I got accepted into both UCSD and UCSB and I applied for Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering as my major and alternative major in both of them. I got accepted into UCSD but with undeclared major and for UCSB, I got accepted but into the College of Letters and Science so also not into their Engineering school. I was wondering which school is it easier to transfer into the school of engineering?
call or email the undergrad advisor at these schools for the engineering major you want. Ask about 2014: how many kids applied to change into the major, how many were accepted, what was the gpa cutoff? My understanding is that changing into engineering is difficult, but the advisors should be able to give you specific numbers.
plan B, which admittedly has some drawbacks, is to attend a CC for 2 years and then use TAG to get guaranteed admission to UCSB. UCSD no longer has TAG, although you can apply there for regular admission at the same time you apply to UCSB via TAG; so maybe you’ll face this same choice in 2 years but with an engineering major! If you can’t meet the TAG requirements then you don’t become an engineer, but on the other hand if you can’t meet the TAG GPA then the chances of enrolling at a UC as a frosh and then applying to change majors was probably zero anyway. You can get much of the 4-year UCSB experience if you attend SBCC instead of a local CC; see more at my post http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-santa-barbara/468098-backdoor-way-to-get-into-ucsb-p1.html I don’t know about the CC’s in the UCSD area.
scratch the TAG idea for UCSB UCSB doesn’t allow it anymore for engineering. Davis and Irvine offer TAG for Engineering, but presumably the OP had reasons for selecting San Diego and Santa Barbara