<p>UVa vs. UCSD?</p>
<p>My family is in San Diego, but I think UVa would offer the better education & social scene. Charlottesville could be a huge culture shock for me. Please help!</p>
<p>It depends on what you want to study and what your family's finances are like. San Diego has fantastic weather and UCSD has a fantastic BA/MD program, but UVA is probably stronger overall. I don't think Charlottesville would be a huge culture shock at all. To the contrary, you'd probably love it.</p>
<p>Hey, I was from Southern California too, and choose UVa over all the UCs. I felt that getting away from home would be a great way to grow and learn about myself; plus, no UC's campus competes with UVa's. I adore Cville, and I think the attention I get at UVa is unlike anything I would find at UCB, UCLA, or UCSD (based on the stories I hear from my friends who go to those schools). At UVa, I've met students from nearly every state and tons of different countries...at the UCs, 95% or higher are from California. :/ We may be 2/3 Virginian, but the diversity is still far greater here if you ask me. Of course, it depends on your financial situation, but honestly, having seen and considered both, I think UVa is 100x better than UCSD. Don't forget, we actually have sports teams, too! And we have school spirit. :)</p>