<p>Guys, I really need help!
I got accepted by UCSD but rejected by UCLA. UCLA has always been my dream college, since it's close to my house so I dont have to move in dorm(most imporatant) and it has better reputation and better programs on engineering, computer and etc. I did a research on UCSD, and it turned out UCSD is only particularly good at biology, anything related to biology, and I really hate biology.... Other than biology (biology engineering, and other majors realted to it), UCLA is still better in many aspects. So.... One of my teachers is helping me with an application appeal, but it might take a while till the result comes back; in fact, it doesn't guarantee any response by May 1, by when I am supposed to make my choice.
My parents are worried about that I might be still rejected after two years, and I am concerned about this as well
Moreover, I dont want to move too far, because I got my parents and girlfriend here. UCLA fits in this perfectly. Luckily, it's only two-hour drive from here to UCSD. By the way, if I go to UCSD, I will have to take loans of $6800 per year and do the financial work, which is $2800.
I'm now getting stuck in middle... between going straight to UCSD and going to PCC and appealing at the same time, I dont know how to choose. because if i go for UCSD, i have to accept it now and pick my room as soon as possibile, which means I can't do the application appeal.
I am interested in computer and good at math, so I guess my major will be either computer engineering (or computer science) or mechanical engineering. If I go to PCC, I will change it to something like Applied mathematics,Mathematics of Computation, since it's easier to transfer with one of these major. But I dont even know what they do in real life...
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO !!!</p>
<p>Please help me with the decision. UCSD's process of selecting room will be started in April. If I go for UCSD, I want to pick a single room :D
But um... I really want to make a right choice. No regret!</p>
<p>Please Tell Me What To Do</p>
<p>The appeal is unlikely to succeed, unless if you have some significant new information to offer them. So I think you should assume that your appeal will fail. It is possible it will succeed, but I would not risk anything on that possibility.</p>
<p>Assuming that, you have two options, go to UCSD or go to PCC.</p>
<p>If you go to PCC, whether you get into UCLA or not will depend almost entirely on your grades at PCC. If you are generally a good student who earns high grades and works very hard, you may be able to do well enough at PCC to transfer to UCLA. </p>
<p>I think you are worrying too much about the quality of programs at UCSD. UCSD is a very good school, anything you take there will prepare you to work in that field. However, UCLA IS more prestigious, and especially if you want to live and work in LA in the future, it may be better to go to UCLA.</p>
<p>The main reason many students want to go away for college is they WANT to live in the dorms, they want to make new friends and have new experiences away from their families. If you DON'T want that experience, if in fact you want to stay at home, I think PCC is a very reasonable choice. Work very hard there and you have a good chance of transferring to UCLA. Even if you end up transferring to UCSD in the end, you will have saved a lot of money and enjoyed living at home, which is what you say you want to do.</p>
<p>So I would say the main choice is a lifestyle choice. If you want to stay in LA, go to PCC, since you can transfer to UCLA or UCSD or wherever in the end anyway, but you'll definitely get two years at home saving money and working towards your degree.</p>
<p>If you want the full "college experience" of living a dorm, etc. then go to UCSD. Or if you think you can study what you really want at UCSD, but if you are trying to transfer to UCLA you'll have to pick a major you really aren't interested in, then I think UCSD is actually the better option.</p>
<p>Thank you! I understand your point.
Any more suggestions?</p>
<p>Go to PCC and then transfer. You save tons of money.</p>
<p>I live in San Diego and it is a great place. Also you have to let go of you parents and girlfriend. I doubt you will be with the same girl in 4 years and you have to live without your parents one day.</p>
<p>either going to PCC or UCSD has lots of pros and cons
truly dont know how to choose</p>
<p>Any more suggestions?
Please</p>
<p>Is it possible to go to UCSD for 2 years and transfer to UCLA from there or is that just unheard of?</p>
<p>It is possible to go to UCSD and transfer to UCLA, but that is not a good plan. You have a much better shot going to community college and then transferring to UCLA, if that is your ultimate goal.</p>
<p>I feel you :(<br>
Its okay no matter what you choose you will end up adjusting. I was and still am pretty devastated about UCLA results and at first it felt horrendous because I really didn't have any back up plan and it felt as if all my hopes and dreams were being crushed! I'm being a bit dramatic but it seriously did feel this way. Well I guess that wasn't really any huge help but UCSD is a really good school so why don't you try going to UCSD and then transfering to UCLA if you're unhappy with the other method? Yeah its hard to transfer from a 4year to a 4year but if anything you can always stay at UCSD right? I'm sure anything you choose will be fine :)</p>
<p>I feel you :(<br>
Its okay no matter what you choose you will end up adjusting. I was and still am pretty devastated about UCLA results and at first it felt horrendous because I really didn't have any back up plan and it felt as if all my hopes and dreams were being crushed! I'm being a bit dramatic but it seriously did feel this way. Well I guess that wasn't really any huge help but UCSD is a really good school so why don't you try going to UCSD and then transfering to UCLA if you're unhappy with the other method? Yeah its hard to transfer from a 4year to a 4year but if anything you can always stay at UCSD right? I'm sure anything you choose will be fine :)</p>
<p>We'll if its about academics....My daughter is trying to choose between UCSD and UCLA for mechanical engineering and our research shows UCSD is moving upward and UCLA is moving downward. US News & Report rankings have UCLA slightly better than UCSD in undergrad & CE programs,but UCSD is higher ranked in mechanical engineering. If you look at a world ranking from ARWU, UCSD moved from 14th up to 9th in a world ranking and UCLA moved from 14th down to 33rd. Because of this ranking UCSD's job fair went thru the roof the last 2 years. There is also a new 40 million dollar CSE building that is state of the art. When we go to the engineering day at UCLA, I will ask the question of why their ranking dropped so much.</p>
<p>One more thing. The rent in UCSD is extremely high. After my sophomore year, I will have to rent a room or share rent a house with sometone off campus, which costs like $750 per person. It is a lot of money, and PCC can help me save a lot depending on housing.</p>
<p>I already talked to my parents about this situation.
They are greatly concerned about the financial issue. I asked a student in UCSD who rented a room off the campus, which cost her $800 a month. Plus the food and etc, she has to pay more than $1100 a month herself, which is a lot to a family.
But they are also worried about what if I still get rejected by UCLA after two years in PCC.</p>
<p>There are student loans. You can also look into becoming a RA in your dorm which lowers your costs significantly. UCSD is just as good as UCLA in terms of education. </p>
<p>What I would be concerned about is that every year, its getting harder and harder to get into UC schools. There are many kids I know that didn't get into the UC's they thought they would. In our high school last year, UCLA took 95 kids and UCB took 65 kids. I think this year's stats will be much lower. Just remember that if kids applying as freshman's are having a hard time, transfers will have even a harder time. In 2 years, who knows how hard it will be. </p>
<p>I would go to a JC if you didn't get into a good college, but you did. UCSD is a great college. What if you didn't get into UCLA in 2 years, then what? You might find yourself at a lesser UC then you want or even out of state at a private university which would cost you more money.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Please Tell Me What To Do
[/quote]
The 1st thing to do is to stop posting identical questions in different forums ...</p>
<p>If money weren't an issue I'd strongly encourage you to go to UCSD. It's a great school, you'll get more of the proverbial "college experience" by moving out of your parents house and, as much as you don't want to hear this, choosing a college because of a girlfriend pretty much always turns out to be a mistake.</p>
<p>If finances are of overriding concern, then work hard at PCC and transfer.</p>
<p>Either way, it will work out fine.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I sent an e-mail to UCSD about the financial issue, this is what they said</p>
<p>"The award we offered you was only for the first year. You will file a new fafsa each year and a new award will be available. We do look at where you will be living and award appropriately. Instead of the money being given to the school for your housing it will go back to the student to pay their rent. However we cover an average amount so if your rent is extremely high you may have to come up with some of your own funding such as working."</p>
<p>so what u guys think?</p>