<p>environmental science at ucla (may change during summer seminar to biochemistry) and at ucsd its biochem/chem.</p>
<p>Just go with your gut instinct, honestly I don't think there's really a different in prestige, especially in sciences/engineering. You're gonna get the same education, and while LA is definitely more recognized in the US it's not like SD isn't respected as well. I know quite a few people who turned down LA for SD and they don't regret it at all</p>
<p>UCLA is 4th, not 3rd, AND UCSD is 8th. there's not that much of a gap actually.</p>
<p>lookit:
top 8 public universities in the U.S.
1. Univ. of California - Berkeley
2. University of Virginia
3. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor<br>
4. Univ. of California—Los Angeles
5. U. of North Carolina—Chapel Hill<br>
6. College of William and Mary(VA)
7. Univ. of Wisconsin—Madison
8. Univ. of California—San Diego</p>
<p>What ranking is this?? Please don't tell me its US News. </p>
<p>I was in the same predicament. My parents also wanted me to go to UCLA, but I rejected them. I am a molecular bio major, and being at UCSD is much better for me since if I actually do research at a lab here, I would be working with more influential people and am more likely to get published along with a prof. It could be done at UCLA, but the chances are better at UCSD and the effects more impacting (UCSD has a much better sciences/engineering program according to the National Research Council). So even though UCLA is more prestigious overall, UCSD has a better program in the field of interest. </p>
<p>But then again, it also depends on what you want to do after college. If you plan on going to med school or something, UCLA may be a good choice (good med school...), but if you want to go for a Ph. D, UCSD may be better.</p>
<p>And UCSD has more trees, so UCSD>UCLA.</p>
<p>i'm also decidin between UCSD and UCLA.. For one thing, you have UCLA higher prestige, but the problem is the aggressive competition among the students, which make it almost impossible to secure research opportunities with teachers (they're all taken). Also, graduating in 4 years might not be attainable taking into account that many majors are impacted, not to mention a myriad of courses (all the biochemestry courses, for instance).</p>
<p>UCSD has a great reputation for natural sciences, and like somebody posted earlier, major companies recruit here and offer great research opportunities. Moreover, classes are not as overcrowded as in UCLA, which allows for a better interaction with professors, or TAs</p>
<p>so yeah..just my little opinions here.....yet i still cannot make up my mind on where to go..damn it!</p>
<p>quote:Moreover, classes are not as overcrowded as in UCLA, which allows for a better interaction with professors, or TAs</p>
<p>hmm....i've found that some of my classes here are highly overcrowded, to the point that people have to sit on the stairs of a lecture hall. BUT i've heard worse for UCLA so it could be worse there. just saying, it's pretty overcrowded here too.</p>
<p>It's crowded for the first two weeks until people start skipping class again.</p>
<p>true. i guess it also depends on the class..i forgot that this was the first week lol, it seems like it's been 3 weeks into the qtr already >_<</p>
<p>here i go again...
before i admit i was like..about 70/30 ucsd/ucla. I got the ucla alumni scholarship and now im completely 50/50. Would I be a total idiot if i pass up the perks/money the scholarship gives me? I guess Im hesitant to take UCLA is because: 1) the competetion seems super intense and 2) the location of la vs the location of sd (beach, small town, suburb which i love)</p>
<p>bummmmmmmmp</p>
<p>when it comes to money, the question is can you pay for it. if you have to choose between Duke and UNC and money was an issue, then obviously UNC. If you can pay for it, then you should go to Duke. If you want UCSD and ur parents can pay the tuition/fees or ur getting enough financial aid that you wont go into debt or too much debt then go for SD. If ur family's tight and this can save them a few grand a year, then go to UCLA</p>
<p>bottomline: Do what you want do. If UCSD was your dream school, then go for it, a year from now you probablly wont even think twice about UCLA. there may be many people that would want to fill your seat at UCLA because it was their dream school.</p>
<p>I too am 50/50 on UCSD and UCLA. I applied for Electrical Engineering at both, but I'm reconsidering changing my major to something else (not sure yet). I was just wondering over, which is better for engineering? (but I'm pretty sure they're pretty equal, and yes, they are in the rankings, but rankings can only tell you so much)</p>
<p>Undergraduate engineering specialties:
Electrical / Electronic / Communications
(At schools whose highest degree is a doctorate)
Methodology </p>
<ol>
<li>Massachusetts Inst. of Technology </li>
<li>Stanford University (CA) </li>
<li>University of California–Berkeley * </li>
<li>U. of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign * </li>
<li>University of Michigan–Ann Arbor * </li>
<li>Georgia Institute of Technology * </li>
<li>California Institute of Technology </li>
<li>Carnegie Mellon University (PA) </li>
<li>Purdue Univ.–West Lafayette (IN)* </li>
<li>Cornell University (NY) </li>
<li>University of Texas–Austin * </li>
<li>Princeton University (NJ) </li>
<li>Univ. of California–Los Angeles * </li>
<li>Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison * </li>
<li>Northwestern University (IL)
Rice University (TX) </li>
<li>Univ. of California–San Diego *
Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Univ. of Southern California </li>
<li>Virginia Tech * </li>
<li>Pennsylvania State U.–University Park *
University of Virginia * </li>
<li>Duke University (NC)
Case Western Reserve Univ. (OH)
Texas A&M Univ.–College Station * </li>
<li>Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. (NY)
University of Washington *
Univ. of Minnesota–Twin Cities * </li>
<li>denotes a public school.</li>
</ol>
<p>for general engineering they are tied.</p>
<p>ahhh! may 1st is fast approaching. how do they expect you to choose where you'll spend your next 4 years in seriously like..31 days.</p>
<p>just go to UCLA, it is more presitgous than UCSD.</p>
<p>UCSD tends to get the same employers coming these days as UCLA and Cal. And don't assume that it's only strong in the sciences. It has a top 5 poli sci dept, top 10 IR school, and a top 15 econ dept. It is also fairly strong in history as well.</p>
<p>UCLA, however, offers a more complete undergraduate experience in my opinion. Prestige is not the issue, as the difference is not large enough to be concerned. UCLA offers a smaller, more tightly-knit campus with better social resources. It also offers students better options for housing off-campus, and a more developed "student scene" in the neighboring town. </p>
<p>UCSD is by no means a bad school. Hell, I'm a grad student here. But I think, just based on my time at both, that UCLA is a better overall experience for an undergrad. YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY.</p>
<p>"just go to UCLA, it is more presitgous than UCSD."</p>
<p>I can't even begin to elaborate on how blind and short-sighted that statement is.</p>
<p>depends on your major. if you wanna do medicine, ucla hands down.</p>