UCLA vs. UCSB (honors program)

<p>I got into psychobiology for ucla as a freshman and pre-biology for ucsb. I’m not sure whether i’d go to grad school or not but i’m mainly looking for the whole college experience. I want to be able to have fun my four years of college while being able to work hard and get a job after. Any insight is much appreciated. </p>

<p>I went to both, long ago. You can’t beat the UCSB college experience, and my niece who graduated fairly recently (she is about to graduate from medical school now) felt the same. UCLA now has a lot more housing on site so it may not be as much of a commuter campus as it was when I graduated from there, and it has a ton of educational opportunities and is more widely known than UCSB, particularly outside of California, except in discrete subject areas. If it were me and particularly if I knew I were going to graduate school, I’d go UCSB and maybe transfer later if it works out and if I still wanted to (that is actually what I did.) UCSB, being focused on UNDERGRADUATES has a ton of opportunities for undergraduates without as much competition from the (relatively fewer) graduate students, also. You can certainly go anywhere for grad school from UCSB. However, if the incremental prestige of the name matters, UCLA has that edge, and also has a very nice campus. (And a football team! Although not always one to cheer about :confused: )</p>

<p>When I transferred, I had majored in sorority my first two years, not disastrously, but I vaguely intended to write the Great American Novel, and had nearly straight Bs at the end of my first two years. I wanted a visible break to increase ultimate law school admissions chances when I changed gears. However, I wouldn’t do my first two years differently if I had it to do again, they were amongst the happiest of my life.</p>

<p>I am not saying there was anything wrong with UCLA, it is a pretty campus, and a great education, but my life wasn’t focused on being a UCLA student, the way being a UCSB student was a lifestyle. Likely part of that was the difference between being a freshman and being an upperclassman, though.</p>

<p>Best of luck, whatever you decide! </p>