ucsd v ucr

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Riverside
1

I’m a prospective college college freshman for the 2016-2017 fall term. I’m having trouble deciding between the two ucs due to financial prospects. At UCSD I was admitted as a Sociology major with a focus in social inequity at ERC college. At UCR I was admitted as a Sociology major. My current end goal is to be a family and child social worker.

UCSD: very expensive, would need to take out approx 14,000 a year in loans, amounting to 56,000 in loans after four years. Yet I love the campus and really want to go away from home, and the ERC goal of global service really appeals to me.

UCR: Only 20 minutes from home so I would be commuting, only $1000 in loans per year so ultimately only $4000 in debt after four years, I was admitted as a chancellor scholar and would gain priority enrollment. The biggest downside to this is having to commute so often and staying at home for four more years.

I would most likely need to get a Master’s Degree in order to become an accredited social worker and going to UCR would be really helpful in saving money and being able to afford grad school. Im just unsure if the opportunities open at UCR would match up to those at UCSD. Insight from sociology majors at UCR would be helpful in terms of the program and if internships are readily available?

2

Nothingclever1, I can’t speak to the sociology department at either campus, but I can speak as a parent, and a citizen, worried about the increasing amount of debt we are loading on our students’ backs. Sociology is not a high-paying major, even with a master’s degree. Paying off $56k would take decades. Don’t do it. How bout going to UCR, taking advantage of very nearly a free ride, and saving your money for grad school at UCSD or any other school you might like. I totally understand the pull to leave home, though…why not look at the many study abroad programs UCR offers? Financial aid would likely cover the costs, because you are still a full-time student, and traveling abroad for a semester or two would give you an opportunity to do global service.