I’m in the LA area, so both are a couple of hours away.
I just visited UCSB this past Saturday and I dunno, I feel like I expected way too much, which made it not seem as amazing as it really is. The campus was pretty empty since the students were still in Spring Break, so that’s probably the reason why I didn’t get that vibe I was searching for. Another thing is that I felt kind of intimidated because I’m Hispanic, so seeing mostly everyone Caucasian overwhelmed me. I hear that UCSB is predominately white - is that true?
Which brings me back to UCSD. I am going to the open house, which is on April 8th - this coming Saturday (a day after my 18th birthday, woohoo) so I’m looking forward to it. My friend says that it’s more diverse and everything, which is comforting. She said it also has a better atmosphere, but I’ve also been told that UCSD is socially dead. . .
Both colleges are amazing public schools. I still have to take Financial Aid into account - another thread in the future hahaha.
According to College Navigator, UCSB is 35% white, 26% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 2% black, 11% mixed/unknown, and 7% foreign. So whites are a minority of students, but they are the largest minority, followed by Hispanics.
For comparison, UCSD is 37% Asian, 21% white, 16% Hispanic, 1% black, 7% mixed/unknown, and 17% foreign. So there are fewer whites at UCSD; however, there are also fewer Hispanics. The largest group at UCSD is Asians. Most of the foreign students are probably from Asian countries, so students of Asian ethnicity could be in the majority.
UCSD student here, there are a lot of Asian students but it’s definitely not as intimidating as some of the whiter party schools. The socially dead rumor is a rumor: if you go out and try to meet people you’ll find people who share your interests/are tryna get lit
@zana3274 UCSB has the designation as a Hispanic-serving institution, which they are quite proud of. From my son’s experience there, he (non-Hispanic) has quite a few Hispanic friends there that he met during FSSP his freshman year. Many of them are first-generation college students. Since everyone was mostly gone last week during the break, you didn’t get a good feel of the vibe of the campus. Both UCSD and UCSB are very good schools, but they definitely have different vibes. Any chance you can re-visit UCSB now that it is back in session?
There are various criteria for this designation, which provides access to certain types of grants and funding. One of the criteria is at least 25% Hispanic undergraduate enrollment.
I’d pick UCSD over UCSB every day. The only thing to do in Santa Barbara in weekends (unless you or one of your friends has a car) is to go party in isla vista which is overwhelming imo.
talk to current students (perhaps you have friends with older siblings attending these schools?) and think about the differences.
UCSB gives you a real college town. While you can go the 10 miles to Santa Barbara anytime you want (you don’t need a car as a previous poster said; every student can use their ID to ride the buses for free) you are living away at college in a college-dominated area and all your friends are going to be living right there in walking distance, along with the usual student-friendly set of restaurants and the like. To some this is the idyllic setting. If you need malls and stuff like that it probably isn’t a fit.
On campus at UCSD you are a very long walk from the shoreline, on the outskirts of a decent-sized city in a very upscale suburb. In La Jolla they love the money and employment the school brings but tend wish the undergrads would go away. UCSD is more of a commuter campus. After frosh year many students move over to the beach areas of Pacific and Mission beach. That’s a reason the school has the reputation of being dead. Nobody wants to be stuck in traffic so they tend to leave early in the afternoon if they can.
You need to find the setting that is right for you.
Definitely agree with @mikemac and his assessment! UCSB is such a vibrant community and seems to always have something going on. Students tend to live in Isla Vista year 2-4, and it’s a super fun and quaint college town. The weather at both campuses is fantastic, and will lend themselves to lots of outdoor activities (live music, beach, board games outside with friends, picnics, block parties, etc). I walked or rode my bike pretty much everywhere, but if I needed a Target run, etc it was only a 5 minute drive. There’s a mall about 10 minutes away, or great shopping and restaurants in downtown Santa Barbara about 15 minutes from campus. UCSB consistently ranks in the top 10 for Happiest Students, and my experience was great! The only downside is that many of the dorm rooms are triples (although some with ocean views!), although this is only a freshman year downfall and with the new dorm they’re building might no longer be the case. I’m not sure about UCSD’s current dorm situation. My best friend went to UCSD and she and her friends lived in PB and commuted to campus after their freshman year. She made great friends and they enjoyed their apartment, however she came to SB often and marveled at the difference. Hopefully you can visit UCSB/Isla Vista when campus is back in session to get a true idea of fit. Best of luck to you!
UCSD is better I visited and UCSB and it mainly gave off a huge party vibe and on top of that there are way more white people which make it very intimidating. UCSD is much more diverse and its academics are better. If I were you I would chose UCSD. People there are more friendly then people in UCSB and if you want to party SDSU is nearby so you can always party if you want to. UCSD students are very nice and it is easy to meet people if you look around who have them same interests as you
No, I don’t think I can revisit. My brother is the one who took me but he can’t anymore because he’s always busy working. Thank you anyways for the insight - I’ll keep that in mind when making a final decision. (: