<p>Is there anyone that could give me the pros and cons of Cal Poly, UCSB, UCI, and UCD in terms of computer science (my intended major), the setting, the population, how people there are, etc…</p>
<p>THANKS!!</p>
<p>anyone???</p>
<p>Well, I tried to find how these departments were ranked, and came across one compiled by USNews in 2003 - by graduate department only. Of course, I am sure that their standing has something to do with the quality of their undergraduate department as well, as these sorts of things usually go.</p>
<h1>29. UC Irvine</h1>
<h1>42 UC Davis</h1>
<h1>49 UC Santa Barbara</h1>
<p>Source: <a href=“http://lazowska.cs.washington.edu/usnews2003/cs.htm[/url]”>http://lazowska.cs.washington.edu/usnews2003/cs.htm</a></p>
<p>Since Cal Poly does not offer PHD’s to my understanding, I don’t think they were included in this list. Cal Poly is, however, the leading university for Master’s in the West.</p>
<p>Except, as far as national academic prestige of the entire college goes, it would be something like this:</p>
<h1>42 UC Davis</h1>
<h1>43 Uc Irvine</h1>
<h1>45 UC Santa Barbara</h1>
<p>Cal Poly - A tiny bit smaller than the other schools you mentioned in terms of population. The surrounding town is very quaint and college friendly. Citizens and students tend to be more on the conservative side, but most colleges are fairly liberal in general. Students are friendly and approachable.</p>
<p>UC Irvine - Population is comparable to many UC’s (19k +), but is known to be a sort of commuter school. Campus is more updated and the buildings take on that modern, techonological feel. I personally know one person who attends UCI and they find that the school lacks unity and a strong social life, but honestly, it’s what you make of it.</p>
<p>UC Santa Barbara - Population is also above 17k with a residential campus in a suburban neighborhood. The school is right on the ocean which can be very beautiful at sunset and fun during the warmer months. Students are kick back, but the school is widely known as a party school. Things get wild down there, especially in IV where many students live.</p>
<p>UC Davis - Population is large, comparable to UCLA and UC Berkeley. Students live in dorms or the many surrounding houses and apartments hovering around campus. Davis is a small town in a sort of rural area. I found the town adorable, if a little small. Very bike and walker friendly, and everything is accessable without a car. Students are super friendly here. </p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>
<p>thanks!! if i am looking for a beach closeby with good surf and a good engineering and CS department then which would be better for me UCI or UCSB? is cal poly near the beach?</p>
<p>cal poly - on the central coast</p>
<p>irvine - drive to the beach</p>
<p>santa barbara - campus is seriously on the ocean</p>
<p>i would vote sb, especially since the difference in ranking isn’t huge what so ever.</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>
<p>but don’t elimidate uc davis before you learn more about the school! im totally a beach person myself, having lived in l.a. and then santa cruz (huge surf town) all my life. i will go going to uc berkeley in the fall, but i really fell in love with davis and thought it would have made a great alternative for me. sure, it may not be on the beach, but i found it quite adorable. besides, it’s near the snow and various lakes. anyway, im just rambling.</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>
<p>and ucsb has good engineering/cs departments right?</p>
<p>well yes, ucsb is known for having a decent engineering/cs departments. is ucsd out of reach for you? that campus is also right near a beautiful beach…</p>
<p><3,</p>
<p>Izzie Bear</p>
<p>what do you mean out of reach? i have a 4.0 gpa and 1870 (720m 620w 530r) 700math2c 760french and decent if not great ecs.</p>
<p>Just wanted to point out that there are two Cal Polys…Pomona might be worth considering as well as SLO if you value smaller size or being close to the city. The faculty at the Pomona campus is probably even better than at the SLO campus (judging by their credentials, anyway), although the student body is less elite.</p>
<p>i am still a little confused. is cal poly slo near the beach?</p>
<p>SLO is near the central coast – it should be pretty easy to get to the beach. Last time I was in the area, the beach was FREEZING, even in July, but for surfers I guess that just means you break out the wet suit. :)</p>
<p>10 to 15 minutes if I remember right. Pismo Beach is a great beach, but Hanna is right . The water isn’t warm.</p>
<p>awesome. yeah here in orange county the water was at 63 last time i checked. but with a wetsuit the watertemp feels like its at 70+!</p>
<p>i was also thinking about UCSD which is also 5 min away from the beach but with my stats, i dont think i’ll get in.</p>
<p>cal poly is close to the beach…
irvine’s a bit of a boring city but it’s nice, it has a ton of trees
davis is really cute</p>
<p>what is there to do in davis other than biking and hiking?</p>
<p>Berkeley is less than an hour away. SF is a little more than an hour away. Tahoe is two hours away. Sacramento is close.</p>
<p>The Mondavi Theater is right on campus. There is a new Rec Center on campus. There is a movie theater walking distance from campus. A small shopping center and many restaurants are walking distance from campus.</p>
<p>The school is buliding a small football stadium as the school is becoming division 1.</p>
<p>what does davis specialize in? major-wise? i want a good cs and engineering department…which would be the best out of sd, davis, uci, cal poly slo, and ucsb?</p>
<p>My guess is all those schools are good in what you want.</p>
<p>alright. i think i’ve eliminated davis just cuz of the surroundings in stuff. </p>
<p>so hypothetically speaking if i were admitted to sd, sb, uci, and cal poly i would want a social life but no drugs and smoking (you know.) i would like close by movie theater, good restaurants,and a school surf team.</p>
<p>question is if i join a fraternity at say ucsd or uci, would i have the same social life as not joining a fraternity at ucsb (cuz i know its a party school.)</p>
<p>does that make sense.?</p>