Hello
We live in Southern California and my daughter has been accepted in the above 2 universities. She is majoring in psychology as for now but she may change her major to finance , accounts , business as she is a good at math too…
My question here is
A) which university is good for her to blossom and have fun too?
B) which of the two universities have better quality of education ?
C) which university has a stronger and helpful alumni ?
D) which college is more prestigious to graduate from?
E) which college has better job prospectus ?
D) which college will be easier to change her said major if she chooses to?
E) which college is an all around college ?
http://www.washington.edu/uaa/advising/majors-and-minors/list-of-undergraduate-majors/ indicates that most majors have admission standards higher than merely being in good academic standing at the school. Business and psychology are both competitive admission majors. Math has only minimally higher requirements than good academic standing (minimum of C grade in each prerequisite math course and minimum 2.20-2.50 GPA (depending on the option in the major) in all of those prerequisite math courses).
Job prospects for graduates are usually more major-dependent than school dependent. The schools can make a difference in that many smaller employer recruit mainly at local schools, so each will see visits from recruiters in their local areas.
I think your daughter would be fine with either college. My son recently earned a grad degree from UW and I had the sense he really enjoyed his time there. It’s a lovely campus and a great city (as long as your daughter doesn’t mind rain). But the two choices are quite different – so I think that if finances aren’t an issue, then a visit to each school might be the best way for your daughter to figure out best fit for her.
Agreed. Are finances an issue? Even for OOS, I would UW would be less exoensive than Santa Clara.
My DD is a Santa Clara grad, and loved it there. She knows a number of kids from Seattle who are now attending grad school at UW, and they love it there.
I think these are both winners, assuming the costs are not a factor.
While U-Dub is awesome, I am not a fan of paying OOS rates to attend another state school. Thus, for me, the $10k extra to attend a private would be worth it – assuming that finances are not a big issue. In general, the privates offer better opportunities --housing, research, advising etc. – and less bureaucracy. (But perhaps my view of publics is jaded by the UC’s, where advising is downright awful, if barely existent, and the housing bureaucracy is worse than the state DMV.)
UW-Foster School of business entrance can be tricky if you’re not a direct admit. I’ve known a fair number of very good students who could not get in during their first couple of years. Good education and a fine university. One must like the rain and living in the city.
Santa Clara has a wonderful business school. The Seattle area schools send lots of students to Santa Clara and all have enjoyed their time and education there. Great business opportunities with Silicon Valley companies.
the UW psychology program is excellent; I don’t know much UW’s math/finance/business programs. As pointed out by the first poster, entry into psychology, neuroscience at UW can have higher requirements than entering the university (and, I don’t know if the entry is also competitive, in the sense that having a strong class might make entry to the major more difficult).
UW is a big school. very big. That means lots of opportunity, but also the potential for getting lost and, yes, dealing with significant bureaucracies. UW has a medical school (and law school and other professional schools), which can mean additional opportunities for psychology students, if they have any medical/basic biology interests.
That being said, your questions are too personal to the individual student and her interests for strangers to answer for these two very different schools. Seriously, these two schools aren’t even apples and oranges, they are frogs and sequoias, or maybe even frogs and serendipity (i.e. not even two living things). UW is a state flagship, with 44,0000 students; Santa Clara is a jesuit university with 8000 students. For what it takes, I’d never heard of Santa Clara University. I suspect that most people have heard of University of Washington (especially with Amazon & Microsoft based in the Seattle area). But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t fields and specialties in which Santa Clara University wouldn’t be the better choice (not even considering how different the two environments are).
I will make these general comments about Udub–the school is quickly becoming a force. What folks may not realize, is that they are the number 3 in total endowment on the west coast–behind Stanford and USC. Several of their research departments are world class. Itʻs CS is one of the premier schools. They have ever increasing synergy with the regional giants–including but not limited to Microsoft, Amazon,Ebay and Boeing. Plus, Seattle is a very hip place for a young person.
No bad mouthing Santa Clara…just some items to consider regarding Udub.
we are going to visit these universities soon and make up our mind , meanwhile she is also waitlisted in ucsd, ucsb, calstate slo. we are hoping her to get admission in them too by may 1st week… we are really confused if we get in all of them. expense wise they all will be almost same … 5-10 k difference(not a big deal for me)). question is to go to private college or to go to public college like ucsd,ucsb, uw, slo or to go to pvt college like SCU for the same fees?
Private V Public–I think this Q will be tethered to the comfort level and preference of your D. I will say UCSD and UCSB can be very compelling on a nice sunny spring day, especially for an 18 yo…
If they 2 are equal in what they offer in so far as major and post-grad networking, then you are talking about 2 totally different environments.
I am an SCU grad and I can tell you that many of my classmates are employed in Silicon Valley and throughout the NW (Microsoft, Nike, start-ups, etc). The issue, as someone above posted, is that outside of the region, SCU is not well known. When I say region, I’d say outside of the Western States. However, I’ll guarantee you that businesses in Silicon Valley and the NW know SCU well. So, if your D chooses to stay in the West, she’ll be fine. On the East Coast they may say… Santa where? But, then again, UW programs may not be well known either.
I have 2 siblings who also went to SCU and were in the business school (I was Art History… don’t ask). They were employed right out of school in the Bay Area. Santa Clara business school is well regarded.
All that said:
SCU is small and private
UW is big and public
I see them an 2 totally different campus experiences. I’d say you may have a better idea after visiting. What feels right.
I agree that I wouldn’t send my kid OOS to UW if UC’s costs are lower.
SCU grads have done remarkably well with a powerful devoted alumni base in Northern CA.
I think that more than public vs. private your daughter should focus on the dynamics of overall size & resources. I’m UC graduate and I thrived there and do not in any way regret my choice or my refusal at the time to consider other options. I’m very independent natured and I loved the wide array of opportunities a large U. offered. I figured out how to deal with the bureaucracy, and I actually enjoyed having a mix of small classes & large lecture courses. My son attended a small private LAC it was not a great choice for him -he later transferred to a CSU. My daughter attended a private somewhat larger LAC & did extremely well, but was not always happy and seriously considered transferring-- both of my kids always felt out of place surrounded by students from wealthier backgrounds. My daughter also reported a divide between the college students who had come from private vs. public high schools. But those are factors that might not apply to you family at all!
As a California mom with a Washington-transplant son – I think that UW has everything to offer that any UC has. So while I can’t speak to finances, I don’t think that you have to look at the in-state options as necessarily preferable.
Does Santa Clara still have the Shadow SCU program (my daughter was instrumental in its beginning)? If so, see if you can do,that when you visit. Your daughter will be paired with a current SCU student who has a similar or same major, and interests. It’s a great accepted student program.
I completely agree with calmom. While Santa Clara is certainly a great school, if your child is comfortable with or excited by a larger university environment, Washington would be an excellent choice. It has world class programs in the fields of psychology, business and mathematics, among many others. For example:
Granted, grad school rankings provide only general guidance regarding a department’s strength. However, in ranking after ranking (ARWU, MUP, QS, US News, URAP, THER, NTUR, etc.), Washington is usually right up there with the best of them, and while this can be largely attributed to its work in the fields of medicine, science, engineering and computer science, it also performs exceptionally well in the social sciences (e.g., http://nturanking.lis.ntu.edu.tw/DataPage/TOP300.aspx?query=SocialSciences&y=2014).
