UCSD vs. UCD vs. UCSB - economics major

College Search & Selection
1

Hey everyone!

So I was admitted to UCSB and UCD for an economics major and UCSD as a communications major (my alternate major).

UCSD is my first choice because its the closest to home, i love the area, the diversity within the campus, i have friends there so my transition will be smooth, and i feel like it has more prestige compared to ucsb and ucd. What i mean by that is, people are more motivated/focused there, and i feel like employers would be more inclined to hire you regardless of what your major is because of the fact you’re at UCSD. I’d like to verify if this assumption is correct based on other’s experience and/or statistics.

the problem i have with UCSB is that there’s not much diversity as SD and i feel like i wont fit in. i feel like SB is better if you’re going in as a freshman, getting involved in the frat life and if you love going to the beach. As a 23 year old, transfer student that is indian, i feel like SD is a much better fit.

the problem with UCD is that its way too far, and although it may have more diversity that UCSB, i feel like its in the middle of nowhere in a farm town.

my questions are the following:
-are employers actually more inclined to hire a graduate from UCSD than UCSB or UCD?
-do a lot of graduates get hired for something they did not study? does it really matter and to what extent? would majoring in communications be a detrimental course of action?
-would it be better to study economics but at a school that i may not have a good experience at and not fit in?

2

you seem to be confusing a major in economics with one in business. They are not the same!. Employers recruit for people with a business degree (and sometimes for those that has an emphasis such as finance, marketing, etc).

Economics, by contrast, is a liberal-arts degree. It’s not that much different than looking for a job with a degree in History, Communications, Psychology, etc. Nobody recruits specifically for Econ majors unless they have a PhD.

To get a job with a liberal-arts degree say to yourself “I’m going to graduate with a college degree, and this is a base requirement for many employers. But in addition to that, what steps do I need to take to identify a potential career and make myself an attractive hire to prospective employers in that field?” Work with the career center as soon as you show up at college since time is already short. One key will be internships; to be a decent candidate out of college you should do one or more.

It sounds like your only reservation about UCSD is the major, but it turns out that doesn’t matter. I think UCSD is the school for you.