Hello!
I’m an international student that got into these schools and I’m having a pretty hard time which one to go to.(Majoring in psychology but thinking of changing to nursing ). I love the environment and the weather in the UC schools but at the same time, the ranking of University of Rochester is a lot higher than the UC schools that I got into. I’m not sure if i should pick my school according to the ranking or the environment. I’m sure university of rochester will offer me a better education but I feel like I will fit a lot more in these UC schools. (also having a hard time which UCs to go to if I do end up choosing to go to california) I know that it is better to go to a school that i will feel more comfortable in but as a international student, I’m paying a lot to study in America and I feel like I should go to a university that will provide a better education…
I’m not SURE U of R would offer you a better education. Rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. Go where you think you’ll thrive. That’s where you’ll get the best education.
Not only do rankings not matter that much, but U of R is not ranked “a lot” higher than UCSB - they’re ranked on par (a few spots different in US News rankings means absolutely nothing - the rankings are mostly useful if you’re comparing say #20 with #80, and even then it’ll depend on the major). There’s nothing to indicate you would get a better education in Rochester than the UCs. If there’s something in particular about U Rochester that appeals to you, go there, otherwise, I’d pick UCSB