I was admitted into both UCSB and UC Davis. I’m planning on majoring in Biological Sciences and I was wondering which school would be best suited for me. I’m also considering UC Irvine. I heard that Santa Barbara is a party school and I’m not into that type of thing so I might have to reconsider my decision. Any thoughts?
UCD is probably better for biology and natural sciences. However, consider the environment: Davis is a college town, very pleasant, easy to navigate. Irvine and Santa Barbara are both regular towns, although Santa Barbara may be qualified as a college town too since most of its dynamics center on the colleges there. It’s true there are lots of partis at UCSB so if you want to avoid them in your dorm, ask for a Quiet Floor/Dorm, and go party elsewhere if you feel like it with a guaranteed silent dorm for when you want to sleep (a raging party at 2 am when you’re trying to sleep is really annoying :s)
UCSB is not actually in Santa Barbara, its about 10 miles north. It is in the unincorporated town of Isla Vista and has one of the strongest college town atmospheres in California, arguably the strongest since there is really nothing else around it but the college and businesses aimed at students.
At the undergrad level there is no significant difference between any of these 3 schools. All are large publics, and your success is going to depend on what you do (earn good grades, take part is research, get to know some profs, etc)
Yes, sorry, I tend to shorthand those (and I do the same thing with UCSD and la Jolla, because to me it’s San Diego anyway). But Santa Barbara/Isla Vista isn’t a college town the way Madison, WI, or State College, PA, or Ann Arbor MI are. I can’t quite put my finger on it but it “feels” very different.
Is any one of these three UCs cheaper for you? Did you get Regents anywhere?
UCD would definitely be the strongest in biological sciences. Idk what you want to do after undergrad, but UCD would have plenty of opportunities for research and internships if you wanted to go to med school or something after. If you want to go to vet school, UCD is hands down the best option.