<p>Hi all,
So I have quite a dillema. I've been accepted into honors at UCSB and Honors at UCSD (erc college), but every day i go back and forth between which school I'd like to attend. I am a very social and outgoing person, and definetly want to have a good social atmosphere but I also grew up in San Francisco so I like having the amenities of a city so close by.
Pros for UCSB:
-Honors allows me to register for classes before everyone else, making sure I can graduate in 4 years no problems
-I've been to UCSB before and I know the parties are fun, the students seem to be pretty chill and accepting and also like to have fun. Campus is pretty nice as well. And you don't need a car since IV is right next to campus
-More of a liberal arts college than UCSD, which is more science focused. This means that more students have same interests as me (I am an international relations/ poli sci major). Also might effect general atmosphere of the school.
-Academics are amazing like any UC. Maybe a little easier to get good grades because curve won't be as high as at UCSD
-students seem to be happy at this school. a lot of school spirit</p>
<p>Cons:
-In a town vs a city. Takes longer to get home because I can't really use the airport (too expensive). Also fewer things to do in a town
-Partying might be too much of a focus of the student body and get old fast. Technically lower rated than SD/
-Slightly colder weather than San Diego.</p>
<p>Pros for UCSD:
-Great school academically. Well renowned. Honors also looks great, but i don't think there is priority registration.
-Elanor Roosevelt College (i was admitted to) is all focussed towards IR majors. GEs are perfect for my major and they have an international house as well. Very nice dorms.
-SAN DIEGO! I love San Diego. Beautiful beaches, city with a good night life (once I turn 21), beautiful weather alll year long. Has it's own airport so I can get home faster. Things to do on the weekends.
-More internship opprotunities in San Diego.
-SDSU for partying? At least before I'm 21</p>
<p>Cons:
-Social life seems harder to come by. I know there are tons of clubs and campus events, but the lack of D1 sports and the general attitude of the student body seems to be nerdier and less inclined to throw parties. etc.
-La Jolla+No Car= Shittier life
-EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE. Harder to get As, but it's good student body focussed on class. I hear the profs care more about research than teaching.
-More graduate/research focussed than UCSB?
-Campus is so large and not so pretty.</p>
<p>Honestly I will probably go to law school so I just want to make sure I choose an undergrad school where I will be the happiest, meet the most people similar to me who share my values, and have the best overall experience. My biggest thing about UCSD is that it seems that people on average tend to have less spirit for their school and throw fewer parties than UCSB. Also that it's a huge science school. </p>
<h2>THOUGHTS FROM CURRENT STUDENTS OF EITHER SCHOOLS GREATLY APPRECIATED :)</h2>
<p>I got into UCSB and am waitlisted from UCSD. I am also majoring in international relations, and I seriously also have no idea what to do… For now, I am going toward UCSB just because people say UCSD is more science-focused, and I don’t want the quarter system in UCSD. But to be honest, I am really struggling.</p>
<p>If I were you I’d go to UCSD in a heartbeat. If a manager or someone that was about to hire you was looking at your resume, UCSD would look better.</p>
<p>Also, UCSB would be a bigger distraction (if you get distracted easily) as it is ranked pretty high for hottest girls and for social life. </p>
<p>I’m in the bay area and if you like living in san francisco, you’ll like san diego. SB is more of a town and there aren’t big name stores around the area unlike SD. San diego is also filled with beaches and malls and is a city place.</p>
<p>My son is struggling with the same dilemma. However, he’s leaning towards UCSB. If you have visited the UCSD campus, you’ll see that it is not the most exciting of places. He’s friend attends and says it’s pretty boring. It is not right next to the city of San Diego. You’ll have to travel a bit to get into the city. UCSD does have great science programs, but more heavily in biological sciences. My son is interested in physics and chemistry (with the goal of doing Chem E in graduate school). UCSB has a much better program for physics and Chem E than UCSD. Check the rankings. UCSB also seems to have a better undergraduate program in that there are more research opportunities for undergraduates than a lot of the other UCs where the research opportunities tend to go to the graduate students, according to people I know that work at UCSB (so this could be just rumor). He also likes that UCSB has a town associated with the campus (Isla Vista), so a lot more area for the students to spread out. Lastly, the campus is a much more beautiful than UCSD, unless you really like eucalyptus trees.</p>
<p>@oldschoolboy your recommendation to pick UCSD over UCSB wouldn’t have anything to do with freeing up space on for appeals would it? :p</p>
<p>To the OP, Davis and UCSD are currently tied as #39 (and #40) in US news’s ranking. UCSB is tied for the slot immediately below, at #41. I don’t know how much that difference is going to impress employers, personally, particularly if they realize UCSB is ‘graded down’ in that ranking for having a more undergraduate focused program, the flipside of which means UCSB students get the research and other opportunities typically taken by the graduate students at other research universities. </p>
<p>Both are good schools. I wish you luck wherever you end up!</p>
This is probably why HS kids are not hiring managers. What exactly does “look better” mean? That the manager would toss the UCSB resume down in disgust? Decide to go with the UCSD kid even though neither had been interviewed? For that matter, how does this person even know the manager would think UCSD “looks better”? Did US News sneak the views of hiring managers into their rankings and not tell anybody? Or is the US News just the final arbiter that everyone accepts (even though they somehow change their rankings every year to sell new copies of their list?)</p>
<p>These are 2 similar schools. The main difference is the setting. The OP has a dilemma since each is better on some measures they listed and worse on others. </p>
<p>As for getting into law school or finding a job, that is going to depend on what the student does in college and not the name stamped on the diploma. Get good grades, take part in internships and student activities, get to know some profs so you get strong letters of rec, these are the things that make a difference.</p>
<p>@taehunchoi, I’ve read some of your other posts and it seems you are very persuaded by your perception of “prestige” and acceptance rates. I hope your son will choose a college based on more than that. I think @tulakat has done a good job of making a list of pros/cons that subjectively matters to him/her. For the best education, one must look at the program/major they are entering. UCSD has advantages in some fields, UCSB in others. My son is making this same list for these same two schools, and from all his research, physics and Chem E majors get a better education at UCSB so that’s his choice. Also, the UCSB engineering program is top notch and many employers want UCSB engineering graduates based on our research.</p>