Just like the title says, I want to know which one is better in terms of social life, major, and the chances of getting into a top-tier grad school, etc.
Social life: UCSB is great for parties, RPI is great for nerds.
Chances of getting into a top-tier grad school: I’d say your chances are equally good if you do well at either one. Both have a good reputation in engineering.
I’d say that RPI has a stronger engineering undergrad focus while UCSB has a stronger grad school focus.