UCLA vs. UCSB geography major

Does anyone have any advice about UCLA or UCSB as a transfer, specifically for geography? I’ve visited both campuses, and they couldn’t be more different. I’ve lived in SB for community college the last few years and the atmosphere is so calming, I just didn’t make many friends there. I’m from LA county and have always wanted to live directly in the city (even though I’m anxious), but this is a toss up. Both schools have amazing geography programs. I got pretty much a full ride to UCSB and will be in the Promise Scholars program. I got complete tuition paid by Fafsa at UCLA plus a few extra grand of aid. Anyone have any tips on how the schools grade, and how personal it is if I’m a junior transferring in? I also hear it’s almost impossible to park at UCLA if you live off campus, is that the same with UCSB? How are resources are UCLA for students? Thank you so much! I’m so conflicted! And feel free to message me as well:) any advice is appreciated!!

@ohjohnson I’m assuming from your post you attended SBCC. Did you live in Isla Vista or in SB proper? I’m not sure why you mention parking at UCSB, most UCSB students live adjacent to campus in apartments and walk or bike. Housing at UCSB appears to be covered by your scholarship. However if you live more than 2 miles from campus you can buy a parking permit; see https://www.tps.ucsb.edu/parking-permits/student/student-c-permit

As for how personal, you can look at the Schedule of Classes https://my.sa.ucsb.edu/public/curriculum/coursesearch.aspx for Geography classes to see their enrollment. Upper-division classes are numbered 100-199. You can do the same at UCLA. Keep in mind the UCs are large publics. Regardless of which you attend you’ll have one kind of experience if your involvement is just to attend class, another if you make it a practice to go to office hours and join relevant clubs. It does sound like the Promise Scholar program offers a bit more support and access to dedicated counselors, but again it is going to be up to you to take advantage.

It sounds like financially UCSB is giving a much better FA offer since at UCLA you’d need to still pay for housing and food. Avoiding or minimizing debt is a good idea for most students since it allows them to take internships and/or lower paying entry-level positions to get their foot in the door right out of college.

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Are you talking about the Geography program? I would say UCSB hands down unless you have a specific focus in Geography that UCLA is strong in. Feel free to PM me. I teach geography and have a master’s degree from the #1 program in the country.