Ucsb or ucla? help

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - GENERAL
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I am 300% completely torn between these two schools. I was unexpectedly accepted to UCLA after receiving a supplement and I have no idea what to do. If there is anyone who attended BOTH these schools and would like to share which one they liked better and why I would hugely appreciate it!! Any advice or comments that could help me decide is very much welcome.

My thoughts on the schools (sorry this is kind of disorganized and rambling):
So I visited both UCSB and UCLA recently, and I was expecting to come out of the tours knowing which one I wanted for sure. Everyone talks about touring a campus and picturing yourself there, and just knowing, and I still dont know what to do. I guess I can picture myself at both campuses. I loved UCLA’s campus, it’s gorgeous and I’m in love with the architecture, but I’m not crazy on Westwood or LA itself. On the other hand, I loved Isla Vista and Santa Barbara. SB is gorgeous which a great downtown and I love the small town/beach town feel of the area. But the actual UCSB campus was okay, like I wasnt crazy about the dorms or the buildings. Of course being right on the beach is gorgeous.
Everyone at UCSB seemed pretty friendly, although I’m not huge on the amount of bikes lol. There was tons of people at UCLA. I AM IN LOVE WITH POWELL LIBRARY. I could probably die happy in that library - I can totally see myself there. On the other hand, I love the beach and the ocean, so I absolutely love that UCSB is right on the beach. I surf a bit now, and can totally see myself out on the beach all the time. UCLA doesnt have as good access to the beach, although Santa Monica is close by, it’s just not the same as SB. I am going into college undeclared. Some of the majors I am considering though include Environmental Science, Marina Biology, and English. I think I want to minor in Film and Media Studies. UCSB does not even have a Marina Bio major and does not have Film as a minor. UCLA has all of these. I’m not really sure what I want to do with my life, but I might want to do something in the entertainment industry, and would it be impossible to pursue that while in school, and NOT be in LA? Could I be successful in that while being in UCSB? I realize that no one can really answer that but I’m just rambling. Also UCLA has sports which I love but I guess I could probably live without.This is probably too long, heh sorry.

I feel like I would be very happy at SB, but I am afraid I will regret not going to LA. Or if i go to LA i will regret not going to SB. UCLA is such a fantastic school, would I be stupid to pass that up? Gah.

ANY comments or thoughts are very much welcome. If you attended could you tell me what you liked and didnt like about the schools? This is random, but any help is hugely appreciated. Thanks!

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I don’t meet either of your requirements for input but I am going to tell you what I think. Go to UCLA. This is not about prestige or location. It’s about having access to some potential majors that you are considering. It would be stupid to ignore that.

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@veelynne‌ We are in bery similar spots, I’m deciding between SB and Berkeley. My situation is similar to yours, and so are my views. I cant decide :neutral_face: . I suppose its a fortunate position to be in, being able to decide between two great universites, but it makes for a stressful decision. Message me if you want to talk about UCSB,UCLA, and UCB

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Hello there, here to offer my two cents. This is my “order of importance” list for schools:

  1. Cost
  2. Majors Offered
  3. Honors programs/special programs/scholarships w/ benefits YOU have been accepted into
  4. Weather
  5. Campus (look/vibe)
  6. Population size of school
  7. Distance from home

Now, this was the list I composed for HS seniors and juniors back at my HS when I visited, but ultimately, different people value different characteristics.

You seem to be stuck on environment, which can be a big thing for many, so let’s take a look at other factors. Did you get any special scholarships for either? Honors programs? Which one is closer to/farther from home? Do you want to go to the smaller school, or bigger one (in terms of population)?

The most important factor is cost. If they are close to each other for you, then you need to consider major(s), which seem to be a big problem for you, as an undeclared student. If you know you’re probably gonna be interested in different majors, then I would advise choosing the school that offers the majors you might be interested in. Otherwise, you end up in a situation like mine where you might consider transferring schools due to a lack of major.

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@NotYetEngineer‌ thanks for the list of importance!! my thoughts: Cost doesn’t matter that much, both schools cost almost exactly the same amount for me. I have like the first two years covered in savings then I’m gonna have to find scholarships and/or loans. I don’t have any honors programs or scholarships or anything from either school. They’re about the same distance from home, around 5 hours by car. In terms of variety of majors UCLA definitely has the upper hand. But I like that SB has a small population. I’ll definitely keep thinking about these things, thanks for the advice!!

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@Word1238‌ I’ll message you!