<p>So basically I got rejected to every other UC and now im stuck between the two. The problem with UCSC is that i live only 45 minutes away from the campus, when I want to be far off to college. Oppsingly, UCR is in a perfect location for me, but it has such a bad reputation I dont want to be embarrassed of going to the college I go to. Please give me the best advice possible, thank you!</p>
<p>im goin through the exact same thing</p>
<p>UCR is where you want to go. It has numerous excellent programs and I have a number of friends you chose it over a few other UCs, including UCSC. They love it there! Especially the fact that it's not so close to the Bay Area because wherever you go in the bay area is as if you haven't moved at all. And it seems to me that you are looking for a change. Change = UCR.</p>
<p>I say UCSC.. I was having the same issue with UCSC or UCM</p>
<p>I say visit both campuses. I assume you visited UCSC since you live by it, but probably not UCR. As far as rankings go, they are both in the top 100 campuses nationally, which says alot. Their teaching staff is exceptional and both have very different opportunities around them. </p>
<pre><code> Santa Cruz as you probably know is a forest and a beach town, a very nice community. Riverside is very close to LA. This is not a bad thing nor a good thing. It depends on the person really. LA has many internship opportunities whereas Santa Cruz does not. Santa Cruz arguably has a more secluded college feel to it, whereas Riverside is not secluded at all. What do you want to see more of, cars or trees? Its the city life vs. the rural life.
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<p>I personally think both schools have plenty of opportunities for everyone. No one school is better than the other, and if you hate the school you decide to go to, you can transfer in two years to a far better UC such, even UCLA and Cal with a 3.5 and 3.8 respectively. </p>
<p>My opinion is do not listen to the people on this forum who put down either schools or both. Most people have not even been to the University to give it a chance. Decide for yourself which campus fits you the best, and don't look back.</p>
<p>i live about an hour from UCR and i hear alot of good things about it but it isnt a "pretty" school. The atmosphere is pretty bad (if that matters to you.) But the upside is it is an hour from orange county and the la area.</p>
<p>keep it coming, don't stop!</p>
<p>i got accepted to both also and i picked ucsc, therefore i personally would say u should pick ucsc too lol but i agree with Cali Trumpet, its different for everyone and you should visit both and see which one you feel more comfortable at.</p>
<p>I come from santa cruz so my opinion is biased, but...</p>
<p>holy crap, ucsc all the way. I've heard simply horrible things about ucr. back when i was a junior they preemptively accepted me, and everyone i excitedly told about this responded by saying "never go there, it's a terrible place to live."</p>
<p>and i live in santa cruz and i'm very familiar with ucsc. among the uc's, its reputation is not great, i know, but it's arguably better than ucr (in some areas of study, by far). and the campus is undeniably amazing; it's sort of in the forest, which makes for some really nice hiking/biking/running/whatev around campus. whereas i've heard riverside's is even uglier than riverside (the city). and santa cruz is great as a college town.</p>
<p>First of all these are both quality institutions. We are spoiled in Cali, they both are in the top 100 in the US News Rankings and have some really strong programs. UCR is particularly strong in Sociology and the sciences, among others. Santa Cruz has equally strong programs. There are some great professors there too. I agree with Golden130 about SC but having been to UCR it is actually a pretty nice campus and it does have outdoor stuff if you like desert life (hiking, off roading, joshua tree national forest and palm springs are close by too) It is about 50 miles from L.A. and about 90 minutes from San Diego. SOOOO, I think go where you best fit but stop complaining it is not so bad. It could be worse you could live in Arizona and ended up at Arizona State #124 or at the BEST school in the state, Arizona, which is tied with UCR in the rankings!</p>
<p>I'm having the same problems right now, and I'm doing soci at UCSC, should I go there for soci or riverside?</p>
<p>what's Cal? is it UC Berkeley?</p>
<p>yes ^. i visited UCR and its just like 3 highschools combined haha. way different from ucsc for sure. no student life whatsoever when i went there, i think a lot of the students go home for the weekend or something. campus isn't too bad. i've heard that its smoggy, run down and stuff like that. when i went there it was sunny just like any so cal city, clear blue sky. buildings were decent, tours were crap, the city is isolated and a lot of people live in shacks</p>
<p>how about go to a community college, save several thousands dollars, get a better sense of who you are, and then go to a mid or top tier UC.</p>
<p>UCR has too many Asians like other UCs, except for UCSC =]
if you want to meet lots of Asians, then go to UCR</p>