I got off the waitlist at UCSD for fall 2022 and I’m having a hard time deciding between the two. I got accepted as a transfer and an economics major for both. In terms of aid, I will be getting $1800 in grants per year more if I go to UCD than UCSD. And fortunately for me, I did not have to pay a deposit or anything when I committed(SIR) or applied to housing for UCD, so I’m not losing anything if I commit to UCSD instead.
I do not plan on going to grad school. I want to get into consulting when I graduate.
UCSD when I look at rankings is ranked higher and has a lower acceptance rate than UCD. Is UCSD more prestigious than UCD then? Am I more likely to get a job if I went to UCSD?
And for UCSDI got accepted into sixth college. I’m not sure how the housing situation will work since it’s July now, will I get to live in an on campus apartment? For UCD, I already secured a spot in an on campus apartment called the The Green since I applied earlier in June.
I would contact UCSD regarding housing to make sure it is available at this late of date. Lower acceptance rates do not always equate to a more prestigious school. I would look at the Economics curriculum for each school to determine which would be a better fit academically and which program will get you to your post graduation goals. Also look at the Career centers for both schools, see which companies recruit for internships and jobs. Getting a job these days is not as dependent upon where you attend school but the skills you can bring to the employers after you graduate. Both schools are great options. Best of luck.
The difference, if any, is in the noise. A far bigger factor is that between these two you are not attending a school with a significant presence in the top consulting firms so you probably won’t have (1) on-campus recruiting (2) alums in the firms that want to give people from their college a hand up. You can find lists of firms popular with consulting firms online, for example https://www.peakframeworks.com/post/consulting-target-schools
Your next summer is going to be critical. Your competition is not working at the mall, they are doing internships at impressive firms (often consulting firms) and will spin their experience for all it’s worth.
It’s worth adding that school name is not the entire story. Everyone who goes to Harvard and wants to work in consulting does not get an offer. Ability, personality, and plain luck play major roles. If you read the book “Liars Poker” you’ll recall that Lewis got his start thru a chance encounter at a banquet where he sat next to the wife of a managing partner.
Lastly, to the extent that pedigree matters to consulting firms another hurdle is that you are a xfer student. This can be a knock at some companies, especially if you are coming from a CC. Sure your diploma will only say UC but it’s easy for any company that cares to find out; they just ask candidates to bring a copy of their unofficial transcript to the interview or submit it when applying.
Yeah I know both these schools aren’t target schools so it will be hard for me regardless. I’m not actually coming from a CC, I’m coming from a different 4 year university which I didn’t like. Right now I’m currently interning as a commercial banking analyst, but I don’t want to do this as my career, it was just the only paid internship I was able to land this summer. I know next summer will be crucial for me since it would be the summer before my senior year before I graduate.