In terms of undergraduate degrees that place a student in a good position for grad school (law school, MBA, or PHd a possibility). Right now our son is looking at International Studies/history at these schools. We are planning to visit all of them next week, but any insight would be helpful.
are you from California? or Virginia? is cost an issue?
for UCSD you tend to hear about the sciences more than your son’s interests. doesn’t mean they aren’t fine there but it’s not usually what comes to mind for UCSD.
UCSB is pretty different from UCSD socially. I think W&M is probably more on the UCSD side of the party spectrum than the UCSB side.
With California schools you do hear rumblings about budget issues, poor housing and advising…
This might be true at many public uni’s but I haven’t heard this in relation to W&M.
All 3 have stellar academic reputations. We don’t know much about your kid, though.
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Thanks! He’d be fine socially at any. Not a big partier, but would want to a little bit I think. We are from San Diego, Ca. UCSD is an excellent school with an excellent international studies program, but he wanted out of SD for college. UCSB is gorgeous setting and he also loves the East Coast and will probably want to try again for grad school at his faves (Duke). He was drawn to Ivies and smaller, beautiful schools. Likes Pepperdine too, but a little too small. Money isn’t a big issue.
The answer is the one he likes best.
All will prepare him for Duke or other top schools. Frankly most colleges in the country will do that.
If he decides to go to b school, it really matters less because he’ll need a few years work experience.
But one can get into Duke or Harvard law from anywhere. Just look at the list of where enrollees come from. Harvard lists 174.
Many / most from top schools but those kids were top coming out of hs too. But many of the regionals or unranked public and private schools have enrollees too .
Gpa, LSAT, activities, recommendations - that’s what matters.
So where did your student love when they visited ? That’s where they belong.
W&M is much smaller, very different than the UCs In all ways.
All are great choices.
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He visited W and M and liked it. He has not visited the UCs actually. We are visiting all of these schools next week. My husband is really focused on UCs, but he’ll see W and M next week for the first time and see why our son likes it. Part of me thinks he’ll have an easier time with activities, research, letters of rec at a small school. We told him he has to pick where he wants to be for the next four years, but I think he’ll be torn esp. between Santa Barbara beauty and William and Mary.
W&M is a very academic environment known for outstanding undergrad teaching. some people say it’s annoying being in a tourist town but most people say it’s cute and has things to do.
I am not sure it’s an easy place to get to from far away…
I would love to pick your brain on what you know about UCSB for poly sci and IR? I would love to know because it’s one of my kid’s top choices and we are out of state and don’t have any real intel.
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I’d prefer W&M. But I’m not your son. Yes around Santa Barbara could get the wrong kid in trouble. Not really a similar vibe at San Diego.
I’ll say this. You are way overthinking it.
I mean, someone from Bloomsburg of PA is at Harvard Law. Cal State LA. Go see that school while you’re driving between Santa Barbara or San Diego. And Northridge. Both lower tier CSUs. Both represented at Harvard Law. I could keep going but you get the point.
Choose the right school for him. Period. Your husband is r going to school.
With a kid that has no idea what he wants to do but thinks maybe law or business - a UC is not a panacea. Nor is a lesser perceived school death.
international studies. My daughter majors in it at Charleston. Wonderful opportunities…she turned down elite W&L and political powerhouse American. Honestly we didn’t know the Charleston program had access to so many diplomats and professionals. She just liked the school. It pulled at her that this was home But it is a tough major for outcomes. But with her 3.9, if it stays up, and depending on an LSAT, no law school will be off the table (provided a worthy LSAT). And she will spend fall in DC. See if any of the three schools have opportunities like a DC semester or something like the Mroz Institute that regularly brings in diplomats. If we knew then what we know now….
I just think you all are way overthinking this one.
Where your son is happy is where he should be. If he takes advantage of what the school offers and has an impactful four years, that should be the goal.
Good luck.
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I think the school your son likes best is the right one.
As a side note since he is thinking of Int’l Studies he’ll probably want to spend a semester or even better a year abroad. The UC study abroad program is headquartered at UCSB and while any UC student can use the program it’s probably a bit more convenient when it’s centered at your campus. According to UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) | University of California Santa Barbara has a slight lead as the UC campus with the most students studying abroad.
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I’ll see what I can find out about UCSB when we are there next Tuesday!
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Very good to know. He definitely wants to study abroad and it is a big part of his decision.
Thanks for your honesty. Overthinking is definitely my problem. I’m sure my son will decide based on what feels the best. Luckily he doesn’t overthink too much. 
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So we visited and the Santa Barbara campus is very nice. The freshmen dorms are mostly right oceanfront and remind us of old Hawaiian hotels. Palm trees everywhere. We saw the sun a bit, but there was lots of fog. Luckily we are from SoCal and know what a beautiful, clear day looks like on the ocean. The location is amazing. The programs are solid. I have done some research on Poli Sci and IR because they are very close to my son’s major. UCSB has a solid program for both. The UCSD Poli Sci major is rated higher, but I think you can’t go wrong at either school. The UCDC and study abroad program is great. Overall an excellent mix of college town, great academics, and mid-size campus. UCSB only has about 26,000 total students which is much smaller than UCLA and also smaller than UCSD.
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If you can afford the costs, I’m a big fan of going away to college, particularly on the opposite coast.
Any of the 3 will be great for law school or grad school. But don’t fixate on one school for a PhD as it just might not have an opening with the Professor that he wants to work with. (My D faced this issue when she was applying – one school was a great fit for her research interests, but the PI that she would do research with was going on a sabattical and not taking any new students for 2 years.)
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What does your son think after completing all of the visits? (We were also there for w&m DFAS.)
Hi,
I saw both messages. I’ll answer here.
My vote is for William and Mary. The visit was amazing. The focus on undergraduate research is incredible. I think he would get more personalized attention at this school. But, the UC schools are excellent too and he will be deciding soon. I will post when he decides.
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Hi,
I completely agree—I would also vote for w&m. I think my son is unsure about attending school so far away.
Now I realize you are deciding between UCSD and W and M? Both schools are great. Very different! We’re hoping our son has a true favorite. He will tell us this week. My husband and I are split. He is team UC and I am team W and M.
@sheri448 Is he team UC because it’s a UC - you mentioned that upward.
I mean, these schools are extremely different.
Your student will gravitate to one or the other.
If he’s into name, I’d personally think that W&M is the stronger name. Basically, if it doesn’t end in LA or AL (Cal) - if it’s name ends in any other letters, it’s my belief it’s less known (nationally).
All that said, both are FANTASTIC and your son should pick the best one for him - and since they’re so different, hopefully that won’t be a hard choice.
good luck.
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I don’t know the UC schools but my D21 is a history majorly at W&M. It’s an awesome department. There are so many excellent history profs teaching cool classes that she wants to take three history classes every semester. (Take a look at the course listings online.)
D19 is there also, and her boyfriend is an IR major. He’s been very challenged and happy. He may apply to law school eventually but wants to work first. Had a terrific experience abroad in Morocco.
I’m happy to answer any questions!
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@tsbna44 Good question. Since we are in California, he probably believes that a UC has more prestige. And, since none of his friends applied to w&m, no one he knows is talking about it. However, I wonder if the bigger issue is simply the distance.