<p>I’m am stuck with this decision that has been stressing me out lately, and wanted to see what others would do in my situation. I want to hear from others their experiences with UCR and UCD. Im going in as an B.S. in Psych. Planning to full fill my premed requirements as well, and eventually go to a med school. I have been trying to find pros and cons. I currently live in orange county.</p>
<p>These are the major factors that are making it difficulty to choose, as i believe both are great schools, even though UCR has a lower reputation I still believe academically it’s a great school education wise.</p>
<p>So far for UCR:
Close to home
But reading reviews Riverside is not an ideal place to live; smog, crime, homeless population, gangs
I understand crime is every where, but i was kind of sheltered as a child. I am not afraid that much, but i am afraid of having to be worried about some one hiding behind the bushes with a gun. i also want to be able to know i can sleep at night without some one breaking down my door.</p>
<p>UCD:
Pros:
ranked higher then UCR
has a pretty good college atmosphere
Cons is that its too far from home. Boring atmosphere.</p>
<p>I know college is what you make of it, i just wanted to get some insight of how both of these colleges are. I will be visiting them. But i want to know living wise how was it for you guys? and how are the professors? also students.</p>
<ul>
<li>NOTE that i am not asking you to make my life decision for me, i just want to know some of your experiences with either of these colleges. and why you made that decision. *</li>
</ul>
<p>Considering your from OC there is a high probability you will dislike UCR. Its extremely hot (nothing like OC) and as you mentioned previously, the surrounding area is below satisfactory. I haven’t been to UCD, but I do know it is consistently sought after for its academia, but I have also heard that is literally is in the middle of nowhere. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about which school necessarily has the best program either. I’m not saying your undergrad is useless, but what matters most is what grad/med school you attend- That is where a lot of the career success will come from (There are some exceptions; For example, Berkeley and BusEcon/BusAdmin are obviously favored). This is something we are constantly discussing over on the UC transfer subforum. The general consensus is that, for majors in the math and sciences, it is looked at to see if you attended a UC over a CSU, not which specific UC you attended.</p>
<p>JeSuis has a point- College is definitely what you make it. If you’re into the social scene, then you will naturally gravitate towards it. If you’re a shy individual, then college probably won’t be all that exciting, but not because there is anything wrong with the college per say. I will add as a side note UCR has somewhat of a reputation of being a commuter school, so that could possibly influence the social scene there…<em>possibly</em>.</p>
<p>Anyways, these are just my thoughts. As you mentioned above, it is probably best to go visit both schools before making a decision. Good luck!</p>
<p>I would agree that you should visit both schools before you make a decision.</p>
<p>Sounds like you are more familiar with the UCR area. My son attends there, and there is some truth to the concern about certain areas, but you will find that in any town. He really likes it there though.</p>
<p>UCD is a great area. It is a small town, but is a great school.</p>
<p>Both will be fine if you are pre-med, since both will have med schools eventually.</p>