<p>So I am from out of state and I got accepted to UCSD (on Scholar's Day) and UCSB. I am very impressed with both schools, but am deliberating which one to attend. When I was at UCSD for scholars' day, a senior who was leading our tour told me that the social life at UCSD is lacking. I don't need to party 6-7 nights a week, but definately do need things to do on the weekend. I know the UCSB scene is amazing, so I'm wondering how far apart the two schools are in terms of social life. Please let me know. Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>Well, I definately need to make sure that the academics are strong at whatever school I attend. When I toured SB, my impression is that they were strong in the sciences (my proposed major), and you could get a good education there. However, it is also important to have social activities available. I would like to join a fraternity, and live in a frat house. I know that Santa Barbara offers this, as well as an excellent party scene. If it is possible to receive a good education and have fun at the same time, then that would be ideal. I just don't want to go to UCSD and be stuck with no social life on the weekends.</p>
<p>you can find parties were ever you go...i got into sb and im thinking about going there...but SD is a nice city, in a really nice neighborhood, and it wont be that hard to make friends</p>
<p>yea making friends doesn't worry me at all, i wont have a problem with that. i definately agree that sd's location is prime, but the fact that the neighborhood is so nice makes it a bit less accepting of the college lifestyle. from reading some other posts, it sounds like ucsd students drive to sdsu on the weekends to have a good time. however, this could present a problem for me since i will be coming from out of state and will have no car.</p>
<p>Can anyone outline the pros and cons of UCSB vs UCSD for an east coast OOS
male physics major with a strong interest in studio art? Strength of programs, social, dating, dorms, food, post-grad prospects, type of students who go there?
Thanks</p>
<p>You're majoring in Physics? UCSB is the right campus for you then. It has the best Physics Dept. of all UC's. You'll be working with Physics nobel laureates at the Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics too.</p>
<p>I am deciding between UCSB and UCSD too. The thing is that SB has the major I want to study in, but I heard SD was better in biology. So right now, I have no clue what to do.</p>
<p>Is it possible to receive an education an UCSB that will allow you to get into a good graduate school afterwards? I believe it is, and being in the UC system will open up all those campuses for graduate school. I was thinking that I could attend undergrad at UCSB and then possibly grad school at UCSD. Although grad school is a bit far off, I think that that combination would work out very well for me.</p>
<p>juicysweet - Where are you from? Have you narrowed your decision anymore? For me, UCSD isn't looking good because of the lack of social life and also because the Greek life is not prevalent, which is something I want to become involved in.</p>
<p>You won't appreciate Isla Vista unless you live here. As a visitor you'll think there's nothing special to it. But if you live here most of your classmates and friends are a few blocks from you and this makes the whole place wholesome. Whether you go to a grocery store, eat sushi or burritos, you know the guy or girl next to you is a student. It's also nice to bump into friends regularly. At UCSD, most students drive to San Diego as La Jolla is 15 mins WITHOUT traffic from San Diego and they're on their own. You might say your campus is in a nice neighborhood but if students can't afford to live there it's nothing more than an empty big house.</p>
<p>It was easy for me to pick UCSB over UCSD because of the accounting emphasis offered here. But if it weren't for that it would have been a tough decision to make. While UCSD has better prestige it really doesn't help if you can't get good grades. UCSD and UCSB are using the same books on most majors. Do you seriously think 1+1 would have a different answer at UCSD? </p>
<p>If I were the adcom, I'd pick a UCSB kid that has a 3.6GPA over UCSD kid that has a 3.2GPA. Heck, my cousin who graduated from UC Riverside got in to NYU Dental School.</p>
<p>Hey man thanks a lot for the input. I have thought all along that I would enjoy IV very much. I am the kind of person who is extremely motivated, but also likes to have a good time. I have put too much work into high school to not do well in college. So, I know that I could absolutely take advantage of all the academic and social activities available at UCSB. From what I've seen so far, it seems to have everything that I want. The only downfall at this point was that I received no financial aid, but that was also the case at UCSD, where I was invited to attend Scholars' Day. How is the housing in IV in terms of being affordable? I will be perfectly happy in the dorms for 1-2 years, but after that I would def like to live in IV. Is that where all the fraternity houses are located?</p>
<p>It's around $325-$700 per month shared bedroom. After your first year your friends might be able to persuade you to move to IV and share a 2 or 3 bedroom apt.</p>
<p>Regarding financial aid, if your parents earn a lot you won't be getting any. But you and your parents can take out Federal Plus loans. If at any point your family income drops UCSB be able to give you financial assistance. I would assume this applies to UCSD too.</p>