<p>I’m an oos student, and I’ve applied to 5 UCs. Berkeley, UCLA, San Diego, Irvine, and Davis. The reason that I applied to so many is because I never got a chance to visit any of them, so I would like the options if available. Plus, I know my chances of simply getting into ONE school is very slim because I’m oos. However, I always hear people talking about how oos tuition is not worth going to UCs (around $45 - 50 k a year?)… And I didn’t even realize how expensive it was… I’m pretty much doubting that I will get into Berkeley and UCLA, which from what I’ve heard, are fantastic schools, and probably worth the tuition… however, what about the rest of them? I’m sure they are amazing schools also, but $50 k a year amazing??</p>
<p>Honestly I would say that its still worth attending the UCs just because the ones you've listed are among the top 50 nation wide. Ya, 45-50k is a lot but after you've gone to a UC for a year and gained California-resident ship (I think --- please ask others to varify on this) your costs will go way down (22-25k). You should have also applied to cal states especially SLO, Pomona, Fullerton and LB which are ,on avg, 10k per year less than what the UCs cost.
hope this helped
~amby262roy</p>
<p>UCI certainly has many standout programs and is in several ways ahead of Davis.</p>
<p>The chemistry program (and science in general) is extremely strong. UCI has three nobel laureates in chemistry. UCI just had more fellows named to the AAAS than any other institution in the nation. Today@UCI:</a> Press Releases:</p>
<p>UCI is also prominent in Neuroscience and is one of only a few institutions extensively conducting stem cell research-they're currently in the process of building a huge, new stem cell research facility.</p>
<p>It's creative writing program is consistently ranked in the top three in the country. Same with criminology.</p>
<p>UCI is well known for its computer science program.</p>
<p>The psychology and English programs are consistently ranked in the top 15 in the country. The entire school of humanities is extremely strong, really.</p>
<p>The school is undergoing a period of tremendous growth. There are literally 8 different, huge construction projects on the campus which will be done later this year. The new law school has chemerinsky as dean and many other prominent faculty. </p>
<p>For the sake of brevity, I've omitted a lot but there really are no weak programs at UCI. In my opinion, it's a fantastic school and worth oos costs.</p>
<p>In my opinion: it all depends on your income, family income, and help. If you are going to be straight borrowing 45-50K a year on tuition then I would not recommend it. </p>
<p>All the UC's you applied to are excellent schools and are worth the money if you have that kind of money or even half of it. </p>
<p>Also take into consideration, are you a junior transfer student or will you be starting as a freshmen? Because if your starting as a freshmen then i would not recommend going to any of those schools but if your going to be a junior transfer then I would go back to seeing how much help you can get or how much money you may have saved?</p>
<p>I think only CAL, UCLA, and UCSD are worth the tuition.</p>
<p>I wish you the best and hope things turn out for the best.</p>
<p>If you are able to pay full price - not at all dependant on financial aid or merit aid - and you want to go to school in California, the UCs are an excellent choice to consider (along with the many privates in CA).</p>
<p>A big reason OOS applicants are advised to look at privates instead of UCs when applying to California is because the aid - need and merit - at the UCs is generally reserved for in-state students. OOS applicants who need aid to attend are often very disappointed in the packages they are offered.</p>
<p>I think all of them are worth the OOS tuition, because the University of California is without a doubt the best public school system in the country. The lowest ranking UC's outrank many other states' flagship schools.
In addition the CSU's are also comparable to other states' flagship universities.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the responses. I actually did apply to cal poly also :) And if looking at ranks, I live in Washington State, and I'm applying to UW, which is basically around the same as UCD and UCI. UW is 41 and UCD/UCI tied for 44. UCSD = 35. So far I'm thinking I will most likely go to Cali if I get into UCSD/UCLA/Cal.. But even though Irvine/Davis are good schools, UW would probably be best for my situation- education & finances.</p>
<p>As one who posts frequently that the UCs are not worth the OOS money....IMO, only a few programs are worth it, and those programs are world-renown. For example, Engineering or Chem at Cal. UCLA theater/film. San Diego-bio-engineering. Davis-enology. </p>
<p>Sure, UCI (and even Riverside) have strong chem departments but for the most part, undergrad chem is undergrad chem. You could attend U-Dub, be a star, save big bucks, and matriculate to a top grad school. It's a no-brainer.</p>
<p>I wouldnt try to convince someone to go to UCI for undergrad chem since youre right, theyre all pretty much the same, but for Computer Science, its the only UC that offers a separate school for Information and Computer Science. If the person who wants to go to UW were majoring in computer science instead of education, I would tell them to go to UCI or UCB (even though they dont have a separate school there its still big dept.).
UW is a very good school as well in a very nice area.</p>
<p>I don't really get what would motivate someone to give up in-state tuition at the University of Washington to come to UCSD and pay out of state tuition. I wouldn't say 6 slots in a college ranking is worth over $100,000 difference in cost. Truthfully, I wouldn't even pay that much for Berkeley or LA if I could get in, because it probably means I could get into some excellent private schools that would actually give me aid money.</p>
<p>Not worth it. </p>
<p>Also, someone else mentioned that you could go to school here for a year and then you'll be a resident. Not true.</p>
<p>The top 6 UCs are among the top 10 among state schools along with Michigan, Virginia, UNC-Chapel Hill. Everything is relative depending on your state and choice.</p>
<p>bluebayou - that was my point, they offer it through the school of engineering instead of a separate school of computer science. Its still a great program, its just a department instead of a school.</p>
<p>Dude... Unless money isnt a problem... stay in UW. Trust me it would be alot more worth your money. UC's are good but personally I don't think they are worth 45-50k a year.</p>
<p>I love how so many of you guys are throwing around the "Of course it's worth it, UCs are awesome" statement. UCs are definitely incredible schools, but 50 thousand dollars is a hefty sum to pay. Think about it. Even Ivies and other incredibly expensive privates barely top that price, and at least they have the endowments to offer financial aid that often cuts the price by up to half. The UCs have none of those resources, and even less for OOS, so the amount paid is very close to the list price. </p>
<p>In a recession, I'd be surprised to find any family who could easily just toss out 50 grand a year, for four years. I'm not sure if you'd want to pay that much to go to a school with crowded classes and difficult to obtain courses, among other things. Even Cal and UCLA with all their prestige can't solve that issue. </p>
<p>The other posters listed each UC's high points, and if the school you want to attend is really on the top in its department, then perhaps it would be worth it, but otherwise, I'd advise against it.</p>
<p>Unless you're rich. Then by all means, go for it :]</p>
<p>Could someone explain to me why an undergrad computer-science offered through a separate school ("ICS" in the case of UC Irvine) this should be considered a compelling advantage over, say, UC Berkeley?</p>
<p>I'm of the school of opinion which questions the impact of nobel-laureates (and other 'research superstars) on the quality of undergraduate education. It would be nice of research-grants and funding translated directly into undergrad funding (and quality of UG instruction), but alas, that's rarely true, is it? The school's "overall ranking" and name-recognition (in this respect, UCB/UCLA are the top UCs) have a greater influence on drawing top-caliber students to the school, thereby increasing the caliber of the graduating class's career placement, and hence completing the circle of life.</p>
<p>I more than beg to differ about UCI... if I'm paying attention correctly this past year UCI has made the biggest strife to tie in terms of rankings on par with that of davis and sb... its only a matter of time before it surpasses both of them... perhaps even this year, i wouldn't be surprised 1 bit...</p>