I am a current high school student that has been admitted to UCSD, UCSB, UCI, Cal poly slo and Cal poly pomona.
My dream school is UCSD, but the reason I have not committed yet is because UCSD did not accept me into the school of engineering, instead I was accepted undeclared. It is possible to transfer, but it requires that I take certain classes and then I will be ranked according to my grades in those classes. The problem is that even if i do exceptionally well in those classes, I still might not be allowed to transfer major because of the varying and limited space since all engineering majors are impacted at UCSD. So is it worth it to take my chances or should I go to UCSB where they accepted me for computer engineering.
every other school accepted me for computer engineering.
Should I consider UCI or the Cal Polys?
Thank you for any advice in advance.
In this case, I would consider UCSB. But you must evaluate yourself, to make sure you will be diligent and committed enough at UCSB to do well in engineering. I do feel UCSB also offers strong faculty and resources, but may also be easier to slack off.
You could take a risk at UCSD – I feel it does have some advantages for engineering – and if things don’t work out even after you put in the requisite work for good grades, transfer out. If you have solid grades at UCSD but find yourself locked out, you’d have a reasonable chance at transferring to another solid campus – though that may delay graduation and hence increase costs. UCI is another good school, but I don’t know about its engineering resources.
My friend is in UCSD undeclared but he is thinking about transferring out. The reason is that get into engineering requires a 3.7 GPA. He told me he should have picked UCI as UCI accepted him as engineering major last year.
My son also got admitted to UCSD Undeclared even though he wanted Engineering. Dropped it right off of his list… he’d rather go to UCSB or out-of-state. Cal Poly is more hands-on… depends on what you’re looking for.
For engineering I would consider CPSLO over the other schools.
How did your friend come up with 3.7 gpa requirement?
I’ve heard that some people would rather go to slo but what are the reasons why?
Cal Poly SLO is the one CSU that can compete overall with the UC’s when it comes to engineering, and California employers know it. I’d rate the school right up there with UCSD or UCSB.
The only disadvantage with Cal Poly is that it’s not well known outside of the state.
Cal poly is a top engineering and architectural school. It really all depends what you’re looking for. I would say if you want to continue your education after and get a masters go with the UC’s. However close to all of the students at Cal Poly get offers to work before they’ve even graduated, especially the engineer students. 
hope you have a great time in college