I was accepted at UC Santa Barbara, Merced, and Santa Cruz. I got into Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo. I was also accepted at Lewis&Clark and Willamette in Oregon, as well as U of Arizona premed.
I was waitlisted at UC Davis and Occidental College in LA.
I’m studying neuroscience - if that wasn’t offered (I think it was at all?) I choose some variation of cognitive science/psychology.
Of my acceptances, I’m leaning towards UCSB. First of all, it’s probably the most highly ranked school I was accepted at. I visited - loved the atmosphere, the location, the food. I’m slightly worried about the reputation of a party school - I do not drink or smoke (personal reasons, I plan on abstaining my entire life) and though I have friends who do, I would highly prefer being mostly separate from that.
I have family in San Luis Obisbo. My uncle heads a research facility there, and my aunt sometimes teaches seminars (she used to be a doctor). The family connection is a big plus for me.
It’s distance from home is a big issue - I only applied to schools on the west coast. To be honest, I would rather not be further than an hour from home, the SF Bay Area (which would limit my options to Santa Cruz). Santa Barbara is a 5 hours drive.
Lewis&Clark and Willamette both seem like great schools, but they aren’t offering enough financial aid for me to really consider. If I get off the Davis waitlist, I would have a really touch choice between that and UCSB.
My college admissions was a bit odd - I was requested to submit additional essay questions at almost all schools because of my academic record and health/disability reasons. I would really like to attend a school that’s accepting and accommodating towards mental disabilities. I’m a lesbian and women of color (really, I hit the jackpot) so diversity is especially important to me.
If anyone has any guiding advice, that would be really helpful to me.