<p>OK so i'm just wondering what everyone out here would think some of the pros and cons of both schools would be on here. Why the school is a great environment, education, socially, etc?
Lets see</p>
<p>UCSC
Pros: Campus is in the wooded forest–great for nature lovers
Ranked higher than Riverside.
Cons: Not as high ranked as other UC’s. Stereotyped as a hippy pothead school</p>
<p>UCSB
Pros: Ranked higher than SC. Similarly ranked with Davis (or higher?), but higher than Irvine. Beautiful campus, literally right next to the beach with the mountains in the back. Isolated campus; Non-commuter school. Several professors who won the Nobel prize. Great for bicycle.
Cons: Party school reputation, somewhat old buildings</p>
<p>Does anyone know which school would be a better school for a pre-med major?
And which hold better research opportunities?</p>
<p>Both hold great research opportunities because both are research institutions. In fact, all UC’s are research institutions! Both are great for pre-med major also.</p>
<p>Any other opinions on these two institutions?</p>
<p>anyone else?</p>
<p>Go to UCSB, you’ll get a better GPA which is all that counts for med school.</p>
<p>Just curious on why you said i would get a better GPA at UCSB?</p>
<p>No one else have any other thoughts?</p>
<p>Instead of looking at the statistics (while nice), why don’t you go out there over the summer and visit both campuses? After that, you can form an opinion of your own.</p>
<p>I have visited both campuses… Actually most of the UC’s and narrowed these two down as my more favorable UC’s. One thing is to visit, another thing is to get info from people who go there everyday and attend and know more about the lifestyle and perks at the campus.</p>
<p>Definitely go visit each campus. As somebody has already stated, UCSB has the stereotype of being a party school, while UCSC is stereotyped as a weed school. If you’re not really into either of those things there will always be a crowd to find and fit in to. While UCSB may be ranked higher, you are bound to receive an excellent education from whichever UC you attend, as they are are all top research institutions. While reading things online can be helpful in some instances, you have to remember that everybody is going to have a different opinion of each respective school based on their own personal experiences/preferences.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re planning on going for a masters or phD, where you complete your undergrad isn’t all that important, except for specialized situations (Ex: Berkeley and BusEcon/BusAdmin). Numbers aside, I think it really comes down to what kind of an environment you could see yourself in. For me, the choice was obvious- I LOVE how laid back UCSC seems (although I never personally visited UCSB, I already had my heart set on UCSC). The atmosphere is fantastic being that you are in the mountains among the trees, but can look out and see the beach and are merely 10-15 minutes away from it. But again, those are akin to my own personal preferences. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the input! are you a current UCSC student?</p>
<p>Not yet, I will be this fall though! I’ve been there several times and have stayed with my boyfriend up there for week or so each time, so I have a relatively good idea of what to expect. I know you were hoping for some input from current students, so I apologize. I figured it couldn’t hurt to share.</p>
<p>Does your BF attend? What kind of activities may people partake in on their free time there? What major is your bf in? and what will you be majoring in? because i’m going to majoring in a biological science and i was wondering if i would even have a social life… because i hear from many that people who major in a biology based major don’t have a life//</p>
<p>Yes, he’s currently finishing up his sophomore year up at UCSC right now, although he hasn’t declared a major yet. He’s thinking computer science, and considering he hasn’t done many pre-reqs toward that major, he could be in school a while. And I applied as Marine Biology or Bio (you are admitted as a pre-major and declare after you’re accepted), but I’m pretty keen on switching to Cognitive Science. I know a few bio majors up at UCSC right now, and they still manage to maintain their social lives and school work. Its a matter of time management. Heck, one of them is in a frat and the other visits his girlfriend 2-3 hours away every other weekend! Of course, they have their fair amount of work as well.</p>
<p>As for free time, well, like any school UCSC is full of campus clubs. As I mentioned before, one of the bio majors I know is apart of a frat and he absolutely loves it. The other mentioned above is in the kayak club. I also know a guy up there who is actively involved in ultimate frisbee, and for a while, my boyfriend was involved with the water polo team. It all depends on what you enjoy, but there are certainly things to do in your free time. Personally, I’ll likely be working out. Many people are involved in on-campus hiking due to SC’s location, and it is no short of breath taking. Hanging out at the beach or downtown SC is also a pretty popular thing to do on the weekend.</p>
<p>UCSC is a big up and comer. We are in the top 3 for many of these new lists coming out for “top young University” and “best research school.”</p>
<p>Honestly, you can’t go wrong with UCSB, but the idea that UCSC is worse because it is “lower ranked” is becoming antiquated.</p>
<p>UCSC is in the middle of nowhere. It’s a really beautiful city but it’s SO small. SB is bigger, it’s still a beautiful city plus there’s the beach and wonderful SoCal weather, and if SB is still not enough for you, you can always drive to LA. I haven’t done the drive from SB to LA and then SC to SF so I can’t say which one is longer, but to get to SC you have to drive on these windy roads and cliffs which is a total pain in the ass and kinda scary. SB is not that bad.</p>
<p>I was also in this same dilemma. I was accepted by both. I really LOVED SC but I chose SB because they have a top ranked Geography major; SC doesn’t offer Geography. I even thought of changing my major just to go to SC but I really couldn’t see myself doing anything else besides Geography.
One difference that I did see was that everyone at SB is so conscious about their looks cause it’s a beach school.</p>