<p>if you were a transfer student from illinois (TAKE NOTE OF THIS CONDITION: YOU'RE NOT A CALI RESIDENT) with a GPA of 3.96, great EC's, excellent essays and amazing recommendation letters, which school would interest you more?
(a) UCLA or UCB
(b) UCSD or UCD
(c) pepperdine or univ of miami
(d) USC or the entire UC system (...)
... and please explain why so.. thanks..</p>
<p>Hey knix. I'm currently a high school senior from CA. I've applied to the UC system and visited the ones I applied to, so hopefully I can help you out. </p>
<p>A) UCB and UCLA are both amazing! You have the GPA, etc. but it's hard to get in from Illinois. Berkeley is the No. 1 public for a reason and is located in an great area (my #1 choice.) UCLA has a great campus (Westwood Hills) and is practically the same as UCB academically. These 2 schools are awesome and among my favorites.</p>
<p>B) UCSD and UCD: funny; the schools you have in option A and B are also my top 4. Last time I checked, UCSD was still in San Diego...which would be a great time! I really like UCD w/o UCD, they city of Davis probably wouldn't exist! The city revolves around UCD, which has a great feel.</p>
<p>C) Pepperdine: Malibu is great and the campus is gorgeous. It's got a very small enrollment though...Miami is a good school, but I'd be more interested in options A and B if I were you.</p>
<p>D) USC has a great campus and is school that I'd really like to attend. There is a ton of school pride, academic possibilities, etc. at USC. Others UC's that interest me: UCSB and UCSC (I applied to both)</p>
<p>I honestly really like your list. If I was you, I'd go to UCB, UCLA, UCD, or UCSD. All amazing schools in great locations. I've visited these 4 and highly recommend all of them.</p>
<p>Pepperdine is VERY conservative. Make sure you like that.</p>
<p>kcirsch: yup, im aware of that.. all after is their academic standards, good liberal arts programs.. im conservative too but not THAT conservative, i like to let loose sometimes.. make that everytime..</p>
<p>batman32c: actually, i made up my mind.. im going to apply to only UCLA, USC and pepperdine.. UCLA as reach, USC as match and pepp as safety.. what ya think?</p>
<p>knix:</p>
<p>a) UCLA (Socal > Norcal, Westwood > Berkeley)
b) UCSD (Better campus, academics)
c) UMiami (Pepperdine is religiously-affiliated, so it's not my cup of tea)
d) The UC system (because of UCB, UCLA, UCSD)</p>
<p>Pepperdine is not a safety - while their SAT stats are low, they have a VERY low acceptance rate cuz everyone applies there</p>
<p>I agree that USC is a match and I think you could really like it there. Pepperdine has a small enrollment/low acceptance rate, so you may be a match by the numbers, but it's still selective; UCLA is awesome...enough said. I'd still highly recommend UCSD and UCD. Even OOS, I'd feel really good about getting in. I don't know how well you know the schools or campuses, but I'd be very happy at San Diego or Davis. Good luck and I can help if you have any other concerns.</p>
<p>In general, these schools suite different people. A lot of people who go to Berkeley or UCLA have to decide which place they would rather go. They have different environments and some people would be much happier at one place over another, whereas some people would be about as happy at either. </p>
<p>What you're studying probaby should have some impact on your decision, such as would you want a large department with lots of offerings but perhaps less attention, or a smaller one with fewer offerings but more attention? Perhaps a small department with lots of offerings would be best for you. Each of these schools varies by department as much as by school and location.</p>
<p>flopsy: dont you like USC even an itsy bit?</p>
<p>kcirsch: yeah, thats whacked.. i know pepperdine has a very low acceptance rate and that a huge bundle of people apply there but someone told me that most people just apply to pepperdine because they think the environment is awesome and not because they think their stats can take them there.. you think? i mean the way i see it, there is some sense out of it.. pepperdine's location is breath taking and maybe thats why people are urged to apply.. cuz my friend said, the pool of applicants giving pepperdine a shot have only one thing in common-- they all are dazzled by the jaw dropping location of pepperdine, but most of the applicants are not really that strong academically.. is this true?</p>
<p>batman32c: well to be perfectly honest, pepperdine became my first choice before but not because i thought my stats made it a safety school for me but rather because pepperdine's location is phenomenal.. also, youre absolutely right.. UCLA is awesome! id love to go there but the only thing that keeps me from doing so is the fact that im an OOSter and i feel as if my illinois residency will do damage upon applying for UCLA.. for any UC actually! USD's location is great, too.. ive always loved san diego.. but then again, my poor ass isnt from cali so i guess ill have a weak chance of getting in. does the UC system require SAT scores for transfer applicants, even if i already have 64 credits under my belt?..</p>
<p>If you can get into UCLA or Berkeley, you should take that over Pepperdine any day.</p>
<p>kcirsch: uh huh.. UCLA/Cal over Pepperdine?.. any day, baby..</p>
<p>USD and UCSD are two different schools in San Diego, USD being a private and slightly religious school, UCSD being the public research gem. If you would go, and you think you have some chance of getting into schools like UCLA and Cal, just apply- see if you get in instead of worrying about it. If you don't you'll be fine and go to some other school. It seems that most people don't end up at their first choice school.</p>
<p>DRab: at first i had my eyes set on UCLA and Cal despite the fact that im not a cali resident (how pathetic, right?).. but now, since im getting the vibe that i'll get rejetced by both UC schools, im giving USC a shot.. hey, it's a great school, too.. plus, since im not a cali resident, tuition and expenses of USC wouldn't be any different from the UC's.. so yey.. lets go TROJANS. i just hope i get into USC..</p>
<p>Sure, USC is great. I hope that you're happy wherever you go.</p>