awesomee

I cannot decide between UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine!!
I am a biology major
I visited both schools and they are both very nice, I love that Santa Barbara is on the beach, and Irvine is close to the beach, overall they both seem to have great environments!
I feel that I am leaning towards SB but I also think that Irvine might be better for biology.
HELP!

DrGoogle

I think they are both the same for bio. I like UCSB better than Irvine. Make sure you don't party too much there. It's very tempting with the beach and lots of young people.

Zyzzthetics

If you have self-control and have the ability to put school before partying, then go for UCSB. If I were in your position, I'd go for UCSB. It seems like you really care about the environment you'll be living in and honestly, UCSB is located in an amazing part of California. They're both amazing schools. But then again, UCI's biology program is better than UCSB's. It just comes down to if you're willing to sacrifice a bit of prestige, I guess you can say, for a better/more comfortable living environment.

mikemac

Either is a fine choice. Too many people overthink choices like this. There is no special gift one has over the other such that you're undergrad experience will be sure to be so much better. When people tell you "A is better than B" ask them how they know that, and just what difference there will be in your education at one over the other. Truth be told, both are mid-tier UCs. This is not a slam, it means you have the choice between two campuses ranked among the best publics in the country! The difference in what you learn in Bio and what your future brings will depend on what you do. Will you get involved in research? Get to know some profs? Put in the work necessary to do well in class?

That said, the atmosphere and type of student differs at the two. Visit both, and pick the one you prefer.