Hi! I’m trying to decide whether to attend two very different colleges- Puget Sound or UCSD. I just returned from Puget Sound, and really loved it- the vibe, the student body, Tacoma, plus liberal arts curriculum. I’m planning on going into health sciences, likely public health, so I would probably attend grad school. At Puget Sound there is a Bioethics emphasis I can declare while at UCSD I can actually major in Public Health. I’m interested in studying abroad and doing research. I’m in California, so UPS is more expensive but not by that much because of scholarships.
I know UPS doesn’t have a big national reputation as UCSD does, especially for pre-med, but I think I would enjoy it more. Is UPS still really challenging academically? Would it be a disadvantage for grad school?
I know they’re very different, but if anyone had some thoughts on this it would be really helpful.
OMG. Go to UCSD. , Especially since you plan to go into Health sciences.
There are far more internships and jobs in the HS industry around SD and in Calif than in Tacoma.
And there is NO QUESTION that an UG degree from UCSD will be viewed much more highly by graduate schools than one from UPS.
So is it really worth it to go to UCSD for the reputation, even though I’ll probably have better recommendations for grad schools from UPS? I just really want to make sure it’s worth it since I loved UPS and would like to try out a different region/environment, since I’m from California.
why do you think you will have better recommendations from UPS?
LOR’s matter, but they carry MUCH more “weight” if written by someone who is well known, well published and more prominent in the academic scientific community, and SD has lots of profs with those attributes. I advise you to seek out and make yourself known and useful early to potential advisors/ mentors at UCSD.
I’d probably pick UCSD if I were you. Better to get you on that Public Health track.
Btw I’ve spoken to students from UPS (I live in Washington) and they say that there’s a trend of the science classes being more difficult, but the liberal arts classes being easier because the teachers usually have more fun with them.
Being from Washington State, I would definitely choose UCSD. UPS is located in Tacoma which is a pretty terrible college city. I saw above that you liked it, but I would be sure to spend a day alone again there and see what you think. It It is a rundown industrial city to begin with and is starting to become nicer but nowhere near as college friendly as UCSD. In regards to academic reputation, UPS is thought of as an OK school not a great school but a solid one up here. I think the UCSD name will carry you a bit farther
In regards to public health, Seattle University and UW pretty much dominate those fields up here. I think it would be more difficult to grad school up here from a UPS undergrad degree than a SU or UW degree. UPS is very strong in its pt and business program but I am not so sure about their public health program. I have noticed that most colleges with strong health programs are located in major cities. Also, field experience is key to grad school. Although a strong liberal arts education is very helpful, field experience will get you much farther in admission. It would be a good idea to check out both school’s public health departments and see what type of internships, volunteer, and/or field experiences students get.
Ok, that’s good that the science classes are difficult at UPS.
Actually, I visited Tacoma and really liked it, I will visit UCSD next weekend but I’m not a big fan of San Diego in general, so I definitely prefer UPS’s environment.
So I know the UCSD name will get me “a bit” farther, but will it be very substantial? There’s a definite disadvantage to UCSD for me because of the big lecture style classes so I feel like I will enjoy classes at UPS more, but I don’t want to just throw away the UCSD option if UCSD will get me a lot farther.
I wouldn’t be so definite… but when you say UPS is more expensive, how much are we talking about?
Calculate (tuition, fees, room, board) - (grants, scholarships). Do NOT deduct any loan. What’s the total you find for each and what’s your parents’ budget?
I calculated it, looks like UPS will cost about $31,700 and UCSD will cost about $27,500. So the difference is around $4,200 per year. I am looking for other outside scholarships so I am hoping to lower this a bit- the difference is not great enough to make me choose UCSD just based on cost. Also I am hoping to study abroad and it looks like that will cost more at UCSD if I do it during the school year.
UCSD Neurosciences has gained an international reputation as a leader in translational medicine – bridging the gap between resarch and treatment. It is one of the premier research institutions in neurosciences…
