really active in music too, and that will be a factor. But right now, i'm more concerned about the poli sci programs at these respective schools. I don't think these schools have a HUGE difference, but which one do you think has the best poli sci program?</p>

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<p>wait until you see what schools you get into, then come back and ask; unless you’re the kind of kid with 4.4 gpa and 2300+ gpa, etc. </p>

<p>dont count your eggs before they hatch.</p>

<p>that, and try to visit the school at some point. you could easily drive to sb on a thur night and come back on a friday/saturday. davis, you would probably have to fly and some other stuff.</p>

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<p>Im a first year poli sci student at UCI.</p>

<p>Advice: dont pick your school based on major. You might change it and then youll be stuck there. Pick it based on the school, location, weather, campus, and facilities.
Things will probably seem a lot different when your actually a student so don’t pick based on prestige (these school are pretty much the same anyway.) so try to focus on things that are important to you and where you’ll be happiest.</p>

<p>UCI= beautiful weather, people, and campus and great location compared to the other too esp. for concerts.
Its fun if you look for it (and if your a fun person.)
and like you said will be better financially.
IMO its not worth to dorm if you going to the other two (since the dorms are uglier than UCI).</p>

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<p>yeah i agree with indiowho you should choose a school based off how you like it when you visit. however, you should always dorm, even if the dorm is “ugly.” dorming is the perfect college experience, and plus your a kid, you can accustom yourself to any “ugly” dorm. its not even that bad. dorming is fun. def dorm</p>

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<p>^ i couldn’t agree more. don’t choose a school based on your major and choose it based on whether or not you’re comfortable and know you’ll enjoy studying there. like what xcrunner1478 says, you’ll accustom yourself to “ugly” dorms and i concur as i live in middle earth and even though we don’t have big rooms like in mesa, that just means we’re closer :slight_smile: . the dorming experience is the absolute best in UCI as I don’t hear much from my friends in the other UCs because they just live in suites(which limits the establishment of friendships to only a few people) or their floor can have 100 residents lol and are forced to join clubs are go greek/asian and party for most of their college lives. I’m not saying that’s bad, but it takes away from the real dorming experience :D. At Irvine it’s just right. You get to love your hall and the people in it. It does become your second home.</p>

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<p>I agree with the others about choosing a school based on campus life… However, I bet you probably still would want to hear about the Poli Sci department at UCI.</p>

<p>I have been really impressed with it so far. The lower div PS classes that I have taken have all been extremely interesting and well taught. I appreciate that there is a huge range of courses to choose from. Whatever area of PS that you are interested in specializing in, you emphasize in that, and they have a lot of options of different courses to take for your emphasis.</p>

<p>Another really important detail is the amount of opportunities on campus. I was able to get an internship as a first year, not far from campus. I know people who have more than one internship at a time. You’re from around here, so you probably know that the location is perfect for all of these internships in the field. Also, there are always people coming to campus to speak who are important in the political and international world. </p>

<p>Since you are interested in law school, there are so many resources on campus to hook you up with the information you need to get in. Also, we just opened a new law school that is supposed to be pretty impressive from what I’ve heard.</p>

<p>I remember when I was deciding which college to go to, I researched all of the PS departments too, and I think I came to the conclusion that UCI was very well-respected and had one of the best ranges of classes available.</p>

<p>Feel free to ask me if you have an specific questions about the department or anything. And good luck!</p>

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<p>I absolutely disagree with most of the posts on this thread. The purpose of attending a school is to achieve the most knowledge possible in your respective field. The caliber of a program is essential in terms of this process. I suggest you contact the university and schedule a tour, speak to the polyci professors, ask the students about political activism at the campus, and inquire about the admission rates from each campus to the law schools your interested in. The comfort of the environment shouldn’t be the primary factor (though a factor) if your greatly passionate about the subject of study and field you intend to go into.</p>

<p>UCI= law school #6 in the nation exclusively based on quality of professors
UCSB= Political Science is greatly research oriented
UCD= Excellent internship opportunities</p>

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<p>Seriously though who does that…
when deciding between THESE 3 schools it doesn’t make much of a difference… The world does not function in such a methodical way, they’re not going to be like “UCI? I heard the political science department is much better at UC-XX”… Although I agree that the political science department is better at UCI, lets be realistic it wont make a huge difference in the real world to employers or if continuing education what UC you graduated from. A political science degree (or any degree for that matter) from UCI, UCD, UCSB is pretty much equivalent. UC schools are UC schools and the quality of education from one campus should (and does not) vary much from one campus to another. If you take a look at the general education and degree requirements at these schools you’ll find that they are almost identical. </p>

<p>and to address the issue of political activism on campus, this is an independent variable because it does not interfere with quality of education being received. There are plenty opportunities at each of these campus and if not there are many outside and programs to help you become involved with these. Whether students choose to take advantage of them is another matter. What I mean to say is that just because opportunities are at a campus does not mean they will be handed to you anywhere you go.</p>

<p>I agree with everything posted by xcrunner1478, MarciMar91, and violetbelle.</p>

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<p>The quality of academics and the quality of particular majors define schools in the United States and around the world. Potential college students evaluate schools on the basis this quality and elect a school accordingly. If this wasn’t a factor and the environmental factor was the primary motivator, this post wouldn’t exist, aspiring architects and engineers’ wouldn’t have the same multitude of interest in cal Poly, and places like Harvard and Yale wouldn’t be renowned schools. The caliber of the UC programs are not equivalent therefore one should take the necessary measures to develop the most knowledge about a program before deciding which school to attend. The environmental conditions are important, but quite frankly if they were as important as the other posters say they are then the schools in paradise would be the most applied to. </p>

<p>Personal contentment at a school cannot be achieved if you regret choosing a mediocre program, and it is insulting to disregard someone’s question and deem it frivolous.</p>

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<p>to the OP: i am currently a poli sci major at uci with plans to apply to law school in a year. </p>

<p>honestly, the school or department doesn’t matter. pick the school based on other things; this shouldn’t make or break your decision. </p>

<p>as for the department itself at uci; i really do enjoy it. i hated the lower division classes, but all the upper division classes are far more interesting and every professor i’ve had has ranged from adequate to outstanding.</p>