UCSB Regent's Scholarship

<p>I got offered it today in the mail. Kinda cool how you don't apply for it they just give it to you. Anyone got any info on it... how much does it take out of tutiton...how are the benefits... how would you compare UCSB Regent Scholarship with its benefits and such to UCLA / Berkeley entering as a regular?</p>

<p>hi (and congrats!), would you mind posting your stats??</p>

<p>No problem</p>

<p>4.27 UC GPA
2260 SAT
760 Sat 2 Hist
720 Sat 2 English
APs- 5 US hist, 4 lang and comp, taking Cal AB, Lit, Econ, Gov this year
All the A-G's overdone, I'm in a college prep school
Couple Scholarships from my school
ELC (top 4%)
National Merit Finalist pending</p>

<p>ECs-
Varsity XC 10-12
Varisty Track 9-10
Co-captian 10th grade
MUN President 11th, 12th
Mock Trial Pretrial Attorney 12th, won honorable mention 4th place in LAC
Drama Club 9th
2 hrs/ week service at my Parish + few extra nothing huge
Jobs @ Lawfirm and construction
NHS member 10-12, mentored kids
CSF member for life
Spanish Honors Society member for life</p>

<p>so do u have any opinion on UCSB v UCLA / UCB?</p>

<p>Congratulations -
I think it's always better to be able to register early for classes at the UCs. Four years of guarenteed housing is also a valuable perk. Automatic honors entrance is important at SB - I don't know if it would matter as much at UCLA or UCB. Academic advising and personal attention from profs is never bad, which you would have as a Regents. As far as the beauty of the area goes, you can't beat Santa Barbara.
SB doesn't have quite the national Rep that LA and B have, but in California it is well-respected. I imagine that if you continued to be one of their top students, you would have many opportunities after graduation. In some ways, it's kind of nice to be the top of the heap - which you would be at SB, but not necessarily at LA or Berkeley. I expect that the admit rate of SB is only going to get more and more difficult, and $6000 a year is nothing to sneeze at! Have you visited? You should.
My son got the scholarship as well - it's a bit sad as he is going to another college, but it's still a nice honor. If you visit, you just might
be sold.</p>

<p>
[quote]
so do u have any opinion on UCSB v UCLA / UCB?

[/quote]
You really need to visit, talk to students, etc. because this is such a personal choice. </p>

<p>On the one hand there's no disputing the prestige of cal and ucla, 2 of the best U's in the country. But ucsb is no slacker, either; while I'm not going to say its the same as the other 2, its a respected school and a part of the UC system. You can get a great education at any of the 3. So many people focus on just the name on the diploma, but remember in the real world employers are going to consider your gpa, your major, look at recs from profs, see if you participated in clubs and activities, etc. Going to a school that's a better fit is a way to do better at all these things. And this is your one shot at college -- at least take into account which one would make you happiest.</p>

<p>Socially, there are BIG differences. On the one hand, I knew 1 or 2 people who enrolled at ucsb sight-unseen and tranferred after a year. Within hours, practically, of setting foot on campus they knew it wasn't right for them because they were big-city people. This is why I urge people to visit any school they're seriously considering. But ucsb is one of the few colleges in CA that is truly residential, meaning the students live on or right near campus. For most kids in HS this may not mean much, because everyone in your HS lives right around the school. But at larger schools there is not enough housing and so students live dispersed in the city. ucla is doing an admirable job addressing this, building housing as fast as they can; I think they guarantee 3 years housing these days. But most students have had enough of the dorms after 2 and move out into LA or santa monica. So ucsb gives much more of a residential college-town "feel" than the other 2. Friends you meet in class or make in the dorms are going to be right near you until you graduate. You can easily walk/bike onto campus to hear a lecture, attend a sporting event, talk to a prof or TA. In LA I know people who schedule their classes around the rush-hour times of the freeway.</p>

<p>What I'd suggest is making a list of what's important to you in college; simply making the list helps focus your thinking. Then visit all 3 and walk around, try to picture yourself there for 4+ years and see which one is the best fit for you. If you have friends in the dorms, so much the better; try to arrange to visit for a nite so you can attend a few classes, eat a few meals in the dorm and talk to people, etc.</p>

<p>Hehe I just got it...I like how there was no work involved in the scholarship. Well at least I know if everything fails at the 12 other schools I applied to...I have ucsb!</p>

<p>i also got regents in the mail yesterday. personally, i'd pick ucsb over ucb/ucla because it'd be much cheaper, but i don't really care about the prestige. i'm going to visit ucsb before i make my final decision, but it looks like i'll be going to ucsb next year. :)</p>

<p>do you need to join the honors program to still get the scholarship?</p>

<p>I got regents at UCSB too, but also in at UCLA.
hmmm, anyone else going to the "High Achieving Students" reception in SF on the 18th?</p>