UCI vs UCSD

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I've been asking myself whether I should go to UCI or UCSD. At both colleges, I'd be working on a degree in Mechanical Engineering, although I will probably apply to medical school after I receive my degree. So Mechanical Engineering is my backup in case things fall through with medical school. </p>

<p>I know both UCI and UCSD have medical schools, but, from what I understand, its hard to attend a medical school at the same school you attend for undergrad. So if I attend UCSD for undergrad, I'll have a harder time getting into UCSD's medical school, which is a realistic goal (I want to attend JHU for med school, but let's try to be realistic here).</p>

<p>UCSD's annual tuition and room is lower than UCI's, but ultimately money is no object. I live closer to UCI and would prefer to live closer to home just in case I need to run home and pick things up. UCI and UCSD is the difference between a 30 minute drive and a 3 hour drive.</p>

<p>I'm also a fairly lazy person, and UCIs dorms offer much closer placement to classes, whereas UCSD is more spread out. I also felt much more at home at UCI than at UCSD. It's probably just the atmosphere.</p>

<p>Also, in case you wanted to know my basic stats, here they are:</p>

<p>SATI: 2300 (780 verbal 760 writing, 760 math)
SATII: 800 Math 2C, 790 US History
GPA: 3.73 weighted (yeah, its crap, like I said, I'm lazy)</p>

<p>My goal was to attend UCLA, but since I wasn't admitted, I'm stuck with a decision between UCI and UCSD. I'm leaning closer to UCI at this point, but a few people warned me that going to UCI is a big mistake if I could go to UCSD. What do you all think?</p>

2

<br>


<br>

<p>I think that going to UCI is a big mistake if you could go to UCSD.</p>

3

<p>
[quote]

I know both UCI and UCSD have medical schools, but, from what I understand, its hard to attend a medical school at the same school you attend for undergrad

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I'm not so sure about that, there are a lot of harvard grads at HLS and HMS.</p>

4

<p>UCSD is more prestigious than UCI, but UCSD has a very lonely campus. Really likely to get into depression. Well, you have 2300~!!!..-- God.. if you put more effort on your GPA, you could have thrived!</p>

5

<p>UCI is more of a commuter school than UCSD is, go with UCSD, just because it's academically the better school.</p>

6

<p>yeah UCSD has a better academic rep then UCI. but it's whatever you feel most comfortable at. It's not where you got your degree, it's how you use it(to an extent). If you don't like it at all at UCSD, then don't go. I know people who are turning down Harvard because they just don't like it there.</p>

8

<p>congrats on getting into ucsd. go there unless there is something specific you like about uci. ucsd is more prestigious, has better academics, and tougher to get into.</p>

9

<p>I'm a little shocked that you were rejected from UCLA with your (mostly) stellar stats... I would choose UCSD, which offers more in the way of both a Mechanical Engineering program and a pre-medical preparation. Anyways, the away-from-home atmosphere of UCSD will help you thrive as a college student. You need to ditch the laziness habit, because the curves are unforgiving to those who don't put in at least a few hours of study per day. :rolleyes:</p>

10

<p>Hello. I am also deciding between UCSD and UCI. I have visited both campuses. I admit that UCSD is better academically for my major ( bio/chem). However, UCI seems to be more fun, while UCSD is just too calm. (seriously calm and LONELY). Which school should I go to?</p>

11

<p>I’m have to make a same decision. My case is a little more complicated though because my GPA at UCI will be 3.7 but at UCSD 3.3 (mechanical engineering) I don’t know how the GPA will effect the job market after graduation and if it worth to go to UCSD with lower GPA. If I had same GPA I would definitely go to UCSD although I live in Irvine because there is a big gap between then in academic ranking and specially for engineering majors UCSD is more preferred usually.</p>