<p>Hi, I am going to transfer from a cc soon for environmental/civil engineering (mechanical for UCSB) and i want to know which schools would be better for me. Money is not a huge issue for me.</p>
<p>Im scared of competition and not keeping up with the material (i always doubt myself). I want to maintain a good GPA, but also maintain somewhat of a social life. The party scene is not really for me and dont plan to join a sorority. </p>
<p>I want a somewhat diverse school. I would probably describe myself as a "hipster." (at least ive been called that before lol). I live near the beach so the people are preppy/beachy types so I dont have many friends with the same interests as me. So i was wondering what the student body is like at each school. </p>
<p>How is the faculty at each school? I know USC has smaller classrooms which I like. </p>
<p>please give me reasons why i should choose one school over another.</p>
<p>thank you!</p>
<p>You should probably wait until you’re accepted before you decide where to attend. You don’t want to get your hopes up and be heartbroken. Just to mention, is there any reason you aren’t looking at Berkeley and Davis? They may be closer to a fit in the “hipster” category, and aren’t as big party schools as UCSB, for example.</p>
<p>Good advice from bruno14. Apply to all and then choose after you get accepted. UCSB is probably the closest to what you are looking for culture wise. Santa Barbara is a “hippy” (not hipster) town and laid back. One thing to keep in mind – there are NO “laid back” non-competitive engineering programs at the level you are talking about.</p>
<p>I’ve toured all these schools and know a lot about each program.</p>
<p>USC - Private school, good rep, more conservative compared to the UCs. Extremely urban in location. North of the school is just fine. Any other direction and you are in the hood. Campus itself is quite safe. Good engineering rep among local employers in LA. Top 25 nationally ranked school. Very loyal alumni. Will cost you close to $50k annually.
UCI - Great “up and comer” among the UC’s and nationally ranked. Orange county so not too many hipsters. Large Asian student body (not an issue for me as we are a mixed Asian family). Suburban.
UCSD - Great engineering department. ON THE BEACH! I’ve never seen such views in my life at a university campus. Suburban. Santa Barbara is a laid back town and ultra liberal. Expect some of that culture to influence the school. Well earned party school rep.
UCSD - Fantastic engineering department. Better than UCLA and second only to Berkeley among the UCs in my opinion. Suburban in location. Liberal school, conservative neighborhood. Really cool set up for the different colleges. The closest thing to the Claremont Consortium among public schools that I have ever seen.</p>
<p>You should also apply to Cal Poly SLO if you are interested in cool towns near the beach. However, Cal Poly has a very low transfer acceptance rate.</p>
<p>SD- the best school in terms of educational quality and prestige. However, students there are competitive and can be cut-throat, though not to the extent of students at Cal or UCLA. Main strength: Education quality
SB- It’s a party school but you can stay away from the party scene easily. There are every type of student here, and you’ll be able to find a fit easily. Easily the school with the best access to every type of natural environment. Main strength: Physical surroundings, diversity, lowest competition
Irvine- It is becoming more highly ranked and prestigious with each year. However, the environment is just plain upper-middle class suburbia. Not really “hipster”.</p>
<p>All the UC schools are going to be similar in terms of faculty. Frankly, though, I don’t think that should be a concern. Any school with an ABET engineering program has faculty perfectly capable of teaching undergrads. </p>
<p>If you think USC has smaller classes that could be a strong point in its favor. I have no knowledge of USC, but know that at the UC schools you are going to need to seek out things on your own. Nobody is going to come to you to suggest internships or research opportunities, if you get to know some profs its because you took the initiative to go to office hours, etc. There are abundant resources at UCs, but they only matter if take advantage of them.</p>
<p>Pick the school that you think will be a fit in terms of the people you meet. Which probably isn’t UCSB since its right on the beach and tends to attract a certain student, you live near a beach and don’t seem to like that atmosphere. UCSD has more of a commuter-school feel; its set in a wonderful town so a lot of students live at Pacific or Mission beach. But that means they drive into campus for class instead of being a bike ride away like they are at UCSB. Many students at UCI live on Balboa Island. Really you ought to visit all 4 and walk around; see if you can picture yourself as a student, try to chat with a few students, etc.
Engineering isn’t easy for anyone. But it doesn’t take genius-level IQ to get thru, it takes normal intelligence and the ability to work hard. Something like 6-10 hours per week studying for each math/science/engineering class; some people need less, some need more.</p>
<p>thanks for all the info. im just trying to get to know a little more about each school before i even get accepted lol… (i know i probably should do that) </p>
<p>i know there is no “easy” engineering program. i get A’s in my math and science classes (but im at a cc so theres not much competition). i just dont want a school thats SO competitive that will overwork me like berkeley or ucla.</p>
<p>have any you guys actually attended any of these colleges as an undergraduate engineer major? I want to know what your experience was like and what your background is like.</p>