<p>I have a problem here. I've lived in California my whole life and I have loved the weather and atmosphere of it all. I went to school in a primarily asian High school. I am asian, but I have some white friends in the club volleyball team that I play on. Race is not a HUGE issue, but going from a sea of asians to a sea of whites would be a big difference.</p>
<p>Carnegie is in Pittsburgh and that is an entirely different environment with different people. While UCSD is still California and within some familiarity.</p>
<p>I feel like Carnegie is academically superior to UCSD, but I would be more comftorable in UCSD rather than Carnegie.</p>
<p>I'm not exactly sure what I want to do, but I'm leaning toward being an Actuary. Which would mean like a Math/Statistics major or something like that.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? What would you choose? (considering where you are from too though)</p>
<p>My advice would be to go where you're more comfortable. Pittsburgh is way different then Cali, and would take some time to get used to. Also although Carnegie might be academically superior to UCSD, UCSD is still a top tier school without the drawbacks of living in cold Pennsylvania with people who don't have a similar background, and I imagine it's a lot cheaper.</p>
<p>Keep in mind where you want to live AFTER college as well. I had to decide between a better-ranked east coast school and UCSD, but I realized that I want to live in Southern California probably for the rest of my life. Therefore, UCSD was a better choice for me since UCSD likely has more prestige in Southern California than the east coast school does. Anyway, just a thought.</p>
<p>I had this same dilemma applying to college. I chose UCSD because of the location, weather, and price. I wouldn't say Carnegie is academically better than UCSD, but they are both very good schools and excel in their own areas. I can say that I don't regret my choice one bit</p>
<p>College is about exploration and finding yourself as a student/adult. You'll never get anywhere being "safe" all the time. There's a world outside of California(and the U.S.), enjoy it =)</p>
<p>wow ... i think you set the record for the shortest amount of time between post and bump -- 22 minutes!</p>
<p>i've had a couple of friends from CMU and they loved it. but their tuition was also exorbitantly expensive. unless your parents have 200K to spare, the much better deal is UCSD.</p>
<p>CMU is a small school and doesn't offer as many "eclectic" majors as bigger R1 universities do. CMU, as far as I know, is engineering/science intensive, and not so much anything else. If you have any thoughts of possibly changing career goals in the future, take major flexibility into consideration</p>
<p>I had to make the same decision!!! I chose UCSD, although I was really sad that I didn't get to go to CMU. </p>
<p>I actually thought that CMU and UCSD were a lot alike; both are relatively quiet, possess numerous research opportunities, have students that are both smart and friendly, and have the same lack of school spirit =P. I would generally say that the students at CMU are quite a bit smarter than the ones at UCSD (based on the people I know at UCSD vs. the people I know at CMU), so if you enjoy hanging around those kind of people you might want to lean more towards CMU. Also, it depends on your major; if you're a CS or engineering major (aside from bioengineering), CMU is definitely the way to go. Otherwise, it's a toss-up. </p>
<p>Weather was a big factor for me though, and I could make more frequent visits back home from SD than I would from Pittsburgh (I'm from norcal). Oh, and UCSD is at least half the price of CMU, if that matters for you.</p>
<p>“Which would mean like a Math/Statistics major or something like that.” — OP</p>
<p>CMU would literally kick UCSD’s a$$ any day.
look at CC’s top colleges if u don’t trust me. ( CMU is is the top 20 ish)
Both lack social environments but if i had this option i would pick CMU
this is all saying that u can afford it</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon and UCSD are considered Tier One Schools. Both are well regarded in the USA: UCSD as a top Public National University and CM as a Private College. Don’t get too caught up in rankings on the school as a whole. In Major academic competitions, some of the “Name” school participants get beat out by lesser ranked college participants. Just know that you’ll receive an excellent education and be surrounded by well-rounded, competitive students at each school. You will also make contacts at those schools. The CM student body will be more diverse, but if you are planning to stay in SoCal, then it won’t matter as much if you only make contacts at UCSD. </p>
<p>Do your research: How will the cutbacks impact your major? Will it take you 5 years to graduate? Will your college choice (and corresponding GE requirements) at UCSD allow you to graduate in 4 years?<br>
You can always travel abroad to get an international experience or go away for graduate school. </p>
<p>UCSD is less expensive, but there is not going to be the hand-holding that you’ll get at the pricier private institutions. You get what you pay for.</p>
<p>idk you so take my advice with a grain of salt. I think if you take the extra step and go to Carnegie, you won’t regret it. You will be proud of taking the unexplored route. I actually had a friend who turned down Georgetown for ucsd, true story. She’s happy at ucsd, but she still wonders what would have happen to her if she did go to Georgetown.</p>
<p>I visited both CMU (last week) and UCSD ( admit day ) and I must say that I prefer CMU.
major : Chemistry
its just that i didn’t feel at home at UCSD, and I couldn’t imagine my self staying here for the next 4 years</p>