Which would you choose?

Hi guys
So I’m having an extremely hard time trying to choose a college.
So i got into UC davis, UC Santa Barbara, UCSD, Boston University and northeastern University

Initially i was very exxcited about california but then when i did more research i realised that everyone really says that they are good for science and research, but im looking at subjects like communications, internationalrealtions, economics, etc

Im not sure what major i want exactly, but i know its more in social science-y direction. I know BU is very expensive, but my parents have assured me that thats not an issue.
Also if you have any other information about any of these colleges that could maybe help with my decision, I’d really appreciate it.
im an international student if that helps.

Thanks : )

Sounds like you aren’t interested in the UCs any longer. Between BU and NE, I would choose NE. The coop program is excellent, and I know several students who are very happy there. IMO, it has a more cohesive college feeling than BU, but others will no doubt disagree with that. Having said all that, those two colleges are really very comparable. I suspect BU has the edge in international relations, but I am not sure.

Travel should be considered. Are you in Europe? It’s a LOOONNGGG flight to the west coast.

–What country are you from?
–What are the cost differences between your choices?

Im from India so I mean it’ll be a hell of a long flight anyway so relatively east coast or west coast wouldnt make so much of a difference

I am still interested in the UCs but not many people have been able to tell me anything apart from their campuses are great and California weather is amazing and its good for sciences. I would love California, but I’ve really not heard much about their social sciences.

The UCs are solid across many disciplines. If you’re undecided about a major or if you want to save money over BU or NU, UCSD (good in political science and economics) is perhaps the UC to look into more. Check course offerings. Decide whether there is any advantage for you to be in the Northeast.

I doubt the price is that different since your are OOS for UCs. There is a big difference in the weather for UC Davis (Sacramento) and UCSD and UC Santa Barbara…

I love Boston but it is cold - really cold. You might have 60-100 inches of snow in a bad year. Normal is over 40". You’ll have lows of zero for a couple weeks at a time. Not a reason not to go but you should know. Amazing history. New England in the Fall is as beautiful as it gets.

I can’t speak academics for the schools you listed.

Lots of Indians attend school in the north, and many even learn how to ski and skate. So look at the cold weather as a plus. I find Indians acclimate quickly to the cold. Some do the full Nelson and settle in places like Ottawa (-37C in winter), like my cousins.

Out of your options, I’d personally choose UCSD, UCSB, or Northeastern. I agree with the above poster that northeasterns co op and more defined campus is a better choice than BU. The UCs are still strong in economics and san diego and santa barbara will still provide strong job opportunities upon graduation.

I’d pick UCSD, or BU if you want to be in Boston for some reason.

UCSD has a huge Indian community, as well as some of the most famous competitive Indian dance teams such as UCSD Zor and Da Real Punjabiz. The Indian Students Association on campus is very active, and the community is vibrant and thriving. It’s also a great school for the social sciences—admittedly, its strongest programs are in STEM but for economics, political science, literature, linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, and anthropology it will likely be a stronger choice than any of the schools you’ve listed.

Ya I’ve spoken to a lot of people and everyone says that every body adjusts to the weather. So theyve told me to not look at the weather so much and look more at the courses.

Do you know how the UCSD social sciences would compare to maybe the BU or NE’s social science courses?

So is the general consensus that out of the UCs, UCSD is the one that I should look into more?

Also thank you guys so much for the help. I really really appreciate it : )

So I had got the sense that for social sciences / communications and being pretty undecided, BU and northeastern would be better. Is that not the case?

What does better mean to you?

According to https://socialsciences.ucsd.edu/about-us/at-a-glance.html UCSD’s communication department is very highly ranked for graduate studies. There will be many research opportunities that trickle down for undergrads, as this is one of UCSD’s core strengths.