From CA - not easy to get to - although you can fly to airports on either side - and Southwest flies to those airports.
Frankly, given the desire for major and potential law school, I don’t think it matters where you go. I mean, some schools might focus on a certain historical time period but for 95% of kids, where won’t matter.
But I would argue - as a national brand name - W&M is superior to the UCs.
But I really would say - if you want smaller, quieter - then not W&M. UCSD - while maybe science oriented in many ways and maybe a studious school, is huge - but yes, it’s near the ocean La Jolla, Del Mar…I mean what a gorgeous area.
The choice here, btw, should be your kids - unless monetary levels are different…then of course, the parents get to have influence since you are paying.
My son was also accepted to Cal Poly Slo, which is a great school! It did not ultimately make the top 5 because it does seem engineering, architecture, and probably other STEM majors is where Cal Poly shines. We have not visited, but I heard it’s beautiful.
My husband feels the UCs are stronger because he cannot stop looking at the US News ratings. That has been unfortunate in our discussions. William and Mary seems similar to Princeton in the areas we were focused on. The undergraduate focus is very valuable. The opportunity for research, internships, etc.
Historically, perception wise, W&M is right up there with the elites. It’s rank has shown in the 40s…still strong.
And by the way, US News means diddly and any ranking is as good as its inputs.
U of Alabama is #137 - but guess where more National Merit Scholars attend than any school - U of Alabama. So does that make it bad?
Truth is - any and all schools can be great - it depends on the kid.
If you are looking at US News, you are looking at the entire school. For example, if my kid wanted to do Supply Chain, I would be sending him to Arizona State, U of Tennessee, or Michigan State. If Management Info Systems, maybe U of Arizona. If Journalism, Syracuse or Northwestern or a few more.
Looking at the overall rank - which W&M does fine with - is not representative of anything.
You might look at career outcomes from each - now that’s something worthwhile.
But in the end, it’s still big vs. small/mid size and there’s so many other factors to look at.
Both are fantastic.
I know you like W&M and your hubby UCSD.
But what does your student prefer?
There’s no wrong choice…unless one is wrong for him.
This is really teasing and not serious re: rankings, but if you want to go INTERNATIONAL, UCSD comes out on top by a mile haha. Honestly I don’t even know what the Times Higher Education is, but it ranks UCSD in the 30s worldwide
But none of that matters. Beyond a certain point, rankings don’t really mean a thing. My kid is dying to go to a small LAC in LA (Occidental) that I guarantee hardly anyone outside of CC has heard of, but the money isn’t right and so she’s likely to end up at UCSD. Does she sort of like the fact that UCSD is the second-most applied to school in the country (after UCLA)? I think so, a little bit. But in her case it’s the proximity to a big city that’s not the city she’s grown up next to, the weather, the specific gen ed requirements of the res college she got into that match her interests pretty well, and the fact that they had a really nice LGBTQ resource center that spoke to her…that’s what’s helping her pick it over the other UCs she has to choose from. So hopefully in your son’s case there’s something that stands out about one or the other for him!
I think people in some parts of the country will know W & M and people in other parts of the country will better know UCSD. Growing up in CA, I had never heard of W & M until I went East for college. I thought it sounded like a LAC. The right answer is the school where he feels most happy and the program will challenge and interest him.
He surprised me and was fully supportive. We both agree it’s very hard to say no to schools that have a low acceptance rate. There’s a bit of worry that they will miss out on something. But, our son chose it and he is happy. He will have fun, learn a ton, and have $$ for grad school. We do believe he will still get into a grad school just fine!
I don’t think it’s hard to turn down schools with low acceptance rates.
Many have very low yields - and that includes ED students who by nature are 100% committed.
Case Western , per the last CDS, admitted 27%. Only 15% went. And again that includes ED so it’s really far less.
BU let in 14%. 31% go.
UCSD - 19% of admits go. W& M 27% go. Alabama Bama 19%
Lots of reasons for lots of these #s but I think your hypothesis is off.
Depending on the major, but grad school, if he wants it likely won’t be impacted by any of the schools.
Once kids visit Bama, it does seem to be game over. Gorgeous campus, single rooms in the honors dorm etc. the smart kids see that and what they’d save and it’s game over.
Great points. We are excited for him. I agree. If you visit Bama, it is game over! Plus, can’t beat the scholarship!
I know the yield rates are low, but it’s also because all the top colleges accept the same kids. My son has friends that got into every UC, USC, an Ivy, etc. The application system is broken IMO. That said, we are proud of him for choosing the best fit. The scholarship helped him decide too.
UCSD, UCSB, and William and Mary are excellent schools. It just came down to what was the best fit for the some very pivotal years in his life. I think he will have the most FUN at Bama!
