UCSB reputation

I really want to go UCSB (if i get in lol)
However my parents think its too much of a party school and they I will be distracted from studyign and do drugs.
However I tell them that its also really good academically and stuff but they won’t listen.
Its my dream school and i dont think they want me to there rather me go to like UCI or UCSD or UCLA idk

UCSB is “too much of a party school,” I agree. But then, it’s NOT the school that parties; it’s the students. You can go to any school, even the most anti-party schools you can think of, and there will be students who do parties religiously. The question is the trust between you and your parents. Are you mature and responsible enough that you won’t get drunk senselessly each week? If your desire to attend UCSB BECAUSE it’s a party school and that’s your top priority, then your parents do have something to be concerned with as they’re most likely not trusting your level of maturity and responsibility – yet.

UCSB does have the reputation of being a party school. That said, there are lots of kids there that don’t party.

UCSB is not as highly regarded at UCB or UCLA, but is more highly ranked than UCI. Between UCSB and UCSD, it’s pretty much a wash. In choosing between the two, I would say that it depends on your major. For humanities, physics, or math, I’d go with UCSB; for neuroscience, engineering or cognitive science, I’d go with UCSD. For accessibility to beaches, I’d go with UCSB.

Here is a comparison from a college website. (No guarantees about how accurate or recent the data are, but it’s a good rule of thumb.) UCSD is a big school and is growing like gangbusters. To my mind, it has less of a community feel than UCSB, but the residential colleges might mitigate that a bit.

Between the these 2 colleges:

UCSD is a Much Larger School: (32,906 vs. 23,497 Total Students)
UCSD Offers Slightly Cheaper In-State Tuition: ($13,530 USD vs. $13,968 USD)
UCSD Offers Slightly Cheaper Out-of-State Tuition: ($38,238 USD vs. $38,676 USD)
UCSD Students Graduate More in 6 Years: (86 percent vs. 81 percent Graduation Rate)
UCSD Students Earn Much More Salary Post-Graduation: ($59,000 USD vs. $51,400 USD Median Salary)

UCSB is Slightly More Difficult to Get In: (32.6 percent vs. 33.7 percent Acceptance Rate)
UCSB Provides Slightly Better Freshmen Financial Aid: (71 percent vs. 64 percent of Eligible Freshmen Receive Aid)
UCSB Has Slightly Smaller Class Sizes: (17:1 vs. 19:1 Student-Teacher Ratio)
UCSD Has Hotter Summer Weather: (71 degrees Fahrenheit vs. 65 degrees Fahrenheit)
UCSD Has Slightly Colder Winter Weather: (52 degrees Fahrenheit vs. 53 degrees Fahrenheit)

As with most things, YMMV. Do your homework.

im not gonna get drunk or anything and i am rarely gonna party. however i like UCSB because its really nice campus wise and academcially and UCSD is great 2 but when I visited it felt so serious like everyone was studying and the only thing i like about UCSD is the buildings are neat and off campus is great. Persoanlly my favorite UC is UCSB

Well, then, just avoid Isla Vista, the “Armpit of California,” and you’ll be just fine. :)>-

UCSB is so much more than a party school! I absolutely loved my time there. I’m definitely social, but I’m by no means a big partier, and I fit in just fine. A few important things for parents to realize- 1) it’s consistently rated as a top place for happiest students. I think it’s a really important measure, because happy students are usually successful students. 2) it’s in a college town that’s completely walkable. When I’d visit friends at UCSD, the students would drive around SD from social gathering to social gathering. As a parent, I’d much prefer my child living in a completely walkable community where students aren’t potentially getting in a car with someone who has been drinking. 3) Isla Vista is an amazing college town, right on the beach. I certainly wouldn’t call it the “armpit of california”. It’s an incredible place for college living-- there’s lots of hiking, great little eateries, music in the park, studying at the beach…it’s pretty ideal. 4) connections! It’s a social campus which has some great perks, including a vibrant Gaucho community willing to help other Gauchos after graduation. Every one of my friends from UCSB has seen both personal and professional success…and also enjoyed their 4 years in college. Good luck getting accepted!

also how are internships there?
specifically for ChemE.
what companies recruit

@SREE33 I would talk to the ChemE department for more specifics (likely a lot of undergrad research in the department), or maybe there’s a ChemE student that can give feedback. There’s an internship program on-campus that can give you some info as well. As far as on-campus recruiting, many of the largest employers now rely on LinkedIn, etc, so on-campus recruiting is becoming less and less popular (I work for a F500 healthcare company and we do very little on-campus undergrad recruiting). Having a strong alumni network and active LinkedIn community is becoming more and more important…two of UCSB’s strengths relative to other top schools. It’s a social school, so it’s not a surprise they have a strong social media presence/following-- all important things for “today’s” job market. Best of luck!

thx
also do u guys think I can get in?
4.08 UC GPA, 1460 SAT, math2 750 and chem 720, 1 AP 10th, 3 11th, and 3 12th, ECs include tutoring and science olympiad (few medals and Event Coordiantor officer position)

I’ll defer to our UC expert @Gumbymom!

Hi. By what data correlations are happy students “usually successful students”?

i guess if ur happy maybe u like what ur doing more? idk
anyways can u guys think i can be accepted?

@SREE33 I’m a parent of a UCSB Engineering student and we are very happy with his experience there. Engineering has a significantly lower acceptance rate than the rest of the school, on the order of 15%, so it’s tough to get in. The engineering students have to work very hard for their grades, it’s not easy at all. He is not a partier and most of his friends aren’t either, so there is a big enough group there that doesn’t drink/drugs that you can find your place. Participation in things like pickup soccer/basketball and intramural sports is big there. From what I know, most internships for engineers (other than CS) are going to 3rd year students from what I hear, although some engineers are getting them after their 2nd year. ChemE is one of the best programs there according to rankings. UCSB is also great for housing because they have the 2+2 program which guarantees 4 years of university-owned housing, provided you live in the dorms your first 2 years. One thing we have seen is UCSB alumni helping out fellow Gauchos by providing internship opportunities. We’ve had a couple kids accepted into engineering there, and based on that, I would say you have a chance with your numbers, but it’s not a sure thing. The staff and faculty we’ve met and talked to there have been very friendly and down-to-earth and that has given us a positive impression of the school.

how bout jobs and stuff for chemE

the world of engineering is much flatter in terms of hiring than most people realize. Engineering education is acredited by ABET so you take the same classes no matter where you go. Starting salaries are going to be equivalent. There are a few elite schools (MIT, Caltech, etc), a broad middle band, and then those considered of perhaps lower quality because admissions are not too tough.

UCSB is safely in the middle band and it makes little difference in terms of reputation which UC you attend. It might be a bit easier to find internships if you attend college in/near a city such as UCLA, UCSD, Cal, but they will be out there if you make the effort no matter which you attend.

It sounds to me like you may be putting the cart ahead of the horse here. Until you get your parents approval for UCSB I don’t think you’re going there unless you can pay for it yourself.

im not worried about that for now, i have to convince

but r u saying UCSB is harder to get jobs?

No school can guarantee that you will get a job. UCSB’s name can open doors, but ultimately it is up to you to show that you have the skill set that employers want for any particular job. You need to take advantage of the opportunities you are given.

ok but is it harder to get jobs OOS in chemE and matE

@LoveTheBard
"UCSB is not as highly regarded at UCB or UCLA, but is more highly ranked than UCI. Between UCSB and UCSD, it’s pretty much a wash. "

UCSB is ranked 37 in public schools by USNWR and UCI and UCSD are tied at 42. Based on this logic, how is it a “wash” between UCSB and UCSD. Not to mention the fact that they are within 5 points of one another and that in the past both schools have been ranked higher than UCSB.

“UCSD is a Much Larger School: (32,906 vs. 23,497 Total Students)
UCSB is Slightly More Difficult to Get In: (32.6 percent vs. 33.7 percent Acceptance Rate)”

UCSB and UCI have nearly the same average SAT scores and GPA’ s for admitted students, according to the 2017 freshman admissions profiles posted on the University of California’s website. Actually, the average GPA for admitted students at UCI is slightly higher than those admitted to UCSB.
The stats of admitted students at UCSD are significantly higher than those admitted to UCSB, the reason why UCSB has a lower acceptance rate is because of the first factor that you mentioned, it is a smaller school so they accept fewer applicants. UCSB and UCI had nearly the same amount of applicants, yet UCI was able to accept 5,000 more students because the campus is larger. UCSD received even more applicants and was also able to accept more.

@SREE33
Also, UCI and UCSD both have medical schools and UCSB does not. UCI also has a law school.

also does the fact that UCSB not have a med school good or bad for premed students?