Hey CC, I’m new to this discussion posting thing, so please bare with me.
Alright so here is the dilemma.
MAJORS:
I applied to both UCI and UCSD for Engineering Undeclared. I got the major I wanted at UCI however I got my alternate major at UCSD (Warren) which is Undeclared-Physical Sciences.
**Should I go to UCI which is offering me my Major or go to UCSD and attempt to get into engineering? At UCI will I have to apply for Computer Engineering with the rest of the Undeclared freshmen or do I get some sort of guarantee/priority since I’m already in the engineering school? Also I am not 100% sure I want to do Engineering for sure. 77% sure I do. ORR should I go to UCSD like most of my friends are telling me to, because of its prestige and better opportunities and not worry about my major? I want to do Computer Engineering, which university is the better of the two in that field?
FINANCIAL STUFF:
UCI- Net cost ( I pay out of pocket)- $6,300/yr (Was $9,300 but I got the Discover Scholarship-Lowered net cost by $3,000 for two years)
UCSD- Net Cost- $8,800/yr
Campus:
I visited UCSD on Triton Day and I had mixed feelings about it. It look great, but it seemed massive with all the walking and very intimidating. I have yet to visit UCI (Will do so this Friday)
My Preferences:
I don’t mind commuting to UCI (I live in Corona- 43 minutes away) if it saves me the housing costs. But at the same time would like to stay on campus for the full college experience. I also like the idea of being close to home (extremely family-oriented).
–On the other hand at UCSD ( 1 hour 17 min. away from home) I would be much more independent. I have this irrational fear that if I get sick I’ll have no family or anyone to look after me, and that’s when I’ll curse myself out for picking UCSD— I’m probably being dumb. A lot of my friends are going to UCSD so that’s plus ( I know i shouldn’t be influenced by where my friends are going, but I wouldn’t mind seeing familiar faces).
–UCSD’s Prestige and credibility as on of the top three UCs is really getting in the way of me finalizing UCI. *** Would I look better to an employer or grad school if I were to apply to their organization from UCSD versus UCI?
–Also would it be wiser to go to UCI (following Malcolm Gladwell’s “Big Fish Small Pond Theory”) and do better there because it would have lesser competition and easier classes relative to UCSD allowing me to stand out at UCI in the top tier of students rather than being an average student at UCSD.
–Ideally would like to keep the cost of education down however I believe education is one of the greatest investments someone can make that’ll keep repaying so I don’t mind paying more for a quality education.
**I know I’m all over the place but even if you can answer one question it would help tremendously.
Thanks GUYS!!!
If you go to UCSD but do not get into your major, what would you do? If you could enter your desired major without worrying about competitive admission or a GPA higher than needed to stay in good academic standing at UCI, that is less stressful.
Thanks ucbalumnus! That’s a great point! Does it really matter where I do my undergraduate if I plan on going to grad school? At UCI will I have to apply for Computer Engineering with the rest of the Undeclared freshmen or do I get some sort of guarantee/priority since I’m already in the engineering school? Um about my major…what if I go to UCI and decide I don’t like Engineeeing and decide to switch out…then would I have been better off going to UCSD? Also my Discover Scholarship is only for two years- it will go up to $9,300 in the third and fourth year. (More expensive than UCSD…) Do you think it’s still worth it.
You can think about so many whatifs because you would go insane. If you are reasonable sure, 70% sounds like it then go to UCI especially if it’s cheaper.
Thanks for your post! It provides a touch of comic relief at a stressful time for so many. At first I thought this was an April Fools joke, but it was posted on April 20th so I think you are serious.
Yeah, your friends are a great place to find objective advice about the two schools. No possibility of bias there. Nor, apparently, did it occur to ask how they know about “prestige and better opportunities” or if it could just be the ramblings of uninformed HS kids.
And did you ask yourself what exactly this means to you, an undeclared undergrad? Does it mean UCSD has smaller classes? A better advising system? A way of teaching the “lesser” UCs don’t have? Employers avidly recruiting UCSD grads that wouldn’t be caught dead talking to a kid from UCI? I mean a smart kid like you must have carefully considered exactly what “top three” means for you personally rather than mindlessly echoing a phrase you read somewhere.
The best sentence in the post! Gladwell writes about a woman who was admitted to Brown. For engineering comparables in CA might be a kid who was admitted to Caltech or Stanford. Gladwell’s point is that someone admitted to the most selective program might be better off choosing one not as selective. You, might I be so bold as to point out, were actually denied admission to UCSD with a major of Engineering Undeclared. It apparently escapes your notice that Gladwell’s story is not applicable to you. Some might say your belief that you’d be in the “top tier of students” at UCI is hubris. I disagree. Your thought process (evaluating colleges, estimating your performance, etc) is a wonderful example of Dunning-Kruger