<p>So having been admitted to both, I must make my decision. Now, I know that a lot of you are reading this and wondering how this could possibly be a tough decision for me, considering the prestige of UCLA vs. the party school reputation that UCSB has, but the fact of the matter remains that I've lived in Los Angeles my whole life and desperately want to experience something new.</p>
<p>Money is one issue however. Though I did receive a large amount of financial aid for both schools, $10000 still remains a cost left for me to pay on my own should I choose to get the full "UC package." I know that if I were to attend UCLA, I would opt out of living on campus and dining there to avoid that cost, but if were to attend UCSB I would be forced to bite the bullet and take out loans, do a work-study program, and use the little outside scholarship money I have. I'm having trouble deciding whether experiencing a new life in Santa Barbara would be worth the potential financial trouble later on down the road.</p>
<p>Another issue is grad school. Having been rejected from my dream school, Stanford, I want to apply there again for graduate school. As silly as it is, would the prestige of a UCLA degree verses a UCSB degree affect my admission chances? I know it's not an excuse, but it is something else to consider. I'm considering pursing a field in astronomy, engineering, or genetics. My reading tells me that these may be better pursued later on down the road in a technical school like Caltech or something, but I digress. I'm also considering studying music as I already play an instrument. Of course, these are all just plans and may change in the future, but this my direction for now. So would my goals be impeded at once school vs. the other?</p>
<p>All in all though, being rejected from my dream school turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I get to pursue some activities that I've been wanting to for a while at both schools that aren't available at Stanford, so I'm pretty happy about that. All I need now is a little advice in making my decision. What do you think would be best in my situation?</p>