Hello! I’m brand new to this website and by the influx of topics like this, I see I’m not the only one having trouble choosing between a few colleges.
I suppose I’ll dive right into the thick of it. I’m torn between my dream school (UC Davis) and the school that I could graduate from debt free (UC Merced). I know, “UC Merced? Ew, is that even a real college?” Well, it is, and I live quite near to it, in fact, I live so near that I could cut the cost of college in half by living at home with my parents. I understand that it’s not necessarily the desirous option, but when considering that it will cost me roughly $50k-$60k less to attend UC Merced, it becomes a lot more sexy.
I’ll note that I plan to major in political science, join the peace corps, and then go to law school. I also am considering (if it’s possible, and we’ll see in time) double majoring in economics.
So I’ve been thinking in terms of a pros and cons list and I’ll just put that here. If you could take the time and give me your advice, it’d be much welcomed and appreciated.
UC Davis
Pros:
It’s the school of my dreams. I’ve been wanting to attend for as long as I can remember
Superior education
I’d get the full “college experience” with living on campus and all
I’d be more academically challenged
More internships (as I’m right next to Sacramento
Cons:
$50k - $60k more expensive
More than likely won’t be able to double major
More likely to suffer from “small fish in big pond” syndrome
UC Merced
Pros:
I live near, and as such, there will be a familiarity with the area
It’ll cost considerably less than Davis
I will more than likely be able to pull off a double major
More likely to benefit from “big fish small pond” syndrome (however vain that may sound)
More likely to be able to secure a spot in UCDC and UC Sacramento programs
Cons:
Missing out on the “college experience”
The what if’s of if I’d have attended Davis
Living at home with my parents and not going out on my own
Inferior education
Having to commute on Amtrak 30 minutes to and from the campus
Based on your pros and cons, UC Merced looks like the winner. Happy Student=Successful Student and no school is worth that kind of debt.
UCM is still a UC and you would not get an inferior education by going there.
What makes you say that? I’m double majoring in computer science and linguistics and graduating on time. In fact, I would have graduated last quarter (a quarter early) if the linguistics department hadn’t moved my last linguistics class to this quarter.
Neither political science nor economics are very unit-heavy, so as long as you plan your courses wisely then double majoring would be little to no issue. But you need to plan your courses wisely for a double major regardless of what you’re going to school.
Is the 50-60k the debt you would take on, or just the overall cost of 4 years? If the actual debt would be at or below the maximum federal loan amount, then the debt for Davis isn’t ridiculous. If the 50-60k is your actual debt, then I agree that UCD isn’t worth it.
That said, starting off with no debt isn’t something to be taken lightly. Purely from a financial standpoint, UCM is the clear winner. But try to figure out what your approximate debt would be for Davis before completely dismissing it.
I’d say definitely think of the commute and if its 30 minutes on Amtrak be sure to add the time to and from the station. It could get draining to commute and it may hinder the experience being so far from campus, considering extracurriculars and campus activities. There is affordable housing in the UCM area. As a UCM Political science student I can say we have amazing professors and great research opportunities in the Political Science department. As well as UCDC being an awesome opportunity with a smaller applicant pool.
If UC Davis is the experience you’ve always wanted, then go for it. You probably would never have such a perfect opportunity to choose that campus and that area.
Also, do the numbers and see what the difference would be.
If you are saying it would cost about $15,000 extra per year, I think it might be reasonable to spend that to go to your dream school. Have you already factored in what you would earn during the summer?
I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision! Having said that, I’d say check in financial aid - it can be very substantial in some cases, however, if either UC offers you scholarship, make sure it is for ALL four years. Read all the fine print. Scholarships have a way of disappearing after the first year or so - they can always find a reason.
Or, have you considered going to community college and transfering to UC Davis for the last two years?
Some of my family friends went back to their #1 school (after being offered better aid packages elsewhere) and tried to negotiate for a better package with their financial aid department. Mind you, this was with private schools so I’m not sure if it would work with UCs so it might be worth a shot. Being debt free is important, but you can also consider your ROI. I’m very certain that going to UCDavis will give you more (and better paying opportunities) down the road than UC Merced would, and if you can quantify that to a point that it seems like a risk that will pay off, then you might end up wanting to go to UCDavis.
I also understand the struggle of not wanting to be stuck with parents during college. You didn’t mention anything about the relationship with them - but for me personally, the choice to live out of the house when I started going to community college was a choice where I decided that spending all my spare money on rent was better than being depressed and living at home.
Lastly, as myself and others have mentioned, you could consider splitting the cost and attending CC for two years before going to UC Davis. UC Davis has the transfer admission guarantee program https://www.ucdavis.edu/admissions/undergraduate/transfer/transfer-admission-guarantee/