<p>I am sort of in an awkward situation right now. For UCSB, I got in for letters and science, but I really want to study Chemical Engineering, so I requested a major change and they said they will keep track of my request, but a response may not come until after May 1st. For Cal Poly, I got in for Materials Engineering, which is the closest thing they have to Chemical Engineering. For Davis, I actually got wait listed, but there is a chance I may get off the wait list. As you can see, I am in quite an unfortunate predicament. If I go to UCSB, I heard it is extremely hard to transfer into the College of Engineering. Cal Poly seems like the best option right now, but I heard that their financial package is not as generous as those of the UCs. Davis, provided I get in, would give me the best of both worlds with a generous financial package and Chemical Engineering, but I heard that their engineering department is not as great as that of UCSB or Cal Poly. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>You don’t need a great financial package from Cal Poly because its pretty cheap. </p>
<p>Of the 3 listed above, Davis is definitely the better option. </p>
<p>“If I go to UCSB, I heard it is extremely hard to transfer into the College of Engineering.”</p>
<p>If that’s true then play safe. </p>
<p>I think you have only one option right now i.e to attend Cal Poly even though it doesn’t have the exact major you like.</p>
<p>Depends on what you want to do. Chemical engineering and Materials Engineering are different. At this point you only have one acceptance, and thats at Cal Poly. If you like the curriculum then just plan to attend there. </p>
<p>If you are leaning more to a chemical engineering degree, write a letter to Davis saying how much you like their program. That’s called a letter of continued interested. It could get you off the waitlist. </p>
<p>I was waitlisted at UCI last year and wish I would have done that since I really liked the school. </p>
<p>Don’t go to UCSB…there is a chance you will end up with a degree you don’t want.</p>
<p>And Davis is just as good a school plus great access to Silicon Valley</p>
<p>@WhatTheFlux – This is a great question. I agree with Lookin4ward, you are in only one school so far. I would repost this to the Cal Poly board and ask for Ralph4 to respond to you directly. All his kids went to Cal Poly and one of them wanted to study ChemE and got in to MatE at Cal Poly and loved it. Similar situation to yours with a great outcome.</p>