<p>Here’s a question that is weighing heavily on my choice of which school to transfer to: </p>
<p>Which UC has the most helpful staff? The most accessible faculty? The most supportive counseling?</p>
<p>I am about 50/50 between UCSD and UCLA right now, and I hear that the bureaucracy in both of these schools can be frustrating. From what I’ve read, it sounds worse at UCLA. </p>
<p>To clarify my concern, I am pursuing a degree in neuroscience, and will apply to medical school afterwards. I understand the value of encouraging your students to be self-reliant by not holding their hand through everything. If I expect to cut it in med school, I will need to stand on solid ground as an individual. That said, I believe that undergrad should be an educational experience. I am not here to show everyone how much I already know; I’m here to show you that I am capable of learning everything you have to teach. </p>
<p>So, with that in mind, which schools do you guys think offer the best learning environment?</p>
<p>I don’t think I can help very much with this, but here are a couple of numbers.</p>
<p>UCLA has a student to faculty ratio of 17 to 1 while UCSD has a ratio of 19 to 1.</p>
<p>My thought on this is that ultimately you can form relationships with your teachers, regardless of school, if you’re determined enough. My friend who goes to UCSD told me a story of how his roommate wanted to get closer to one of his professors. As a result his roommate literally stocked the professor for several days, and then “bumped into him” while he was walking his dog like he always did everyday. He’s now really close to the professor, and does research with him. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Granted, this was an extreme way.</p>
<p>Thanks, Robelius. I was surprised that UCSD’s student to faculty ratio is higher than UCLA, even if it’s not significantly so. </p>
<p>That’s pretty funny about your friend’s roommate. I can picture it now… look up the professor’s main focus of research, get a bunch of literature pertaining to that subject, hide behind a bush and wait for them to walk by, leap out and pretend to trip in front of them spilling the literature everywhere. “Oh no, look what I did to my favorite books!”</p>