Hey all! Not sure if this is the right place to post and if there’s already a thread on this please share with me, but I was recently admitted off the waitlist for UCSD and I am now unsure of where to go. I’m already committed to UCSB and have found a roommate, visited, etc. and loved the campus. However, UCSD was my top school out of the UCs I was waitlisted/accepted into and I am now reconsidering. I got into 7th college (which many of my friends are also in) and am an incoming history major for both schools. I’m planning on doing pre-law, but I don’t think that really matters for either school? If anyone could give input on their experiences at either school, that would be amazing. I know college is a personal decision and I will be visiting UCSD this weekend to make a more informed choice, but I would love to hear any thoughts or opinions! Thank you
Being pre-law (where college GPA and LSAT score are the most important factors for getting into law school) may affect choice of college in the following ways:
- Grade inflation or deflation at different colleges. But neither UCSB nor UCSD has much of a reputation for grade inflation or deflation relative to the other.
- Cost, because law school is expensive. If UCSB and UCSD are similar in cost, then that may not be a factor in the decision. But if one is much less expensive than the other, that may matter.
- General education requirements. If one has requirements in subjects you struggle to do well in, but the other does not, that can matter at the margins in terms of your college GPA. This is assuming that you will choose a major that you like and will do well in.
- Anything else that may affect your ability to achieve a higher college GPA (e.g. how happy you are likely to be at one school versus the other).
Yes, thank you, I had considered the first three things you mentioned (in regards to the pre law aspect), but never thought about the last one! I’m 90% sure I’ve decided to go to UCSD mainly because I was so much happier to hear about the decision compared to UCSB, but thank you for your input.
The education is going to be comparable at these two as are the strength of your fellow students. So IMO the decision comes down more to intangibles.
San Diego is a beautiful area but the school has limited housing; the result is many students after frosh year end up living in areas like Pacific Beach or Mission Beach and commuting to school so that’s the vibe of UCSD.
At UCSB students live on/near campus, and with friends a walk or quick bike ride away will have much more of a college feel. The water is a bit on the cold side for swimming though.
You mention having friends at UCSD (it sounds like more than at UCSB) but I wouldn’t advise making a decision based on that. At either school you’ll be around 20,000 kids your age and you’ll find plenty of friends. Frosh in the dorms are particularly open to meeting new people. And consider that college is a chance to make a fresh start; many people relish the idea of breaking out of the mold they were in back in HS. Even if neither you nor your friends are thinking of this now, plans change. An example is the Turkey Drop.
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